Meat Eating's Effect on the Environment

[Guest guest]

Is your plate harming the planet?

 

Eating meat leaves behind an environmental toll that generations to come

will be forced to pay.

 

Land:

Of all agricultural land in the U.S., 87 percent is used to raise animals

for food - that's 45 percent of the total land mass in the U.S.

 

Water:

More than half of all the water consumed in the U.S. for all purposes is

used to raise animals for food. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce

a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. A totally

vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a meat-eating

diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day.

 

Pollution:

Raising animals for food causes more water pollution in the U.S. than any

other industry because animals raised for food produce 130 times the

excrement of the entire human population - 87,000 pounds per second! Much

of the waste from factory farms and slaughterhouses flows into streams and

rivers, contaminating water sources.

 

Energy:

Of all raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S., more than one-third

is used to raise animals for food. Producing a single hamburger patty takes

enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles and enough water for 17

showers.

 

Deforestation:

Each vegetarian saves an acre of trees every year! More than 260 million

acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to grow crops to feed animals raised

for meat, and another acre of trees disappears every eight seconds. The

tropical rain forests are also being destroyed to create grazing land for

cattle. Fifty-five square feet of rain forest may be razed to produce just

one quarter-pound burger.

 

Resources:

In the U.S., animals raised for food are fed more than 80 percent of the

corn we grow and more than 95 percent of the oats. The world's cattle alone

consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion

people - more than the entire human population on Earth.

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The above information is taken from People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals' Vegetarian Starter Kit. To order a free copy, call 1-888-VEG-FOOD

or visit GoVeg.com.

 

Check out http://MeatsNoTreat.tripod.com

 

To save the rainforest, visit EcologyFund.com

 

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