Virginia Tech students discuss merits of vegetarianism

[Guest guest]

By Brian McNeill

The Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech

 

(U-WIRE) BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A panel discussion led by student and local

environmentalists on vegetarianism and veganism caused a heated debate with

members of agricultural clubs Tuesday night.

 

The discussion, " Vegetarianism and Veganism: An Open Forum, " was held in Litton

Reaves and touched on reasons why some people choose to forgo meat and animal

products, citing heath and environmental benefits and ethical reasons.

 

Following the presentations by panel members, a question and answer session

turned into a verbal battle between environmentalists, who sat toward the front

of the room, and agricultural students, who were largely concentrated in the

back.

 

The Earth Week forum was originally scheduled to be a formal debate between

members of Taking Responsibility for the Earth and Environment and

representatives from the Block and Bridle Club, the Dairy Club and the Poultry

Club.

 

However, members of the agricultural clubs withdrew from the debate beforehand.

Instead of canceling the event altogether, TREE decided to change the concept

from a debate to the informational forum.

 

Cara Colbert, president of the Block and Bridle Club and senior animal science

and agricultural economics major, said her group withdrew from the debate

because they were given an inadequate amount of time -- two weeks -- to prepare.

 

However, Ginny Pitman, president of Tech's Environmental Coalition, and senior

crop soil environmental science major, said the agricultural groups were given

ample notice of the event.

 

" We came up with this idea the week before spring break, and at that point it

was just an idea, " she said. " The week after spring break, we invited (the

agricultural groups). "

 

Chip Jones, a senior agriculture economics major and a council member of the

agriculture committee Aggie Econ, said the problem was because of

miscommunication between the two groups.

 

Jones said the groups withdrew because agricultural organizations do not

specialize in ethics and human health -- topics that were to be focused on in

the debate.

 

Pitman said the agricultural groups have debated such issues much of their

lives, since many of them grew up on farms living by ideals some believe hurt

the environment and violates animal rights.

 

Pierre Grzybowski, a local activist and TREE panel member, said animal rights is

a philosophy arguing animals can feel pain and have a general will to live that

is violated by the meat industry.

 

He said the best interests of animals should be taken into consideration,

regardless of their usefulness to humans.

 

The panel first outlined reasons why not eating animal products can help the

environment. Fossil fuels, land and water, panleists said, are all used

unnecessarily to sustain the meat and dairy industries.

 

Next, panelists showed a video made by People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals titled " Meet Your Meat. " The video provided a graphic look inside the

slaughterhouses and industrial farms that, a panelist from TREE said, often

violate animal rights.

 

Colbert and other agricultural students felt the video provided an unfair and

biased view of farming stating animals rarely suffer when they are killed.

 

" Farmers cannot afford to treat their animals that way, " she said. " I don't

think you'll find a farmer who doesn't get a little attached to their animals. "

 

Evelyn Thornton, a junior international studies major, and member of TREE, said

although farmers do get attached on family farms, such as the one she grew up

on, much of the meat consumed is from industrial farms where the focus is on

efficiency and making money.

 

" Most animals do not live on a happy little farm, " she said. " Most of what we

eat comes from industrial farms. "

 

Mike Scarborough, a sophomore computer science major and TREE panel member, said

vegetarians and vegans live healthier and longer lives, and vegetarianism

contributes to reducing air and water pollution and decreases total energy

usage.

 

The blame for pollution does not lay with animals, Jones said.

 

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