Guest guest Posted August 11, 2000 Report Share Posted August 11, 2000 Teens can make a world of difference By Sharlene Azam The Toronto Star August 8, 2000 Inviting young people over for dinner is no simple affair. Besides the usual food allergies and religious restrictions, we now have to look at food from a political point of view. What do you do if the guests at your dinner table look at the phyllo pastry filled with seafood you've prepared and ask if you can order a pizza - because they don't like how it came to be on their plates. We are becoming more and more aware of the way food production affects the environment - and our selves. Besides the potential consequences of genetic engineering, consider these facts: More than 1.2 billion people live in absolute poverty where malnutrition, disease, and high infant mortality make a mockery of human decency. Efforts to eliminate hunger could be strengthened by a reduction in consumption of livestock products among the billion wealthiest people in the world. This, in turn, would reduce the share of grain consumed by livestock, freeing up more for human consumption. We are already feeling the effects of greenhouse gases - produced mainly by industrialized nations - on the climate. This is why more and more young people are choosing to " think globally and act locally'' by practicing veganism or vegetarianism. This is a form of environmental activism. http://www.thestar.com/editorial/life/20000808LFE03_LI-AZAM8.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2000 Report Share Posted August 12, 2000 This is a great article--informative and interesting. I had a few commments. > Teens can make a world of difference > > By Sharlene Azam > The Toronto Star > August 8, 2000 > Efforts to eliminate hunger could be strengthened by a reduction in > consumption of livestock products among the billion wealthiest people > in the world. This, in turn, would reduce the share of grain consumed > by livestock, freeing up more for human consumption. While this statement is true, I think this is a tricky issue. As far as I know, there is currently not enough grain/food available worldwide to feed the world's population, even with optimal distribution. If everyone ate a vegetarian-based diet, there would be enough. However, the primary problem right now is distribution. In the US, we are right now facing a glut of supply of grains. This is bad for farmers because the prices drop, meaning losses and government subsidies. This is one of the reasons corn farmers have come out AGAINST genetic engineering: genetically-enhanced crops will increase production, meaning more losses for farmers. Meanwhile, there are of course severe food shortages in developing countries, but they can't afford to buy the excess grain produced in the US. Giving it away will just drive the price lower and mean more losses for farmers. So, it seems to me that America's grain farmers have a choice: they can either quit farming altogether, leave the land they may have worked for generations, and find a new profession. Or, they can go into an area where there is a demand: livestock farming. Even though you're wasting food energy, it is more lucrative to funnel grains through animals and then sell the animals. In a (basically) free market economy, what do you expect people to do? They're just meeting demand. As more and more people become vegetarian (hopefully), the demand for animal products will drop, and the demand for grain will also decrease because of the better efficiency of the vegetarian diet. So basically, we are putting more and more farmers out of business. I have no problem with this per se, because throughout history, changing trends in society have always put people out of business. Cars put the horse-and-buggy industry out of business. One possible approach is to create a less free market: require farmers to comply with some level of " organic " farming practices. This will reduce supply and create better quality goods. Worse for the consumer because they will be more expensive, better because they will be better quality. Better for the farmers because the tighter supply might mean they actually make money. I guess this is the approach they take in Europe, more or less. However, this is America, we believe in freedom, and anybody who doesn't comply with the " organic " standards will have a leg up on his competitors. Oh yeah, another arm of this debate is the possibility of GM crops for developing countries. These (barring disaster of course) could potentially help alleviate hunger by increasing production within the affected countries. Of course, the companies that develop the technology will want licensing fees, so this does not seem to feasible, plus, the problem is usually not with crop technology, but simply because everyone is just too poor to purchase food, so there is, ironically, not enough demand even in starving countries. Interesting is the case of the vitamin A-enriched rice technology which Monsanto has given away to developing countries in the hope of alleviating malnutrition and helping its public image. Anyway, wow, this has gotten pretty long. I haven't actually suggested a concrete course of action, nor does any of this change the fact that the vegan diet is still the best way to go. I've just laid out the situation as I see it. I'm curious if anyone else sees a solution to these problems, or has any comments. I've probably also made some erroneous assumptions, so please jump in and correct me. Clark www.VeganVoice.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2000 Report Share Posted August 12, 2000 > Teens can make a world of difference > > By Sharlene Azam > The Toronto Star > August 8, 2000 > http://www.thestar.com/editorial/life/20000808LFE03_LI-AZAM8.html Oh yeah, one more funny side thing from the article: Adam Werbach, the 27-year-old president of the Sierra Club, says, ``People always ask me, `Aren't you too young for your job?' ``My reply is the same every time. `No, I'm too old. A 17-year-old would get more done'. ``Kids don't worry about paying rent, missing deadlines or eating Kraft macaroni and cheese every night. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Kraft macaroni and cheese? Sounds great! Just what the young vegan activist eats before going off to battle corporate America. Clark www.VeganVoice.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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