The Hidden Cost of Christmas - Consumption and destruction of the planet.

[Guest guest]

E-Newsletter Research and Development (RnD) by

InfoNature.Org

 

 

:: INFONATURE.ORG NEWSLETTER - WWW.INFONATURE.ORG ::

Information & Education, Activism & Volunteering on:

Nature, Human Rights, Animal Rights

 

 

LET THESE INFORMATIONS BECOME KNOWN - SEND THIS

NEWSLETTER TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS

 

 

 

 

New report shows what our Christmas shopping is

costing to the Earth

 

 

 

 

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has today

released a report that measures the environmental cost of Australia's Christmas

shopping. The report The Hidden Cost of Christmas: The environmental impact of

Australian Christmas spending calculates the environmental impact of Australia's

Christmas spending on books, confectionary, clothes, alcoholic beverages and

electrical appliances.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res_Xmascost.pdf

 

 

The research shows:

 

- Every dollar Australians spend on new clothes consumes

20 litres of water and requires 3.4 square metres of land. Last Christmas,

Australians spent $1.5 billion on clothes, which required more than half a

million hectares of land to produce.

 

- Approximately 42 gigalitres of water (or 42,000

Olympic sized swimming pools) were used in the production of our Christmas

drinks last December. Most of this water was used growing barley for beer and

grapes for wine.

 

- Before we even plugged in the DVD players and coffee

makers we bought last Christmas, they had created 780,000 tonnes of greenhouse

pollution. A third of

this was due to fuel consumption by the manufacturers of

the appliances; greenhouse pollution embodied in steel contributed to a quarter

of the pollution.

 

- If you spend around $30 on chocolates and lollies this

Christmas, you'll be consuming 20kg of natural materials (even if the box of

chocolates weighs only 1 kilogram) and 940 litres of water.

 

 

ACF's Executive Director, Don Henry, asked shoppers to

consider the environmental cost of their spending. " If your bank account is

straining under the pressure of Christmas shopping, spare a thought for our

environment. It's paying for our Christmas presents with water, land, air and

resources. These costs are hidden in the products we buy. "

 

" We can all tread more lightly on the earth this

Christmas by eating, drinking and giving gifts in moderation, and by giving

gifts with a low environmental cost, such as vouchers for services, tickets to

entertainment, memberships to gyms, museums or sports clubs, and donations to

charities, " said Mr Henry.

 

 

 

Tips for treading lightly at Christmas time

 

- Don't over indulge - eat, drink and give gifts in

moderation.

 

 

- Organise a Kris Kringle with family or friends.

 

- Wrap gifts in newspaper or re-used paper.

 

- Save money and the environment by spending the hours

you usually spend shopping in the company of people you don't see enough.

 

- Give gifts with a low eco-impact:

Vouchers for services: massages, facials, gardening,

housecleaning; Tickets: movies, concerts, sports events, theatre; Memberships:

gyms, charities, sports clubs, zoos, museums, galleries; Personal favour

vouchers: 3 hours of childcare, 2 breakfasts in bed, a month of lawn mowing, 4

car washes; Gifts that give: charity donations, overseas aid project

sponsorships and donations, memberships and subscriptions to environmental

organisations; Organic food hampers.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res_Xmascost.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

VEGETARIAN FOOD - A MORE HEALTHY, ETHICAL AND

NATURAL FOOD

 

 

 

 

A MUST SEE DOCUMENT - Why go Vegetarian:

http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/WhyVegan.pdf

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/index.html

 

 

It is all very well to say that individuals must wrestle

with their consciences - but only if their consciences are awake and informed.

Industrial society, alas, hides animal's suffering.

 

For modern animal agriculture, the less the consumer

knows about what's happening before the meat hits the plate, the better.

 

If true, is this an ethical situation? Should we be

reluctant to let people know what really goes on, because we're not really proud

of it and concerned that it might turn them to vegetarianism?

 

Peter Cheeke, PhD, Oregon St. U. Professor of Animal

Agriculture, Contemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999 textbook

 

 

Why go Vegetarian:

 

Factory Farms

Transport & Stockyards

Slaughterhouses

Behind the Walls

Environmental Destruction

Resources & Contamination

A Healthy Way

What to Eat?

More Info

 

 

INFONATURE.ORG - INTERNATIONAL | INFONATURE.ORG -

PORTUGAL | FORUM | NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE | WRITE US

PARTICIPATE IN OUR DISCUSSION LISTS AND NEWSLETTERS:

INTERNATIONAL | PORTUGAL | AJUDAR ANIMAIS

 

 

 

" Knowledge is Power, the Power to Change Things "

WWW.INFONATURE.ORG