Thursday, November 10, 2011

What we can really do for the Planet

We have the power and the ability to take positive action for the Earth and for the well being of all. We need to put our money where our mouth is . We can do this three times a day or when we sit down to eat. So simple yet so powerful . True power is not needing to exploit others for one's own selfish gain. Here are the facts of how a plant based diet can be empowering and beneficial for all.

. Over 60 million people die of Starvation 

. The livestock population of the U.S. consumes enough grain and soybeans each year to feed over 5 times the human population of the country. Animals are fed over 80% of the corn and 95% of the oats that are grown on our soil.


.  Less than half of the harvested agricultural acreage goes to feed people.


. It takes sixteen pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat.


. It requires 3 1/2 acres of land per person to support a meat centered diet, 1 1/2 acres of land to support a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet and 1/6 acre of land to support a Vegan diet.


. If Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 10 percent, it would free up 12 million tons of grain annually.


. Developing Nations use land to raise beef for wealthier nations instead of utilizing that land for sustainable agriculture practices.


. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,one acre of land can produce 20,000 pounds of potatoes. This same amount of land can only produce 165 pounds of meat.


. The factory farm industry causes a tremendous amount of ground water pollution  due to the chemicals,pesticides and run off waste that is inherent in its practices.


. Half of the water used in the U.S. goes to irrigate land growing feed and fodder for livestock. It takes approximately 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of meat. Similarly , it takes approximately 4,000 gallons of water to provide a day's worth of food per person for a meat centered diet,1,200  gallons for a lacto -ovo vegetarian diet and 300 gallons for a Vegan diet.


. In order to support cattle grazing,South and Central America are destroying their Rainforests. These rainforests contain close to half of all the species on Earth and many medicinal plants. Over a thousand species a year are becoming extinct and most of these are from rainforest and tropical settings. This practice also causes the displacement of Indigenous peoples who have been living in these environments.





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