Further Evidence - If You Care About the Environment, Ditch the Meat and Dairy!!!

Written by Becky Striepe

Published on March 2nd, 2009 on ecolocalizer.com

A German study found that cows are major contributors to global warming, and it doesn't matter if they're raised on a conventional or an organic farm.

Foodwatch, an independent German research group, conducts studies on our diets’ impact on the environment. They are not an animal rights group; they’re a consumer rights group, and their findings led them to recommend that “agriculture must finally become part of climate change policy.”

The really shocking part of this Foodwatch study is that in many ways, organic meat is worse because it uses more land and resources. The problem is that no matter how you raise a cow, “they burp and fart to their hearts’ content.” Foodwatch is saying that we need to reduce our milk and meat production by 70% to mitigate the global warming implications.

Take Action in Your Kitchen

Seventy percent! For someone living on the Standard American Diet, that sounds pretty dramatic. So how can we cut back on the meat we eat? Check out these great vegetarian recipes. Veg Web has a huge database of tasty vegan recipes, too! to get you going.

Eating less dairy might seem tougher than reducing meat consumption for a lot of folks. Don’t worry that cutting dairy means you have to give up your favorite treats! Online shops like Atlanta’s Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe and Portland’s Food Fight Grocery offer tasty dairy alternatives. Follow Your Heart makes a mean vegan “cheese.” You can find tasty cream cheesesour cream alternatives. You don’t even have to give up chocolate! and

It might feel a bit trickier if you have kids, since you want to be careful with how much soy you’re feeding those little ones. Luckily, there are all sorts of soy-free dairy alternatives. Full disclosure here: I’m one of those hippie vegan types. For some reason, avocado really helped quell the cheese cravings when I gave up dairy. For a milk alternative, give almond milk a try! You can even find tasty ice creams that are totally soy free! Jennifer McCann’s site Vegan Lunch Box is full of kid-friendly vegan recipes.

Looking for more information on meat’s environmental impact? The Price of Meat has you covered. Stay tuned over there for their petition on livestock and climate policy.