designtraveletc asked: Hi, thanks for your answer to my soup question! I recently read an interesting article today on 'The conversation edu au' site called 'Ordering the vegetarian meal, theres more animal blood on your hands' that has really got me thinking. One of the reason I became vegetarian is because I thought it was better for the local environment and local wildlife but it seems, according to this article, that this is not the case. What are your thoughts on this article?
Thanks for letting me know about that article (here’s a link), as I hadn’t read it before. There is some interesting information in there, although I’m not sure I agree with his main point. Check out the comments, too, since it seems like a lot of people have shared other information there. I’m not a scientist and so I haven’t done the research, but I have a few thoughts.
First off, I’m not sure if you are Australian (it’s awesome if you are!), but the article seems to really focus on the subject from an Australian viewpoint. That’s cool for an Australian publication, but percentage of farmable land, not to mention the population of humans, really vary from country to country, so I’m not sure you can use those arguments to make a blanket statement for the entire world.
The article also seems to put humans in two camps, those who eat only plants and those who eat only meat. I’ve known some hard-pounding meat eaters in my life and have never come across someone who lived solely on meat protein. Almost every meat dish will come with some type of plant-based food with it (potatoes, broccoli, salad, etc.) so even meat eaters are consuming agricultural products and lots of them. I think that’s something to keep in mind.
Also, it’s fine to point out some problems with farming, but it’s worth exploring alternatives rather than just bailing on vegetarianism altogether! You don’t need to look very hard to see lots of other environmental problems with meat production that weren’t mentioned in this article. There are also many health problems linked to consumption of meat, so, although his focus is on the environment, there are other factors to consider here.
As a side note, I have a problem with the way this article portrays happy cows grazing in vast fields as well as using cute little baby mice singing love songs to their mother to make the point. I bet a lot of ugly cockroaches die, too. Plus, the overly dramatic title is pretty off-putting. Pulling at heart strings is a better fit for children’s books and romantic comedies, I think!
So, what can you do? Well, if you’re really passionate about the issues of sustainability and environmental vegetarianism, keep doing some research to get a clearer picture. One article won’t give you all the answers, but you might seem the same arguments pop up over time. Keep shopping locally, because the type of farming described in this article probably isn’t the mom and pop farm at the farmer’s market. Support restaurants and organizations that are concerned about the same issues as you are. Try growing some of your own food or try working a few hours on a local farm to see what really happens. Organic farmers are probably in-tune with your viewpoints on the subject and would probably welcome the help! Also, consider some of the other factors involved in environmental damage, too (like over-population, pollution, over-consumption, water usage, etc.) You might take on one of those causes and be a respectful voice for what you’re passionate about. I hope that helps and I appreciate the message! Feel free to share any more thoughts or info you come across.
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