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Survey: Have You Cut Back on Meat?

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09. 2.08
Interact (surveys)

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Warren reminds us
that livestock contributes 18% of global greenhouse emissions; meat also isn't that healthy in great quantities. The British medical journal Lancet recommends that that the industrial world chomp on 10% less meat to limit greenhouse gas emissions, whilst enhancing human health, going on to say, "For the world's higher-income populations, greenhouse-gas emissions from meat-eating warrant the same scrutiny as do those from driving and flying." 10% doesn't sound so tough.

Comments (11)

I eat beef raised in a sustainable fashion on my parents small farm. They only have at max 3 cows at a time and the animals graze and in the winter eat what my father has raised on the land. When they are butchered the meat is shared among the family and good neighbors.

jump to top Becky says:

i only eat meat once, maybe twice a week. reduction by approximately 80%. Only eat meat when its a special occasion.

jump to top Eric says:

I have raised my own beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, and trout for 20 years now.

jump to top Jon says:

I'm not quite ready to go vegetarian, at least not financially. I am interested in the meat alternatives but a lot of the time they provide a poor value for my money. I'm trying though.

jump to top Courtney says:

As I was growing up, our family finances were meager and we relied heavily on our garden, so from childhood I always enjoyed fresh veggies. We always had the essentials, so we didn't realize we were poor. Growing up, I was never programmed to eat meat so as an adult, I don't feel I am missing anything. In my "golden years", I eat meat about 2-3 times a week and sometimes go 1-2 weeks with no meat at all in my diet. I feel better, have had reasonable success with weight control, don't blow a large part of my budget on meat and can feel good about myself emotionally, physically, morally and financially. If only we could step outside of what we were trained to do and try things in a different way and from a different point of view. Just think how much we could grow!

jump to top Rando says:

I don't eat meat! I am a vegetarian and I won't even touch meat when it is packed at the store!

jump to top cooldudekewl says:

@ Courtney
There are a lot of hidden costs to eating meat. How do you put a price on dying from cancer or heart disease, both of which are statistically much higher in meat eaters? Also, as more people eat vegetable-based meat alternatives, the prices will fall through economies of scale and as more competitors enter the market. So by starting to eat veggie burgers now, you're helping lower prices in the future.

Here's a tip: I buy my Boca burgers at Costco (which is a great company in the way it treats its workers BTW). 3.5 pounds costs me $11 (in Hawaii of all places), which is about $3 per pound. Is beef really that much cheaper?

It's lunchtime here now, and writing this post and thinking about Boca burgers has made me hungry. I think I'll go make one now...

jump to top JSDreyer [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

I have been a vegetarian my whole life. I am almost vegan, except I can't give up cheese (guilty pleasure). I'm working on it though!!

jump to top Taylor says:

Both me and my boyfriend are vegan. And we intend to stay so.

To address Courtney's concern, think about the reasons why Chinese, as they see their standard of living rise, consume more meat. On the opposite side, people in places like African countries and India mainly consume vegeterian diet. The reason? Because they are poor!

To help you out get started: there is a great cookbook called "Veganomicon." It has a good variety of vegan meals that you can easily cook. And you don't necesseraly need to spend an outrageous amount of money on meat substitutes like veggie patties. They have recipes for those using ingridients that will not cost you a fortune.

jump to top lisa says:

I think certain lean meats are healthier than they get credit for, but I may soon have to radically change my habits. I just saw a story saying that the FDA believes some cloned meat, which it approved in '06, may already be in stores.

I just can't support that. Time for the $15 o.g. chicken!

jump to top john m says:

Not at all.I hunt it,kill it,clean it,Then cook it. Or just grow my own groceries.I very rarely use a grocery store.

jump to top Anonymous says:

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