Blog Action Day - Go Vege to Save the Planet?

Today, Thursday 15 October, is Blog Action Day '09. Blog Action Day was initiated to generate discussion around an important social issue (this year: climate change) by creating concentrated focus on that issue in the blogosphere on one nominated day. The idea is that so much discussion will lead to plans being made and action being taken.

I've decided to focus on the "Action" part of Blog Action Day, and am doing something I've been gathering up the resolve to do for months: I'm pledging to go vegetarian for a month. Although it's still not talked about as much as gas-guzzling SUVs and food miles, it's becoming more common knowledge that going vegetarian or vegan is one of the best, if  not the best, change an individual can make to decrease his or her impact on the environment. I've been in internal turmoil since I learned this information. I want to do everything I can to reduce my footprint, but I love steak! And fish!

I didn't want to give up meat too lightly, so I did some research. I came across an article from a couple of months back in the Washington Post referring to a 2006 UN Report which concluded that cattle-rearing generates more greenhouse gases than transportation. Livestock farming is also incredibly damaging to the world's scarce water resources, and it degrades land too. The Washington Post reporter pointed out that not only is reducing meat consumption one of the best things a person can do for the environment, it's also one of the easiest, because it doesn't require extra resources, and you can make the change immediately. Another article in Time magazine highlights the potentially dangerous effects of antibiotic use on animals, especially those raised in feed-lots. But these articles are U.S.-centric, and a lot of these issues must be a much less of a concern where I live, in New Zealand. For instance, we have plenty of grass to go around, so we don't usually need to feed our livestock massive amounts of grain like they do in the U.S. (the occasional bit of palm kernel, but that's another issue). We produce a lot of meat in NZ and we're a pretty small country, so the meat I eat is unlikely to have clocked up too many food miles. But our cattle still burp and fart, and the methane they produce is a significant contributor to NZ's greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, agriculture is responsible for over half of NZ's CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural run-off has already ruined many of our waterways and continues to do damage. 

So how much of a difference can I make by going vegetarian in New Zealand? A lot of the meat and dairy products we produce are exported anyway, so any reduction in demand resulting from NZers going vegetarian might just mean that more meat and dairy is exported instead, resulting in big greenhouse emissions from transport. Discussion on another NZ blog suggests that we can make more of a difference by reducing our meat consumption and using our consumer power to create demand for ethically treated, organic meat. And they raise the very valid point that many protein substitutes, such as lentils and chickpeas, are probably imported rather than grown in New Zealand, so they come with big food miles. Of course, reducing one's contribution to climate change is not the only reason to move to a more plant-based diet. There's the animal welfare aspect (which I somehow manage to block out every time I tuck into a chicken stir-fry or ham sandwich). Some of our pigs and chickens live in terrible conditions, and I already try to avoid contributing to that by buying free range. But, as a good vegetarian friend of mine would say, "if you can live just fine without killing animals, isn't that a better way to live?" Then there's the suggestion that I might feel more healthy and energetic if I cut out meat from my diet, because meat is supposedly much harder to digest than most plant foods.

So, there's a possibility I might reduce my environmental impact, the certainty that I'll contribute to less animal slaughter, a possibility that I'll feel healthier, and I'm pretty sure I'll save on my grocery bill. It definitely seems worth giving vegetarian eating a try. So, starting tomorrow (because I have half a can of tuna and leftover chicken in the fridge today), I'm cutting out meat for a month in all meals I choose. (By this I mean I may make allowances in social settings where to avoid meat would be particularly inconvenient.)  I look forward to exploring the issues more in the month ahead, and I'll keep you posted on how my "vegetarian trial" goes. I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts about meat-eating and climate change. I also welcome any tips, advice and moral support - send me a comment below.