Happy Weekend and Earth Day! In honor of Mother Nature's biggest day of the year, I'm going to try and consume less meat. I will try at least on Earth Day to refrain from eating any kind of meat to reduce my carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Unfortunately, it's not electricity for example that sets off the carbon foot print, it's also what we eat.
In simpler terms, the carbon footprint is a measure of how much we affect the environment, and particularly climate change, through our lifestyle. It consider the effect of using a car, flying, but also eating habits and leisure. Working toward a lowering of our carbon footprint means taking a step forward a cleaner, greener and healthier world In a study I found shows that lamb, beef, cheese and pork take the top spots for worst carbon footprints. "Lamb takes the top spot, with the researchers claiming that eating 4 ounces of lamb is equivalent to driving your car 7 miles. These foods generate the highest levels of greenhouse gases, mainly nitrous oxide and methane." If you're a meat eater like myself, maybe we should start looking for alternatives like eating meat from animals that have been grass-fed or pasture-raised meat, hormone, nitrate and antibiotic free meat, certified humane cuts, and low sodium meat, if available. But the best thing is to eat less meat and dairy products and more vegetables... These studies show and admit that it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to stop eating meat but we can try and make a change somehow... On Earth Day, April 22, 2012, I am going to eat a large bowl of salad made of this season's best products available... I will invite all my friends and family to join me. It's one day guys, let's help make a difference in more than one way... Not just by turning the electricity off.
