Contributing Writer: Gundl Bhutani

Animal agriculture stresses Earth

One of the greatest ways we can acknowledge Earth Day Saturday and protect the environment is to shift toward a plant-based diet, centered on fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, while eliminating meat and other animal products.

Raising animals for food is a leading cause of resource depletion and environmental degradation. Meat production is inefficient and results in the needless waste of precious environmental resources. One acre of land could produce 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots or just 250 pounds of beef. In the United States and around the world, millions of acres of forests are cleared and burned to create grazing land for cattle and crop lands to grow animal feed.

The nearly 10 billion animals raised for human consumption each year in the United States excrete massive quantities of urine and feces. Because these animals are fed and injected with antibiotics and sprayed with pesticides, their waste is filled with toxic chemicals. Much of it is washed by rains, untreated, into our waters.

Animal agriculture poses a greater threat to our natural environment than all other human activities combined. We directly contribute to massive amounts of ecological devastation by eating meat, eggs and dairy products.

Every dollar spent to purchase animal products subsidizes this devastation.

Each of us can refuse to subsidize environmental destruction every day by boycotting animal foods. If we truly care about the planet and its inhabitants, becoming vegan is crucial for putting our principles into practice. For more information on the subject, see www.vegforlife.org.