BOB KENYON
Special to Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Net Zero home produces as much electricity as it consumes and thus does not adversely affect climate change. There are other ways to fight climate change.
Being quite passionate about climate change - causes and solutions, I did what most academics do; I researched. I watched every documentary I could find on the topic.
After viewing quite a few, I noticed a common thread running through each one. They all concluded that if we reduced or eliminated our meat consumption, climate change would be significantly less. I then had to know why this veggie option would solve the problem. Greta Thunberg stated: “If we change towards a plant-based diet, we could save up to eight billion tons of CO2 every single year. We could feed ourselves on much less land, and nature could recover.” The BBC recently published an article entitled: Seven proven ways to help the planet in 2025. Number 1 was: Eat a plant-based diet. If you’d like to invest 72 minutes into learning about this, I suggest the Meat The Truth documentary which can be viewed here.
Vegetarians choose to not eat meat for a variety of reasons. Some feel the treatment of animals is untenable. Dr. Jane Goodall said: “To me, cruelty is the worst of human sins.
Once we accept that a living creature has feelings and suffers pain, then by knowingly and deliberately inflicting suffering on that creature, we are guilty, whether it be human or animal.” Sir Paul McCartney stated: “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarians.” If you’ve ever seen a slaughterhouse, your opinion might change. Ask me for a video link if you’re curious; it’s pretty heart wrenching. If you’ve ever stepped on your cat’s tail, it’s clear they feel pain. Some feel not eating meat will have significant health benefits. Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes. A meta-analysis by Harvard University of 29 studies of meat consumption and colon cancer concluded that a high consumption of red meat increases your risk of colon cancer by 28%, and a high consumption of processed meat increases your risk by 20%. Some have religious convictions which prevent them from eating animals. There is a strong tradition of vegetarianism in the Hindu religions, stemming from the reverence for the sacred cow. Vegetarianism is viewed as a daily sadhana, or spiritual practice, by many Hindus.
After perusing multiple documentaries about climate change, a pattern emerged where almost all stated that not eating meat would make significant inroads on combating climate change. We were cynical - what is the correlation between not eating meat and solving climate change? As it turns out, meat and dairy specifically accounts for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). If the world is to meet its target of limiting global warming to “well below” 2C, some degree of diet shift will be necessary, scientists say. Livestock farming causes 18% of greenhouse gas emissions whereas transportation is only responsible for 13%. How can this be? It’s rather simple. When you put together all the methane produced by belching and farting cows, the destruction of the rainforests (to grow soybeans to feed the cattle) , and pesticides you get a recipe for disaster. A dairy cow can produce 500 to 700 liters of methane per day, which is equivalent to a big gas guzzling SUV traveling at about 35 miles per day. Meat production is the #1 cause of global warming according to the Meat The Truth documentary.
How do emissions from meat, dairy and other foods compare? There are several ways to assess the relative climate impact of different food groups. The chart below compares the average greenhouse gas emissions produced per kilogram of different food products.
See below to see how much beef contributes to greenhouse gas vs other food options:
A vegan eats no animals or animal products - no eggs or cheese. A vegetarian eats no animals but does eat eggs and cheese. A pescatarian is a person who follows a diet that includes fish and seafood but excludes all other meats.
Long ago I learned that when beans and rice are combined they form a full protein, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids. Therefore, vegetarians can obtain all the protein they require with rice and beans. For those convinced eating meat is essential, please consider that the largest land animal on earth is a vegan: the elephant.
I put together a website primarily to help me remember all the recipes I had experimented with. You might enjoy http://bobsriceandbeansoups.club/. Note I started this website before I understood the virtues of being a vegetarian so feel free to skip the meat from any recipe.
How’s your grocery bill lately? Let’s assume you’re on a shoestring budget and need the least expensive way to provide a nutritious meal to your family. A 1 lb bag of dried beans can be obtained at most any store for between $1.00 and $1.50. Two cups of brown rice cost about $1.00. Cooking a pound of beans and two cups of rice with some broth will fill a 6 qt pot. A six quart pot holds 24 cups. $2.50 divided by 24 cups yields 10.4 cents a cup. Assuming a bowl is two cups - a nutritious meal can be made for 21 cents. A family of five can be fed for a dollar, with 7 bowls left over - sounds like a hill of beans is pretty valuable.
A favorite recipe of mine is Loyola Lentil Stew. It was developed at Loyola University Maryland for my Computer Science department luncheon. I connected with the head of the food service there and it was served across the entire campus during Lent. Yeah, bad dad joke - Lentil Stew in Lent...
If you would like to sample this stew, please join us at A Taste of Hutchinson - The Men Cook, sponsored by Salthawk Community Support. It’s 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at Hutchinson Art Center, 405 N Washington Street. The cost is $45/ticket for this fundraiser. A ticket includes a taste of all food and two drink coupons. Funds raised assure the financial future of Salthawk Community Support for Hutchinson High School and Hutchinson Middle School 8. Tickets can be purchased at Apron Strings, The Wool Market, Trinity UMC, and at the door. The Chefs are a wide variety of community members - from a city council member, an employee of the City of Hutchinson, educators, company CEOs, retirees, politicians, environmental activists etc..
Many organizations support Meatless Monday. Meatless Monday is a simple concept that can make a big difference in our personal health and the health of the planet. The idea was first introduced during World War I as a way to reduce consumption to help the war effort and was revived in 2003 as a non-profit public health initiative. Today, Meatless Monday is supported by millions of people in over 40 countries and is backed in science and research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future.
Meatless Monday can make a big difference for your health and the health of our planet. Replacing meat with plant-based choices each Monday can offer numerous health benefits and help you take action against climate change by reducing your carbon footprint and helping you conserve precious environmental resources. Reducing consumption of meat can help contain production of greenhouse gases that impact climate change. It can also help lessen the demand for precious environmental resources such as land, water, and energy. Skipping one serving of beef every Monday for a year saves the equivalent emissions to driving 348 miles in a gas powered car.
While my wife and I have been fairly consistent about avoiding eating meat for the last few years, there are two exceptions. If invited to a dinner party, we will consume whatever is offered. Mom would roll over if we were not gracious guests. The other exception is the reuben at Carls Bar & Delicatessen. OMG, so good….
“A vegetarian in a hummer produces fewer carbon emissions than a meat eater in a Prius”. From Meat The Truth documentary.
Comments? Questions? Drop me a line.
Previous Articles:
● What I Learned in First Two Months of EV Ownership
● Did I just buy a Net Zero House?