01 April 2010

Resource Impact of Livestock

I was discussing this topic with my friends last evening, and I was surprised by how unaware most of them were with regard to the amount of resources used in the production of livestock.  I was able to share some bits of knowledge - which were quite shocking to them - but I had the impression that it wouldn’t be a lasting one.  So, I started to give the topic some serious thought and began to research.  Needless to say, I found out more than I had bargained for.    If you are still eating animal products, and you find yourself stuck but want a change, try cutting out meat from meals once or twice a week and go from there.  It's all about the small changes adding up to a big one!
  • One pound of beef takes ¾ gallon of oil to produce.  Based on oil consumption, beef requires a 35:1 of oil to end product.  Tofu requires a 2:1 ratio.
  • Producing a pound of animal protein requires 100 times more water than a plant-based nutritional equivalent
  • 43% of the world’s grain production goes to producing feed for livestock, an industry that produces 6 billion pounds of deadstock annually.

I urge you to visit the following sources:

The Last Drop , The New Yorker

Global Water Supply , CNN

It's popular nowadays to institute a Meatless Mondays policy in a weekly routine.  Try giving it a shot with some of the delicious recipes here and see how you respond!

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