Well, reasons to say bye-bye to meat...at least once or twice a week.
Did you know that if everyone went vegetarian for just one day, the U.S. would save:
- 100 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the homes in New England for 4 months.
- 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than a year.
- 33 tons of antibiotics
And we could prevent:
- Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France.
- 3 million tons of soil erosion and $70 million in resulting economic damages.
- Almost 7 tons of ammonia emissions, a major air pollutant.
In her article, The Breathtaking effects of Cutting Back on Meat, Kathy Freston writes, "According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. See how easy it is to make an impact?"
And Freston is right! It's as easy as meatless pie. It's not only better for the environment, it's better for our bodies. If the vegetarian lifestyle isn't for you, and I can agree it certainly isn't for everyone, try implementing meatless meals into your diet two days a week. That's it! You don't have to cut meat out entirely. Plus, it may help you attain your daily recommended requirement of veggies!
Who remembers this quote? "What do you mean he don't eat no meat!? That's okay, I'll make lamb." (hehe, one of the funniest movies ever!) Are you planning a vegetarian wedding or event? If so, I'd love to hear your stories and share them with our readers. E-mail us at email@example.com with vegetarian in the subject line.