Editor, Ogden Sentinel News
Celebrating Earth Day
Dear Editor:
As thousands across the U.S. get ready to protest environmental budget
cuts, each of us can also help with our driving, our recycling, and our
diet.
Yes, our diet. A 2010 United Nations report blames animal agriculture
for 70% of global freshwater use, 38% of land use, and 19% of greenhouse
gas emissions.
Carbon dioxide is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures
and by fossil fuel combustion to operate farm machinery, trucks, factory
farms, and slaughterhouses. The more damaging methane and nitrous oxide
are released from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste
cesspools, respectively.
Moreover, meat and dairy production dumps more animal waste, crop
debris, fertilizers, pesticides, and other pollutants into our waterways
than all other human activities combined. It is the driving force in
wildlife habitat destruction.
In an environmentally sustainable world, meat and dairy products in our
diet must be replaced by vegetables, fruits, and grains, just as fossil
fuels are replaced by wind, solar, and other pollution-free energy
sources.
On this Earth Day and every day, let’s cherish our environment with
eco-friendly plant-based eating. Our next trip to the supermarket is a
great starting point.
Sincerely,
Otis Streicher
471 Chester St.
Ogden, UT 84403
213-596-0228
References for Editor
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-
diet
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/549
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/changing-climate-changing-diets
http://www.chooseveg.com/environment
