By Jack Miller, Chapter Agriculture Committee
If we truly believe we are environmentalists, then we have to do more than just point our fingers at the big polluters. We have to point that same finger at ourselves and look at what we can do to reduce our impact on the life of this planet. Thoreau wrote that we don’t have to wait for society to change before we act, because we all are a society of one. While there are countless things we can and should do, the biggest single step we can take is to look at what we put on our plates.
Sierra Club guidance recommends that, “Personal dietary choices that minimize or eliminate meat and animal products should be encouraged due to their many benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas impacts, water pollution, and inhuman treatment of animals.” But, I think this is far too limited in its scope and far too timid in its forthrightness. The simple fact is that there is no more effective thing we can do to reduce our negative environmental impact than changing to a vegan diet. Why is the Sierra Club so timid in making this fact known?
Consider the following impacts our consuming meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk products have on the environment: Our World in Data (an Oxford University site) estimates that Animal Agriculture (AA) results in 26% of greenhouse gases (GHG), AA is the greatest polluter of water, massive amounts of waste, the greatest cause of deforestation, and the loss of wildlife habitat. The fishing industry has decimated 85-90 % of all wild fishing stocks. Fish farming creates its own pollution problems.
Our 90 million cows, 75 million pigs, 9.5 billion chicken, 5 million sheep, and fish ponds produce an immense amount of waste - it amounts to 940 billion pounds a year. That’s a mighty big pile of manure or whatever you want to call it. If you take shorter showers, that’s a start, but consider that it takes on average 250 gallons of water to produce a one quarter pound hamburger. It takes up to 100 times more water to produce a pound of beef than to grow a pound of peas.
Eating locally produced food and organic food are good first steps to take, but their positive impact is far less than eating foods that come from sources with a mother or a face. I know that for many the idea of eliminating meat, fish, dairy and eggs seems very difficult if not impossible, but there are many routes to this goal. The hardest part I found is eating out in our meat-obsessed world. How obsessed can be illustrated by two facts: the average American now consumes approximately 225 pounds of meat annually. This is an increase of 100 pounds in the last century. Just look at the menu in most restaurants. Even if you order a vegan meal, the server will often ask if you want to add “protein.” They of course mean, “Do you want to add meat?
One of the great myths that exists concerning food is that you must eat meat, fish, dairy, and eggs to get protein into your diet. This is simply rubbish. You can get all the protein you need in a vegan diet. There have been and are world class athletes who have eaten a vegan diet. If you want to be as strong as an ox, eat like an ox. All our closest relatives in the animal world eat vegan. Gorillas seem to do just fine on their vegan diet. Where do you think a beef cow gets its muscle-building protein
Switching to a vegan diet can be done in many ways. You can start with meatless Mondays, but don’t stop there. If it’s good for one day, it is even better every day. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian cook books. Although it’s best to eat minimally processed food, there are plenty of vegan options sold at the supermarket. Depending on your personality type, you can take the cold turkey approach or take a transitional approach. Whatever the approach, the goal is to get to a well-balanced vegan diet. You can always have a little exception to your vegan diet. Chocolate peanut butter pie is mine. The whole-food, plant-based diet is not only great for the health of the planet, it is the healthiest way you can eat for your health.
Don’t let your friends and our meat-obsessed society get in your way. Keep this in mind from Edward Everett Hale:
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
This blog was included as part of the May 2025 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!