Save the Planet

In the latest issue of Vegetarian Times there are two interesting bits of information I thought I would pass along: 28 billion gallons of water used yearly when making all the paper for junk mail. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. I went to this site and registered in an attempt to minimize the amount of junk mail I get. I can't recommend it, since I don't know if it's really gonna work or not, but thought I would try. It's official: Eating beef is even worse for the environment than the greenhouse gases emitted from cars, buses and trucks. According to a 2006 report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal farms around the globe generate 18 percent more greenhouse emissions than all of these transportation methods combined. In addition, livestock operations occupy 30 percent of the earth's land surface and the areas used for grazing are a huge source of deforestation, particularly in Latin America, where 70 percent of former forestland is now used as grazing fields. The report warned that the impact of livestock production must be cut in half to avoid increasing the current level of environmental damage. I couldn't find the report on the website, but there is some extensive information there. Forget an electric car, have a veggie burger!