Green Salad		  


To add your comments, tips or response to anything below
email: greenviews@vegsoc.org

COMMENTS

From Cazza - vegetarian vs carnivore: My husband is a carnivore but my daughter and I have been vegetarians for over 15 years now. I buy and prepare dinner for us all but retain the hope that my husband will become vegetarian, if only to make my life easier! The more I prepare meat etc the more glad I am that I don't eat it. Whereas there is an energy in vegetables (more so in organic ones) the meat or chicken is just dead and often there is a smell, not because it is off but I think from the horror of the killing process as well as the awful conditions. Even the organically reared animals have a nasty time often.

There is also the issue of the temptation to overeat and just because meat or chicken is available it is easy to eat it more often than before and therefore this can lead to health problems. The older style of diet had little meat and more vegetables and pulses. It comes back to balance in all areas of life.

From Martin Allen: Surely the reason why meat production has gone by 100 tonnes since 1970 is due to the rise in population. Also mentioned in your article is deforestation to make way for ranches however if you stop to consider this statement then you reach a slight problem the main reason for deforestetion is to make way for large areas to grow palms and the like for bio-oils not for meat production. I'm not saying this is true in all areas but on the whole it is.

As for the use of fossil fuels in meat production then if we sourced our meat locally rather than from the large supermarkets this would dramatically reduce the consumption of fuel even if you buy local produce from your supermarkets the likely hood is that it has travelled to a distrubution center miles and miles away only to come back to the store when it is only grown/produced around the corner. Whilst we are talking about fuel consumption surely the majority of manufactured fake meat e.g quorn mince etc uses far more fuel than say raising a chicken at home and slaughtering it yourself.

Also the vegetarian diet relies heavily on other forms of protien from pulses and nuts to rices and beans most of which are not produced in this country but from abroad surely this uses far more fuel than production of meat from a local farm. In the article you also mentioned the gases from manure i'm guessing that this is the same manure that is used to grow organic vegetables, so allthough this manure is a by product of meat/dairy production it is used for other purposes not just as a waste material.

From Steve Horton: I have tried to get my head round your ad that appeared in Earth Matters. It states that animal farming creates more greenhouse gases than the worlds public transport system.

It's obvious that you would like everyone to become vegetarian. What do you see happening to all the animals on farms? The answer can only be eliminate them. By becoming vegetarian, like cows, sheep goats etc, is it not the case that humans then personally create more greenhouse gases? How can that be dealt with?

With animal farming and the worlds entire transport system, your figures account for only 31.5% of greenhouse gases. Sure, we should be looking at reducing the transport systems output but what about the other 68.5%?

From Linda Buss: Farm animal manure comes from digesting grass. If this then causes greenhouse gas emissions, what about the manure of wild animals that also eat grass?

From John Sauven, Executive Director, Greenpeace UK: “Meat is the most inefficient way to use our land resources to produce food … choosing to cut out meat, buy locally and choose organic are all steps everyone can take to help save the climate.”
From Jeanette Longfield MBE, Co-ordinator Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming: "If you eat meat or dairy products, make sure they come from high animal welfare systems and keep the quantities low. Evidence continues to accumulate that people who eat little or no meat and dairy products live healthier longer lives, and also reduce their impact on the environment - intensive livestock farming produces significant quantities of greenhouse gases as well as perpetuating poor treatment of sentient creatures."
From Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South-East England, Vice-President of the European Parliament’s cross-party group on animal welfare, Green Group co-ordinator on the Parliament’s Climate Change Committee and Vice-President of the RSPCA: "It’s vital that, as a society, we eat less meat, both to cut emissions and out of respect for animal rights”
In response to The Vegetarian Society's challenge to go veggie for NVW

From Dr. Derek Wall, Green Party Principal Speaker: "To meet the challenge I am going to go vegan for a week and cut out dairy products. I have been a vegetarian for more than twenty years, reducing meat consumption reduces cruelty, the carbon footprint, is ecologically sound and healthy.

I think everyone would benefit in a super sized world from cutting back and I am hoping other politicians take up the Vegetarian Socities challenge of giving up meat for a week. Curry, pasta, stir fry, Jamaican ital food and Morrocan are my favourite types of veggie food.

I have never felt good about eating anything with a face, it just dosn't feel right to me."

From Siân Berry, Green Party Principal Speaker: "I will take up the Vegetarian Society's challenge and not eat meat for the next week.

I don't eat meat very often anyway, but hopefully going veggie will help me kick my habit once and for all.

Going veggie is the greener lifestyle choice. Every time I choose not to eat meat, I will be choosing to reduce my carbon emissions - something we all need to think about."

 
TIPS
Grow your own organic veg. No matter what size garden you have, or how much spare time, there's always something you can grow - ranging from herbs on a windowsill to a full size veg patch! Homegrown veg cuts down on food miles, doesn't use harmful pesticides and also tastes much nicer. To help get started have a look at Garden Organic, the National charity for organic growing.
Compost your waste: This is a great way to reduce rubbish in landfills, reduce the transport costs involved in refuse collection and at the same time gives you a great soil conditioner. A vegetarian diet really does mean that most things can be composted. To find out more have a look at the Community Composting Network
Where's your food from?: Do you check labels and see if your food has been shipped half way across the world to make it's way to your plate. Checking to see where your food, as well as your wine, has come from can help reduce food miles and the related environmental impact. In a country where we can get any foods at any time of the year, a good tip is to eat seasonal fruit & veg as this is much more likely to be grown locally.