Some randomish thoughts
Mar. 10th, 2010 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenThis has come up a few times recently, so I'm putting a few thoughts down on it.
There seems to be an assumption, and there are even some comparison charts, etc., that a vegetarian has a smaller carbon footprint than an omnivore. I would say, that depends on which vegetarians and which omnivores.
If a vegetarian is proud of eating a lot of soy products, don't think that just because it's soy, it's superior to meat. A lot of rain forest has been slashed and burned to clear land for growing soy. Can one be certain of where one's soy is coming from, and that it was grown in a responsible manner?
Petroleum products are generally used for processing and packaging both soy and meat, and both require some refrigeration, for transport and also for storage. Well, unless you have a cold pantry maybe, in the case of tofu. For long-term storage, either soy beans or various meats can be dried (again, what was the process used for doing this?)
If a vegetarian is fond of star fruit or other exotic foods that are far from their home, or greens out-of-season, how small is the carbon footprint?
Of course meat in general has a higher carbon footprint, especially when compared to locally-grown veggies. But local, grass-fed would definitely be a lot lower than regular commercial meat (tastier and better for you, too). And I believe I read somewhere that grass-fed cows produce less methane. They never talk about methane in regards to pigs, sheep, or fowl, so perhaps that's not an issue with them? Sadly, we don't have a lot of fish available locally, aside from what one can catch oneself (and no, I haven't done that, but William fishes).
Of course, a healthy, balanced omnivore diet doesn't contain huge amounts of meat anyway. And, if one only bought, raised, or caught animals that are as responsibly-raised as possible, chances are one's meat intake would probably be pretty reasonably proportioned (grass-fed beef, organic heritage pork, free-range chickens, etc. aren't cheap).
The meats that have the highest carbon footprint would be the industrially-raised animals. They're usually raised in close quarters and in large quantities, necessitating unusual means of handling the manure, among other things, and this is where some of the methane comes from. Then there's all the shots they have to be given, to stay alive long enough to be sent to the slaughterhouse.... sometimes animals on small farms need shots too, but as they're generally healthier, this is a rare thing.
Most meats, but also some fruits and vegetables, and of course many non-food items (bikes, cars, stereos, furniture, etc.) are heavy. This means they use more resources to ship, because it takes more effort to move them. So for instance, it's less wasteful of resources to buy spices than to buy regular commercial beef.
There are many reasons to be or not be a vegetarian of course, but in regards to responsibility to the planet, I believe that what it really comes down to is making thoughtful choices.
Where does our food come from? What's in it? How is it packaged? How is it shipped? Who raised it and what are their lives like?
****
Is a soy wax candle better than a beeswax candle? I suspect the beeswax requires less processing, but I could be wrong there.... still, I can get beeswax locally, but there aren't any local soy wax producers, and wax is a heavy thing to ship. Also, beeswax and honey can be removed without harm to the bees. Paraffin wax candles are a poorer choice because that's a petroleum-based product, and as a non-renewable resource, there's no question that beeswax is better.
What about olive or vegetable oils, used in lamps? In theory you could grow and press your own oil plants, but that's fairly unlikely. Where do they come from? What are they packaged in? How much of it is used per hour and light quality versus a candle?
What about using a CFL? They can have long lives and use less electricity but... do they use less over their lifetime than an equivalent number of candles? Type of candle matters as well, since some burn longer than others, and even the shape of the candle matters. Is your electricity from coal, gas, or oil? Is it from nuclear? Hydro, wind, or solar power?
There are definitely times when a CFL or other electric light would be preferable, of course, especially as most people are used to living their lives. I like not having to worry about where I put a light so that I don't set something on fire, myself. Using live light requires more thoughtfulness than most of us are used to.
L and I have gotten away from using live lighting... perhaps we ought to get back in practice. Other practices have remained, like having the toaster oven and microwave on one powerstrip, and all the audio/visual equipment on another one, so that they can be completely off when not in use, for instance.
Another is of course, doing as many as possible of the things that need light, during daylight hours.
Another is to be somewhat predictable and/or mindful of where you put things, so that you know where they are. Then you may not always need to turn on a light to get something at night.
When I'm really on my game, I do things like set up everything I want to have for the evening in one place, preferably while it's still light out.
These are just a few thoughts on a few things.... life is complicated! But sometimes I need to remind myself to be mindful.
There seems to be an assumption, and there are even some comparison charts, etc., that a vegetarian has a smaller carbon footprint than an omnivore. I would say, that depends on which vegetarians and which omnivores.
If a vegetarian is proud of eating a lot of soy products, don't think that just because it's soy, it's superior to meat. A lot of rain forest has been slashed and burned to clear land for growing soy. Can one be certain of where one's soy is coming from, and that it was grown in a responsible manner?
Petroleum products are generally used for processing and packaging both soy and meat, and both require some refrigeration, for transport and also for storage. Well, unless you have a cold pantry maybe, in the case of tofu. For long-term storage, either soy beans or various meats can be dried (again, what was the process used for doing this?)
If a vegetarian is fond of star fruit or other exotic foods that are far from their home, or greens out-of-season, how small is the carbon footprint?
Of course meat in general has a higher carbon footprint, especially when compared to locally-grown veggies. But local, grass-fed would definitely be a lot lower than regular commercial meat (tastier and better for you, too). And I believe I read somewhere that grass-fed cows produce less methane. They never talk about methane in regards to pigs, sheep, or fowl, so perhaps that's not an issue with them? Sadly, we don't have a lot of fish available locally, aside from what one can catch oneself (and no, I haven't done that, but William fishes).
Of course, a healthy, balanced omnivore diet doesn't contain huge amounts of meat anyway. And, if one only bought, raised, or caught animals that are as responsibly-raised as possible, chances are one's meat intake would probably be pretty reasonably proportioned (grass-fed beef, organic heritage pork, free-range chickens, etc. aren't cheap).
The meats that have the highest carbon footprint would be the industrially-raised animals. They're usually raised in close quarters and in large quantities, necessitating unusual means of handling the manure, among other things, and this is where some of the methane comes from. Then there's all the shots they have to be given, to stay alive long enough to be sent to the slaughterhouse.... sometimes animals on small farms need shots too, but as they're generally healthier, this is a rare thing.
Most meats, but also some fruits and vegetables, and of course many non-food items (bikes, cars, stereos, furniture, etc.) are heavy. This means they use more resources to ship, because it takes more effort to move them. So for instance, it's less wasteful of resources to buy spices than to buy regular commercial beef.
There are many reasons to be or not be a vegetarian of course, but in regards to responsibility to the planet, I believe that what it really comes down to is making thoughtful choices.
Where does our food come from? What's in it? How is it packaged? How is it shipped? Who raised it and what are their lives like?
****
Is a soy wax candle better than a beeswax candle? I suspect the beeswax requires less processing, but I could be wrong there.... still, I can get beeswax locally, but there aren't any local soy wax producers, and wax is a heavy thing to ship. Also, beeswax and honey can be removed without harm to the bees. Paraffin wax candles are a poorer choice because that's a petroleum-based product, and as a non-renewable resource, there's no question that beeswax is better.
What about olive or vegetable oils, used in lamps? In theory you could grow and press your own oil plants, but that's fairly unlikely. Where do they come from? What are they packaged in? How much of it is used per hour and light quality versus a candle?
What about using a CFL? They can have long lives and use less electricity but... do they use less over their lifetime than an equivalent number of candles? Type of candle matters as well, since some burn longer than others, and even the shape of the candle matters. Is your electricity from coal, gas, or oil? Is it from nuclear? Hydro, wind, or solar power?
There are definitely times when a CFL or other electric light would be preferable, of course, especially as most people are used to living their lives. I like not having to worry about where I put a light so that I don't set something on fire, myself. Using live light requires more thoughtfulness than most of us are used to.
L and I have gotten away from using live lighting... perhaps we ought to get back in practice. Other practices have remained, like having the toaster oven and microwave on one powerstrip, and all the audio/visual equipment on another one, so that they can be completely off when not in use, for instance.
Another is of course, doing as many as possible of the things that need light, during daylight hours.
Another is to be somewhat predictable and/or mindful of where you put things, so that you know where they are. Then you may not always need to turn on a light to get something at night.
When I'm really on my game, I do things like set up everything I want to have for the evening in one place, preferably while it's still light out.
These are just a few thoughts on a few things.... life is complicated! But sometimes I need to remind myself to be mindful.
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is thinking 'hey, we just studied that!'
Date: 2010-03-10 05:31 pm (UTC)Also, about the comment on non-intensively farmed animals being 'healthier' than intensive ones - which isn't strictly true. Only a healthy animal is a productive one, so producers want their animals to be healthy. Unfortunately, margins in the food industry being as low as they are, producers must cut costs wherever possible, and intensive farming is the most efficient way of doing that. That in turn means that the population density in any one operation is much higher than found in nature, which predisposes the group as a whole to more disease. It's not that the individual animal is particularly less able to cope with disease immunologically or nutritionally speaking, but that the challenge is exponentially greater, which can result in more illness. Of course, in dealing with those animals that are not farmed intensely and are going organic, we also tend to see an incredible increase in the number of parasites (which can be managed if there is sufficient land, but there we're going back to productivity again).
Personally, I'm in favor of moving back to a village-based farming system as a way to cut carbon, improve animal welfare/health and get better food, but I realize that's difficult for larger towns and cities :)
Re: is thinking 'hey, we just studied that!'
Date: 2010-03-11 01:36 am (UTC)Re: is thinking 'hey, we just studied that!'
Date: 2010-03-11 05:52 pm (UTC)I think though that in addition to grass-fed vs grain-fed (and thanks for the note on type of grass), there are methane issues from the way the manure is typically handled at these large "farms". A couple of farms in the U.S. are now using a system that captures the methane and uses the heat from the manure, etc., but it's expensive to put in. Trying to get other local farmers to buy the manure to use on their fields can work to a certain degree but doesn't solve the whole problem.
Yes, I'd like the village-based farming system too -- also, if it led to there being fewer cows as a whole, that would also help. We have an unbalanced ecosystem, of which this is just one small part.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 11:03 pm (UTC)I tend to conserve energy, because it's good for the planet AND my budget. Compact flouresents are a wonderful thing and with a house, I spend about 15% of what some people I know who live in codos do on electricity. The lights are only on in the room I'm in at the time and I don't run the TV at all hours (not that it's hooked up to anything other than a DVD player anyway). It doesn't take much to make a big difference sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-11 06:01 pm (UTC)Yeah, we can't get a lot of local meats either, but I try to buy at least one time from each of the local ones I know of, each year. It isn't a lot, but if it helps to keep them in business, I'm willing to make the investment. As things get more questionable in agribusiness, I want to make sure I have an alternative. And I have to say, the turkey we ate this past year, was the first time I ate breast meat and thought it was worth having.
Local does taste better, for sure :) I wish more people had the option of getting more of their foods locally. I think if you can manage to get most of it from within a few states of you, you're doing pretty well though. Or at least (in our case) from the same coast....
Sounds like you do pretty much what we do for lighting, etc. Although I'm probably on the computer more than I need to be :D We do still watch some TV shows, but not a lot of them. Might be less in the future; one never knows.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-11 02:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-11 06:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 07:53 pm (UTC)