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Diner's Guide
quotes
For most humans, especially those in modern urban and suburban communities, the most direct form of contact with non-human animals is at mealtime; we eat them.
environmental
one acre of legumes provides 10 times as much protein than the same acre used for meat production
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2006 - 9:01pm. environmentalOne acre of land planted in legumes provides 10 times more available protein than the same acre used for meat production. Endangered wilderness areas in Alberta are also destroyed by cattle grazing and the deforestation of land to create new grazing space. One acre of trees is spared each year by a person on a pure vegetarian diet. Methane is a greenhouse gas. Cattle are one source of this gas.
preventing water wastage and pollution
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2006 - 9:00pm. environmentalAn average chicken processing plant uses 100 million gallons of water in just one day; enough to service a community of 25,000 people for the same period. As well, wastes from feedlots and meat-packin
vast resources wasted in converting vegetation to meat
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2006 - 8:58pm. environmentalVast amounts of energy, water and land are required to convert vegetation into meat. It takes 5 to 20 calories of fossil fuel to create just one calorie of energy in the form of meat; ¼ to ½ of a calorie of fossil fuel produces one calorie of plant food energy. In other words production of even the least energy-efficient plant food is nearly ten times as efficient as the most energy-efficient animal food.
16 pounds of grain to 1 pound of animal protein
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2006 - 8:58pm. environmentalApproximately 16 pounds of vegetable protein (grain, soy, etc.) must be fed to cattle to produce one pound of animal protein. More than 50% of the grain grown in Alberta is fed to livestock.
the inefficiency of beef production
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2006 - 8:56pm. environmentalAccording to the World Watch Institute in Washington, there are few more inefficient ways to produce protein than through beef production. The grain needed to provide a family of four with just one serving of hamburgers could feed someone in a developing country for over a week.
