Vegetarians of Alberta - environmental

one acre of legumes provides 10 times as much protein than the same acre used for meat production

drupadmin — Tue, 30 May 2006 20:01:54 -0700

One 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

drupadmin — Tue, 30 May 2006 20:00:07 -0700

An 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

drupadmin — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:58:49 -0700

Vast 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

drupadmin — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:58:06 -0700

Approximately 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

drupadmin — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:56:25 -0700

According 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.