MINIMAL MEAT FRIDAY

During trying times like a global pandemic, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of issues like climate change. Unfortunately, environments under stress from climate change are where viruses like COVID-19 are most prone to emerge since climate change is increasing the number of disease-carrying animals and bringing them into closer contact with humans (Source: Forbes). Given the importance of fighting the existential threat of climate change, SEAC will be continuing Minimal Meat Fridays, which were launched in 2020, in an effort to make Solebury a more sustainable place.

To participate, simply eat a vegetarian meal for lunch every Friday. The dining hall will help out by preparing vegetarian entrees but your participation is key. Additionally, you can fill out the Google form on the President's email and get house points!

If you're looking for ideas for healthy vegetarian meals, check out these recipes shared by the Solebury Community.

Environmental Benefits of Minimal Meat Friday

REDUCES GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming poses one of the most serious threats to the global environment ever faced in human history. Many overlook the fact that the single most important step an individual can take to reduce global warming [faster than any other means] is to adopt a vegetarian diet1. In its 2006 report, the United Nations said raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined2.

AVOIDS EXCESSIVE CO2 PRODUCTION

When emissions from land use and land use change are included, the livestock sector accounts for a whopping 9% of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases3.

REDUCES METHANE PRODUCTION

Cows and sheep are responsible for 37% of the total methane (which is 23X as warming as CO2) generated by human activity4. With methane emissions causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming, methane reduction must be a priority. Greenhouse gas reductions through a vegetarian diet are limitless. In principle, even 100% reduction could be achieved with little negative impact. In contrast, similar cuts in carbon dioxide are impossible without devastating effects on the economy. 

SAVES LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER

Estimates of the water required to produce a kilo of beef vary, from 13,0005 liters up to 100,000 liters6. Whichever figure you use, the damage is plain when you consider that the water required to produce a kilo of wheat is somewhere between 1,000-2,000 litres.

AVOIDS FURTHER POLLUTION OF OUR STREAMS/RIVERS/OCEANS

Pollution of our waterways is caused by animal waste, antibiotics and hormones entering the water cycle alongside chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers, and the pesticides used to spray feed crops. Pollutants from factory farms —including nitrogen, phosphorus, antibiotics and pesticides—reach the waterways they cause a great deal of damage to aquatic and human life. Algal blooms are a particular problem, blocking waterways, using up oxygen as they decompose, and killing the natural populations of fish7.

REDUCES DESTRUCTION OF TOPSOIL AND TROPICAL RAINFORESTS

Thirty percent of the earth’s entire land surface—a massive 70% of all agricultural land—is used for rearing farmed animals. Much of this is grazing land that otherwise would host natural habitats such as valuable rainforests. Livestock farming can lead to overgrazing causing soil erosion, desertification and deforestation8. Twenty percent of the world’s grazing land has already been designated as degraded due to the rearing of animals for their meat9. Livestock production is responsible for 70% of deforestation in the Amazon region of Latin America, where rainforests are being cleared to create new pastures10.

REDUCES DESTRUCTION OF WILDLIFE HABITATS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

The livestock industry is responsible for widespread deforestation and cultivation of vast tracts of land. Wide-spread cultivation of the land ruins animals’ natural habitat and forces millions of them to be evicted from their homes each year, causing long-term harm to our wildlife.

REDUCES USAGE OF ANTIBIOTICS, GROWTH HORMONES, AND CHEMICALS

Farmed animals and fish are fed a wide variety of drugs to fatten them faster and to keep them alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them. These drugs enter the human food chain through direct consumption or through pollution of our waterways. Farmers give hormones to animals to increase growth and productivity. Widely used in the United States, these hormones are known to cause several types of cancer and reproductive dysfunction in humans11. While U.S. farmers claim that using hormones to promote growth is safe, the European Union has prohibited this practice since 199512.

REDUCES YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

By choosing a vegetarian diet instead of one loaded with animal products, individuals can dramatically reduce the amount of land, water, and oil resources that they consume and the amount of pollution they otherwise might cause. Reducing one’s ecological footprint should also mean causing less harm to the Earth's non-human inhabitants. By switching to a vegetarian diet, each person can save more than 100 animals each year from the horrific cruelty of the meat industry13.

HELPS ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

There were approximately 7.5 billion people living on earth in 202114, and as the world’s population continues to grow, our requirement for food will increase. Worldwide food production requires 30% of the total soil available, 20% of fossil fuel energy and a major part of the freshwater flow15. Raising cattle is one of the most damaging components of agriculture16. In addition to their gaseous emissions, cattle cause the most environmental damage of any non-human species through over-grazing, soil erosion, desertification and tropical deforestation. Adopting a vegetarian diet is an important tool to achieve environmental sustainability.

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