When I was growing up, it seemed pretty easy to eat healthily: Eat your veggies, an apple a day keeps the doctor away and an egg a day was OK.
Attending a Climate Change Changes Me hosted talk by Earthsave Canada, however, revealed that the largest part of our ecological footprint (the amount of natural resources an individual, community, or country consumes in a given year) is what we eat: our “food footprint.”
Having been given the inspiring cookbook Meatless Mondays a few years ago, I thought all I really needed to do was eat less meat.
But there’s more to it.
Humans are the only mammal that continues to drink milk after natural weaning. The dairy industry’s argument to drink milk for sufficient calcium is weak. Dark green, leafy vegetables, beans and peas provide sufficient amounts of calcium for our daily intake, and alternatives, such as almond, soy, oat and rice milk, are fortified with calcium.
One summer, I was able to visit an organic dairy farm on Prince Edward Island. The technology being used was impressive but the realities were stark. Dairy cows are kept perpetually pregnant for three to seven years before they are sent to slaughter. Their young are weaned almost immediately, causing stress to both mother and calf.
Male and unwanted female calves are chained and housed in large plastic doghouse-like igloos, unable to socialize with one another. The market demands their meat (veal) be soft, so no exercise allowed. Moreover, farmers save money by keeping the calves undernourished since slaughter is only a few months away.
Each year, more than 10 billion cows, pigs and birds are killed in the U.S. alone for us to eat. Farmed animals are routinely subjected to practices so cruel, they would likely lead to criminal prosecution if our legislation were not so outdated and inadequate.
The film Food, Inc. captures some of the horrific conditions and treatment inflicted on our pigs, chickens and cows. It shows us what genetics breeding and industrialized feed have done to these animals’ health, and how migrant workers suffer at the hands of these mega agro-industries.
Here in the Lower Mainland, we are fortunate to have access to farmers’ markets, where we can get to know our food producers and learn from them directly how their farms operate. Many are second- and third-generation farmers and one can sense the strong family values that transfer over to their treatment of both land and animal.
Rockweld Farms from Abbotsford, for example, is unique by being SPCA-certified, so when I asked Aaron what happens to their male chicks (having seen a documentary showing their gruesome slaughter as soon as their gender is identified), he was able to tell me how they raise them to be roasters or broilers.
Organic, ethically raised meat costs more than factory farm-produced but since it tastes so much better and is that much more satisfying due to its higher quality, one actually needs less of it on the plate.
Raising cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens and other animals for food contributes nearly one fifth (18%) of all global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. A veggie burger requires 93% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its hamburger equivalent. And there is more.
It requires an average of 6 kg of plant protein to produce 1 kg of animal protein.
It takes 100 times more water to produce 1 kg of animal protein than it does 1 kg of plant protein.
And on average, it takes 990 litres of water to produce one litre of milk.
Even as California suffers record drought conditions, the state’s agro-animal industry continues to use 4.8 trillion — yes, trillion — gallons of water per year, representing 47% of the state’s water footprint (our water footprint will be the topic of next month’s column).
Furthermore, the livestock sector is arguably the largest source of water pollution worldwide. A single dairy cow produces approximately 120 lb. of wet manure per day, equivalent to that of 20 to 40 humans.
EATING TIPS
As usual, I try to end my columns with some practical tips for us to seriously consider. In this case, there is a lot we can and need to do. My top four are:
• Eat less dairy. Incorporate a more vegan lifestyle, getting creative with dairy substitutes. (I finally discovered an amazing ice-cream substitute, Oregon’s organic Coconut Bliss.)
• Eat less meat. Peas, beans, lentils and nuts are efficient sources of protein. Experiment with different, non-GMO-soybean-based foods like tempeh and edamame (soybeans), and our own Fraser Valley-grown hazelnuts.
The Metro Vancouver Veg Directory provides plant-based options (earthsavecanada.wildapricot.org/vegdirectory).
• Embrace rabbit food. ’Tis the season for salad. Eat “water foods” packed with vitamins and minerals — leafy greens of all colours and textures — and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
• Support your local farmers’ markets. If you still wish to eat some meat, eat “happy” meat and eggs from your local market — from animals that have been ethically raised — and make our B.C. farmers happy, too.
––Melissa Chaun of Port Moody is an ecologist with a passion for all things sustainable. She began her environmental career in the U.S. and has a certificate in Sustainable Community Development. She volunteers on various city committees and is currently co-ordinating the monthly meetings for Tri-City Greendrinks. Her column runs monthly.
