Eve’s top 10 ways to Curb Climate Change
December 24, 2008 by eve
Filed under Environment, Featured, Social Impact, Unconventional Wisdom
The Internet is now blooming with tips on ways to help curb climate change. This trend is reflective of an exciting change in our thought patterns! Please read on for a snapshot of Eve's top 10:
- Forgo Flesh Foods. According to a 2006 United Nations report, Animal Agriculture has outpaced the transportation sector as the number one climate change contributor.
- Bypass the Byproduct. Kin of the meat industry is the dairy industry. Consuming animal byproducts supports its evil cousin, planet scorching animal agri-business.
- See the Sinister Side of Seafood. The near-depletion of certain fish species, dead zones, coral bleaching, mammals such as whales and dolphins going kamikaze on our beaches... skip the seafood. Besides, it's largely contaminated with mercury. And now that you're a vegan,
- Share your earth-friendly diet with others and create your own support network. Our culture values it's traditional and familiar habits. By sharing with others the beneficial knowledge of choosing plant based foods, you are creating a supportive atmosphere for positive change for yourself, your friends and family and for the entire planet!
- Buy Organic, Support Organic whenever possible. The health of our soil determines the quality of our food, which determines the quality of our heath! In recent years we have seen the demand for organic food and goods rise dramatically. Sometimes, when I pass the organic produce section of my local Wal-mart, I silently thank the persons who supported organic goods before me, who paid the higher prices and led retailers to provide better options and drop organic prices.
- Drive a hybrid. The transportation sector is the second largest contributor to climate change.
- Plant trees. Trees absorb carbon. Preserving forests is just as important, also trees help mitigate the effects of local climate related disasters by holding on to soil, absorbing the impact of waves, winds, etc.
- Take your head out of the sand. Climate change is frightening, let's look our fears in the eye.
- Green your thinking. Take the time to consider the impacts of every small choice. Also, think positive! We'll get through this, with a lot of hard work, together.
- Have faith. Whatever your's is, now is the time to have it.
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Anytime your limitations stand in the way of love and generosity, you have the opportunity to set yourself free. 
Thanks Eve!
I take it you’re vegan? I respect both vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, but must also respectfully disagree that dairy is necessarily a bad thing. I have a home-made block of cheese sitting in front of me drying out right now that I spent most of last night making thanks to the contribution of our community-owned, grass-fed, organically raised cow. I’ve seen her with my own two eyes and she’s a healthy, happy animal who has the range of several dozen acres along with three friends, including one of her daughters.
She gets milked by hand twice a day by the farmer who takes care of her for us and the other CSM (community supported milk) members. Every Sunday we meet in the parking lot of an acupuncturist here in Denver to return last week’s mason jars and pick up the fresh ones.
I agree that Americans eat way too much meat and dairy, but cutting them out of the diet alltogether isn’t something you’re going to get many people to sign on to. I’d like to get the message out there for responsible farming, humane animal husbandry and responsible consumption. There’s no reason for a family of four to go through two gallons of milk every week and there’s no reason for everyone to have a main course of meat in every single meal.
Mass-produced meat and animal byproducts are terrible for the environment, our health and that of the animals. But I subscribe to Aristotle’s ideal of the Golden Mean in that I usually choose the middle ground between two extremes.
To those of you who choose to live a Vegan lifestyle, however, you have my respect and support.
Thanks for your support Ebert! It’s my dream that all the factory farms will shut down and the cows will all be adopted by caring families. In this case I think that the animals are happy to share their love and even their milk with us as they have done for thousands of years. I’m also happy to see the trend toward CSM dairy groups. I always try to let people know that the can be quite healthy being vegan or at least vegetarian because I believe that respecting the lives of animals is next on the evolutionary plan for human beings. Vegetarianism is getting more attention now that the health of our planet is at stake. I think homesteading is an awesome trend from an environmental standpoint and hope that someday everyone will stop eating meat as well and consider their homesteading animals as family. Thank you for your extra efforts to ensure that your love for cheese and cows creates a respectful, sustainable relationship!
The Nearings were veggie-homeasteaders and both lived to be a ripe old age. I think Helen Nearing is still alive, and she’s the Godmother of modern homesteading so-to-speak. But I’m sure it’s hard enough to feed two people with no children, let alone a couple of animals that eat a few tons of feed every year. I guess it would depend on how much land you have.
Keep up the great writing!
PS: I put a picture of my cheese up in the blog.