Save the World! Don’t eat Meat

It’s time once again to step back and enjoy the sounds of left vs. right and right vs. wrong. It doesn’t really matter though, there are lots of talkers but not many takers. I’ve heard lots of “It’s our duty as Christians to stop global warming” and “The Bible doesn’t mention global warming”. There are Christian scientists/leaders who say manmade global warming is real and Christian scientists/leaders who say it’s not manmade. It turns out, this snowstorm either is, or isn’t, caused by manmade or non-manmade global warming or climate change.  So, for argument’s sake, let’s assume there is something we could do to adjust things. Let’s start, shall we?

1. Let’s cut our dependence on oil and fossil fuels. A typical 42- gallon barrel of crude oil yields about 20 gallons of gasoline and 4 gallons of jet fuel. What products come from the other 18 gallons? Here are 144 of the more than 6,000 products.

Solvents	Diesel fuel	Motor Oil	Bearing Grease
Ink	Floor Wax	Ballpoint Pens	Football Cleats
Upholstery	Sweaters	Boats	Insecticides
Bicycle Tires	Sports Car Bodies	Nail Polish	Fishing lures
Dresses	Tires	Golf Bags	Perfumes
Cassettes	Dishwasher parts	Tool Boxes	Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet	Caulking	Petroleum Jelly	Transparent Tape
CD Player	Faucet Washers	Antiseptics	Clothesline
Curtains	Food Preservatives	Basketballs	Soap
Vitamin Capsules	Antihistamines	Purses	Shoes
Dashboards	Cortisone	Deodorant	Footballs
Putty	Dyes	Panty Hose	Refrigerant
Percolators	Life Jackets	Rubbing Alcohol	Linings
Skis	TV Cabinets	Shag Rugs	Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks	Car Battery Cases	Epoxy	Paint
Mops	Slacks	Insect Repellent	Oil Filters
Umbrellas	Yarn	Fertilizers	Hair Coloring
Roofing	Toilet Seats	Fishing Rods	Lipstick
Denture Adhesive	Linoleum	Ice Cube Trays	Synthetic Rubber
Speakers	Plastic Wood	Electric Blankets	Glycerin
Tennis Rackets	Rubber Cement	Fishing Boots	Dice
Nylon Rope	Candles	Trash Bags	House Paint
Water Pipes	Hand Lotion	Roller Skates	Surf Boards
Shampoo	Wheels	Paint Rollers	Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings	Luggage	Aspirin	Safety Glasses
Antifreeze	Football Helmets	Awnings	Eyeglasses
Clothes	Toothbrushes	Ice Chests	Footballs
Combs	CD’s & DVD’s	Paint Brushes	Detergents
Vaporizers	Balloons	Sun Glasses	Tents
Heart Valves	Crayons	Parachutes	Telephones
Enamel	Pillows	Dishes	Cameras
Anesthetics	Artificial Turf	Artificial limbs	Bandages
Dentures	Model Cars	Folding Doors	Hair Curlers
Cold cream	Movie film	Soft Contact lenses	Drinking Cups
Fan Belts	Car Enamel	Shaving Cream	Ammonia
Refrigerators	Golf Balls	Toothpaste	Gasoline

40% of our CO2 emissions come from making electricity. If we, as Christians didn’t consume half of what we did, and lived within our means, the percentage of energy used would fall. Are we really ready to cut our artificial medical devices and sporting goods, just to save the earth?

2. 33% of our CO2 emissions come from our cars and our materialistic need to have things from all over the world. So buy local. and see if you really need whatever it is you think you need. Then there’s the farming issues but I’ll leave those for the next few posts.

3. Methane gas – Although it only lasts in the atmosphere about half the time CO2 does, it’s 72 times more potent in the 20 year average. Where does it come from? animals, agriculture and Arctic seabeds. Cows raised for food emit 16% of the methane given off annually and 21% of the CO2 produced annually. Not to mention the clear-cutting of rain forests to raise cows and plant their food, which leads us to…

4. deforestation – Whether it be for paper products, homes or clearing room for agricultural needs, forests are being cleared at an alarming rate. There’s no need to build homes in this country. Nearly 11% of homes in the US are sitting empty.

5. Chemical fertilizers. Nitrogen rich fertilizers are used more and more. Nitrogen oxides have a 300 times more heat trapping capacity than carbon.

I could go on to explain more about how these 5 things contribute greatly to the problem but most people don’t want to hear it. Actually, most people don’t want to change. One thing that would substantially reduce all five of these would without food. It’s two-fold. First, stop eating so much. Our country is already obese and it’s not looking any better for the next generation.  Secondly, eat organic, locally grown, vegetarian foods. I know, that crossed the line, now I’ve stepped on some toes. It’s crazy to think that our insatiable appetites would cause us not only to destroy ourselves, but destroy the planet as well. Not eating meat is comparable to switching from an SUV to a hybrid. I know, it’s easier to tell other people to change than to take it personally and actually make changes ourselves. So, try this, cut meat nearly all the way out (As Americans, we consume 92 pounds of meat a year. The global average is 22 pounds) and what meat you do buy, make sure it’s local, organic and pasture raised. If it’s not, don’t eat it. Period. As for other foods, buy local when you can. I know it cost’s more, but we need to make desperate changes now to try to stave off an earth melt (or freeze)! As global warming climate change advocates would say, there isn’t time to waste!