Increasing mpg to save earth or try vegetarianism instead

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

I'd like to argue that a large part of the food inflation is due to the dollar going down the toilet in relation to all tangible goods.

To further elaborate. If the dollar is worth less, the seasonal pickers that migrate need to be paid more. If the dollar is worth less and oil costs more, it costs a lot more to run the farm equipment. Both of these are heavily affecting the local farms of New England where we do not make any ethanol.

In the US perhaps, that doesn't address the issue in the rest of the world.

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by ankit

I was born a vegetarian. Then later on in my life I started eating chicken and recently (within the last couple of months) turkey. So I'm whatever a chicken/turkey eating vegetarian is called.

Chickurkeytarian.

[Gone4]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

In the US perhaps, that doesn't address the issue in the rest of the world.

Maybe I'm being too much of a devil's advocate but world events such as the cyclone that hit Burma forcing them to become a rice importer instead of an exporter cause enough of their own problems that I don't feel comfortable putting too much blame on ethanol. Africa has their own reasons for having food problems starting with some bad droughts and ending with horrible leaders or anarchy in some regions. The complexity of the global issues is why I focused on the US food prices - beyond the fact those are the ones I can easily quantify with numbers mentally.

[SVOboy]

Even outside of trying to look at case studies, it's a fact that meat production consumes more resources in terms of land, water for irrigation, petroleum for harvests and transportation, and everything associated with the actual animals themselves. Let's not even get into pollution from fertilizers and excrement,

[DifferentPointofView]

who wants to go eat grass anyways??

Well we technically can't because we can't digest cellulose. That's what cows can eat. I don't even know why we try feeding cattle with grains, use the grass. I'm pretty sure it's also good for their milk.

Those facts about the trophic levels, came from my biology book and class. We've been studying ecosystems and ecology in general. Lately, it's been the human impact on the environment. We went deep into trophic levels. Learning about that makes me want to go full out vegetarian. a few of my friends are vegetarians, one a born vegetarian. So it's nothing new.

[Cd]

Vegan here !

Love it.

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by .Cd

Vegan here !

Love it.

O rly?

We should have a club

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

O rly?

We should have a club

I'm half a*sed vegan?!

Haven't drank milk in about 6 months. Haven't had eggs really since being veg. I just eat cheese and stuff with milk and egg ingredients.

Maybe one day....

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Even outside of trying to look at case studies, it's a fact that meat production consumes more resources in terms of land, water for irrigation, petroleum for harvests and transportation, and everything associated with the actual animals themselves. Let's not even get into pollution from fertilizers and excrement,

On that note its good know that places like india are investing large financial resources into recycling cow manuer into power. So much so that they actually have plants that power entire cities just on manuer alone.

Changing the cycle is impossible, because by eliminating the cow you eliminate milk, which is another conspiracy in and of itself, but the answer lies in trying to convert by products into viable energy sources to eliminate harmful exhaust into our atmosphere. Those are the answers that will save the world when mixed with a healthy dose of education.

[DifferentPointofView]

One problem I would have is not eating dairy products like cheese and milk! I drink milk by the gallons and eat cheese by the truck-full!