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OBJECTIVE
To raise awareness about the livestock industry’s impact on global warming
TERMS

If we reach at least 100 people, then we will not buy or eat any meat for one week

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THE PITCH

Did you know that if every American who eats meat daily decided to have one meat-free day a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the roads?

• Animal agriculture causes about 18% of global human-induced green-house gas emissions

• Livestock produce 30-40% of total methane gas emissions

• Livestock occupy 30 percent of ice-free land on the planet, a major cause of deforestation

• Industrial meat production relies heavily on fossil fuels through fertilizer manufacturing and global transport

The emerging global warming crisis requires both personal change and industrial accountability. In addition to energy conservation, each of us can also limit our contribution to global warming by eating less meat and calling for a more sustainable livestock industry.

The goal of this one-week meat-fast is to provide a platform to raise awareness about how meat-consumption directly contributes to climate change.

Click here for more information and next steps.

ORGANIZER
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Recent Discussion

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Abe Connally started this discussion on Oct 19, 2008

The meat industry gets a lot of heat for their production techniques, and they should, but to say that we should eat veggies instead because of environmental impact is a very dangerous assumption.

First of all, yes, industrial livestock production is very bad, for all kinds of reasons, but local, grass-fed animal production is GOOD for the environment. This has been proven many times over. Graing animals are a part of the ecosystem and provide important services to the environment. To deny their place is the food web or the environment is a mistake. So, support your local livestock producer and buy HIS meat, instead of the industrial meat.

Industrial farming is just as bad or worse for the environment than industrial meat production. Farming in the US uses more fossil fuels than transportation and soybean production in Brazil is the leading cause of the destruction of the Amazon rain forests. Industrial farming causes groundwater pollution, severe health issues in humans, desertification and is a major use of water and fossil fuels.

Humans are the leading producer of methane, not livestock, like some folks say. 6 billion methane farts daily adds up.

We can produce food in better ways, but to do so, we need to be open minded and informed. We can’t ignore that there are better ways to do just about anything. Industrial processes are rarely good for the environment.

So, let’s get some better info than just “don’t eat meat”. What we should be saying is “Eat locally produced meat that was produced in a good way.” Sam goes for the veggies. Stop eating soybeans that are not grown in your own yard or somewhere near you.

Locally produced organic foods are the only real solution to environment-related issues.

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Katherine Katulski started this discussion on Oct 4, 2008

I’m too new to the network to have helped you make your point :-(, but the message resonates with my campaign. If you are interested in other ways to reduce your carbon footprint, consider joining the Global Stewardship Initiative and making a sustained effort in the combat against global climate change!

If you are interested in learning more about hemp as a sustainable resource, please visit this link:

Check out my published content!

Also, check out my blog on environmental issues!

Jaded Optimisms

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Ken Pelletier started this discussion on Sep 3, 2008

I’m sticking with my pledge so far, are you?

Prove it, and give us all some inspiration at the same time by letting us know what you’re eating… and what you’re not eating.

I’ve had some pretty nice meals already this week:

  • english spring pea pesto with goat cheese on crostini
  • scrambled eggs with truffle oil, chervil
  • spinach and mushroom pizza
  • heirloom tomato salad
View 4 replies Last 3 replies
  • Me_icon

    Thanks for this post, Ken!

    Making a point to cut meat out of our diets can definitely lead to some creative nutrition. For last weekend’s labor day bar-b-q I made up some tasty vegetable skewers and grilled tempeh.

    No Meat Week will be coming to a close at the end of this weekend. Let’s hear what kind of dietary changes you all have been making – and more importantly what kind of reactions you’re getting from others when you tell them about the campaign.

    Any ideas for next steps in the movement to slow global warming by creating a more sustainable livestock industry? How can we make this kind of information even more accessible to the average person?

    Thanks everyone for participating! Hope to hear some insights from you all soon.

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    Julia
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    yummy….one of my favorite no meat meals is called “spanky’s bowl” – you take mashed potatoes and then put corn and cheese on top. Not sure how nutritional it is…I consider it more of a treat than an everyday type of thing.

    and folks, I know no meat week is almost over (today’s the last day!!) but I do want to hear more recipies from you all…cooking is fun but sometimes I’m too brain-dead to figure it out so I end up eating salad and ceral…lol.

    thanks!

    erin

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    I had the last cook-out of the summer with my parents and we grilled some portabello mushrooms which were amazing served with potatoes, rice, and fried eggplant.

    You just need a few basic ingredients to work with in my opinion. Potatoes, beans, rice + all sorts of veggies cooked in oil is a staple of my diet.

    Aside from that I think reading vegan blogs and cookbooks are really helpful for inspiring you to cook more complicated and varied things. This is one blog I found that I liked a lot: http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/

    But there are a lot of good ones out there.

    Vadim

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Julia Trist started this discussion on Aug 26, 2008

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to send out a reminder that the No Meat Week will be starting in less than a week – next Monday, September 1 – 7.

I encourage folks to post on the campaign discussion board about any insights or experiences they have during the Week. Let’s utilize the discussion forum as a way to give each other solidarity in taking action and raising awareness about this issue.

Personally, I would love to hear about any conversations that are sparked with family or community members about it, or any other moments of education that may arise while carrying out the pledge.

Thanks for participating! And remember –

Save the date: No Meat Week, September 1-7!

Best,

Julia

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Julia Trist started this discussion on Aug 13, 2008

Hey everyone –

Thank you all for participating in the No Meat Week! It’s great to see that so many folks are passionate about this issue and willing to send such a powerful statement to the unsustainable livestock industry.

Since we have over 75% of our tipping point reached, it feels like time to announce a date. Let’s make it the first week of September, the 1-7.

That will give us plenty of time to fully reach the tipping point and also give us all the opportunity to discuss ways to further the movement. I hope that folks will be willing to share any current news or perspectives on the subject so that we can all stay informed. Also, let’s collaborate on further steps we can all take to utilize the No Meat Week as a platform to raise awareness about the issue. I’ll make sure to write up a press release about the campaign soon.

Since it appears like there is such a strong response to this campaign, it seems like we could definitely take it further. How about a No Meat Thanksgiving, or a No Meat December with a higher tipping point? If there’s interest, I’ll be sure to create another campaign, which I hope you all might be willing to help spread the word about.

Be sure to check out the “Meatless McCartney Mondays” campaign too: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/meatless-mc-cartney-mondays

Looking forward to hearing more from you all!

Thanks,

Julia

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Julia Trist started this discussion on Jul 29, 2008

Some ideas on how participants can take further action:

  • Write a letter to the editor about the fast
  • Organize a special meat-free feast in your home, workplace or community to raise awareness
  • Start conversations with family, friends and co-workers
  • Eat local, organic food
  • Shop at your local farmer’s market or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
  • Commit to eating less or no meat beyond the duration of the fast
  • Start a local group to organize around this issue in your community
  • Join or support other groups already working on this issue
  • Research and advocate for more sustainable agricultural methods, like methane-digester technology, more efficient water systems, etc.

Further Resources:

http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/
http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp
http://www.climateimc.org/
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentid=6604
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Please feel free to add your ideas and resources to this list!

View 6 replies Last 1 reply
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    Great idea, thanks for starting this.

    I am excited to send this to many members of my meat-eating extended family— but only once the dates are set. It is a little hard to explain/cumbersome/anticlimactic to ask people to join a campaign that starts at some unknown date in the future.

    That being said, I think I can get a bunch of meat-eaters to do this once it is set. I, myself, don’t eat or buy any meat ever.

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