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Vegetarian already? Here are 8 more ways you can help the Earth

The vegetarian lifestyle is better for the environment than eating meat. There’s no question about that… we’ve been saying that for years now. But just because we’re already following a plant-based diet, doesn’t mean we can’t do more for the Planet.

There used to be a time back in the 80s when the moniker was Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But now, we can incorporate more Rs into the mix – like Re-purpose, Restore, Repair, Replant and even Refuse. Like Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, who believes you should feel free to refuse to buy something you don’t actually need in the means to simplify your life.

Not all of you are vegetarians… but some of us are. And even though we stress the impact a vegetarian lifestyle has on the environment, I want to share some ideas anyone can easily implement within their lifestyle to give the environment an added boost in the right direction. We can be agents of change and example to others on how to live a more conscious and sustainable life without sacrificing any comforts.

REDUCE the amount of energy you use. Some easy things we can do is turn off the lights in the rooms we’re not in, unplug the electronics we hardly use and even turn off the breakers you are not using at home. For example, I have 220 electric plugs all over my house, but I only use one of them for my air conditioner, which I rarely use either. When I turned off all those live 220 breakers, my electric bill came in at $25 less each month from then on. That’s a savings of $300/year just for turning something off I wasn’t even using!!!!

REDUCE the amount of water you use. Don’t let the water run when you brush your teeth, shave or when you do the dishes in the sink. And if you’re lucky to have a dishwasher, run it only when it’s full. Repair leaky faucets and toilets. Sweep away your driveway and sidewalks instead of cleaning them with a hose. Take a shorter shower and install faucet aerators to cut down on water usage without any loss in pressure.

REDUCE your carbon footprint by supporting local organic farmers. One way to support your local economy and help the planet as a whole is to support your local farmers, particularly local ORGANIC farmers. If you know of a CSA farm near you, join. Or even when you visit your regular supermarket, choose products grown locally. They’ll usually be fresher, in season, their flavors stronger and you’ll be in tune with nature’s rhythm. For example, lately I am buying arugula lettuces, mushrooms and sprouts grown locally in Puerto Rico. Same goes with papayas, mangoes and pineapples. Of course, I still buy strawberries and blackberries not grown in PR, but I try to make a point to show my demand for good products grown here.

REFUSE plastic bags and REUSE your eco-bags when you go grocery shopping. Still grocery store people in PR look at you kinda weird when you bring in reusable bags to store your shopping, but it’s getting better each day. I just now carry a bag filled with eco-bags in the trunk of my car and I use them every time I go to the grocery, specialty food or the health food store. I still need to work on bringing one when I go to the mall…

REHOME clothes and things you no longer use or need. Instead of throwing old stuff out, donate your older clothes to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or even give it to a friend who might find it useful. I have a friend who used to give me all the clothes when she grew tired of them or no longer fit because we were almost the same size, and she had great taste when shopping. I give most of the clothes I no longer wear to a family friend who takes them all to the Dominican Republic. The idea is that what you might find no use for any more, might have extra few years in someone else’s hands.

REPLANT trees and grow your own garden, if you can. I have always lived in apartments, and the only reason why I would live in a house is to have trees. I once had a ficus tree in a huge pot in one of my balconies. Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and refresh the environment. If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard, plant some local fruit trees or set of a vegetable garden and enjoy its bounties – papaya, breadfruit, mangoes, star fruit, avocados… these latter ones take about 7 years to bear fruit, but time flies. And even in an apartment building you can grow your own herbs and even your own vegetables in pots. I even looked into those contraptions where you can grow tomatoes hanging from the ceiling. My next project, a lemon tree in a pot!!!

RECYCLE your electronics. We’re running out of space to put garbage. Landfills are now huuuuge mountains that have become part of our cities’ landscapes. Do not pollute and contribute to the waste fields with electronics. Instead, take them to places like Best Buy or the Microsoft Store for recycling.

RECYCLE your white paper, plastics, cardboard and glass. This might sound so elementary, but people in Puerto Rico still do not have a recycling consciousness. You see it in businesses where they pile all the garbage together and do not divide between recyclables and organic waste. People throw their regular garbage in a recycling bin because they do not see the difference – to them is just a receptacle for me to get rid of whatever I have in my hand. Maybe I should be grateful that at least the trash goes somewhere and not on the streets. But if you are part of the group that do not actively recycle, PLEASE DO. It’s not that difficult and most cities already pick up recyclable goods once a week. Whenever I am eating out, I bring with me anything that’s recyclable to make sure it actually gets recycled.

Bring protecting the planet to the next level… whether you’re 100% vegetarian, vegan, plant-based or not. These are ideas you can implement within your current lifestyle and help even more to preserve our natural resources.

Would you share some other eco-friendly ideas you have easily implemented?? We would love to hear from you…

Tags: Earth Day, Eco-friendly, environment, food, Help, Re Purpose, Recycle, Reduce, Refuse, Rehome, Replant, Reuse, tips, Vegan, vegetarian

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Categories MY EDITORIAL

6 Ways Vegetarians Help the Environment

21 Apr

Global warming is a serious issue. Our Planet needs our help and we must come to the rescue. Even President Obama stated in a recent interview that global warming is not only affecting the environment itself, but it’s affecting our health. Climate change is creating a longer pollen and allergy season, contributing to more asthma and upper respiratory problems. Higher temperatures affect older people increasing risks for heat exhaustion and cardiovascular conditions. Climate changes affect mosquitoes and that leads to increased exposure to diseases like malaria or dengue. Increasingly variable rainfall patterns affect our water supply, so much that in places like California it is estimated they only have about 1 year of water left. Doesn’t that shake you up in your pants??

Back when Earth Day started back in 1970… it was all about air and water pollution. Then it evolved to Reduce, ReUse, Recycle… and now, 44 years after that initial Earth Day celebration, the same issues still apply. Polluted air and water supplies, the need to reduce our waste, the need to use up less energy and use renewable resources… Why are we still having the same conversation? Have we not learned anything in the last 44 years?

My take… is that we forget the impact our own behavior can have on the whole planet. We fail to see the changes in our lifestyles as triggers for global improvement. We think so little of ourselves that believe that we can’t really make a difference. We leave it up to government, up to corporations and we, as individuals, have great power in our hands.

It is widely documented, how becoming a vegetarian, vegan or even reducing considerably the consumption of animal products is the cheapest and easiest way to have a positive impact on the environment. I would like to recap some of those to help you understand the great power we have:

Vegetarians help cool the Planet. Raising and feeding animals for slaughter overheat the planet and use up a lot of resources. If you take into consideration the methane from farting cattle, the gases released from their manure, the oil needed to take the carcasses to the market, the electricity needed to keep the meat cool… at the end of the day, animals are poor converters of food to flesh. Switching to a more plant-based diet minimizes greenhouse gases, which makes for a cooler planet, physically and figuratively.
Vegetarians consume less water. It might seem like a weird thing to say, when I always stress the importance of drinking water and its benefit to your health. But hear me out… Vegetarian author John Robbins calculated it takes 60, 108, 168 and 229 pounds of water to produce 1 pound of potatoes, wheat, corn and rice, respectively. On the other hand, it takes approximately 15,000 pounds of water to produce one pound of beef. Vegetarians consume less water in the sense people are consuming all the water it took to produce that piece of meat. No wonder there are so many vegetarians in California, huh??
Vegetarians reduce stress on the ozone layer. If you’ve ever been close to a livestock farm, you know these are very, very smelly. It’s said 2/3 of man-made ammonia, a major contributor to acid rain, is produced by livestock. Seventy percent of the agricultural crops are grown for livestock feed and these are responsible for 37% of pesticide use in the US. Even though pesticides and fertilizers are used in vegetable and fruit agriculture and there is a case to be built around the importance of organic farming, reducing demand on animals for slaughter would greatly improve the air and ozone layer quality.
Vegetarians preserve ocean life. Not only because vegans and most vegetarians do not consume seafood, but because vast quantities of excess nutrients from animal waste, factory farms, sewage and nitrogen compounds from animal factory farming pollute sea water taking up all oxygen in the sea water near the mouths of major rivers, to the point where little can live. And these things do not get talked about on the news… Certainly, oil spillage, like the one in the Gulf of Mexico, is not the only cause of water pollution and threat to ocean life.
Vegetarians enjoy variety and promote biodiversity. For decades, tropical rainforests, one of the most diverse and rich ecosystems on our planet, have been destroyed to use for grazing cattle and growing soya for chicken feed. The World Wildlife Fund calculates that about one third of the world’s diverse eco-regions are threatened by the sheer quantity of animals being raised for humans to eat. And also, people with a plant-based diet are more open to try new foods, rethinking their dinner plate to see rice, pasta or quinoa as a main dish, not just as a side.
Vegetarians promote life and health. According to The Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian saves the lives of approximately 11,000 animals in his lifetime. A vegetarian sees no difference in the life of a pig as the life of the family dog or cat. And even though there are multiple factors involved in someone’s overall health, it is highly documented that people on a plant-based diet have a lower risk of developing obesity, cancers, heart disease and other illnesses.

The bottom line is, people eat less food, drink less water, produce less gas and require less land than large livestock animals. Growing food for animals and raising those animals in farms involves cutting down forests, using more fresh water, damaging the atmosphere and employing more food to create less. If you really care about the environment, going vegetarian is the most sustainable decision you can make.

If going vegan or vegetarian is too much for you, even just reducing significantly the amount of meat and other animal products in your diet can have a positive impact. For example, how about instead of doing Meatless Mondays, make it “meaty Mondays” in which you consume a small portion of meat only once a week. I can’t believe I suggested that… but when I read it I thought it was a great idea for someone to not feel the pressure of the “vegetarian label” while still making a positive lifestyle and economic change.

Help me spread the word on the advantages of the Vegetarian Lifestyle on our Environment. We can be the change we want to see in our world. Please comment and share with your circle of friends…