Texan Mosaic

STORY BY: TOVI OYERVIDEZ

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of global warming, deforestation, species extinction, water replenishing, and ocean dead zones.

The consumption of meat is to blame for all the reasons this is happening.

Globally, cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day. Methane has a global warming potential 86 times more than carbon dioxide has in a 20-year frame. All the methane in the air is causing the green house effect. It’s warming up our planet, and for the past three years, each year keeps getting hotter.

Animal farms produce more than 1 million pounds of manure every minute. Humans annually produce 7 million tons, while farm animals produce 335 million tons of manure per year.

If you wonder what happens to that waste, it usually ends up somewhere such as our rivers, lakes, air, and aquifers. Slaughterhouses have polluted more than 35,000 miles of our rivers, threatening and endangering fish, amphibians and birds.

Fresh water on this planet is key to life. Nearly 50 percent of water used in the United States goes toward raising animals for food. Also, 50 percent of the world’s grains are fed to livestock. Yet close to 1 billion people go hungry every day. It’s scary to think that 80 percent of our antibiotics are sold for livestock.

I’ve been a vegan for a year now, and taking animal products out of my lifestyle has cut my carbon footprint in half. I know I live in the heart of the steak state, but I don’t really care what people think about me or my lifestyle. I’m trying to save this world and the lives of innocent animals.

Choosing a plant-based diet helps not only the environment but your well being. It can help lower the risk of bad cholesterol, blood pressure and Type two diabetes. A recent study found that nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure. The only place you get cholesterol is in animal products, meat, eggs, dairy and cheese. For anyone who says, where do you get your protein? I want to say, where do they get their nutrients and fiber? Plants are the original source of protein, and animals eat the plants, which gives them protein.

People get their protein by filtering their nutrients through the animal’s body, instead of just getting it straight from a plant source with a higher quality of nutrients and protein. In general, I think people should be eating more fruits and vegtables , even if you are someone who doesn’t plan on cutting out meat.

I’m not trying to persuade people to go vegan, because I know not everyone has the will power. I just want people to know that their eating habits are really affecting Earth. Everyone could just cut back, even if it’s to participate in meatless Monday. People should think twice about where their food comes from and what effects it could have on the environment.

Everyone could really make a huge impact globally and save millions of innocent lives while saving the planet for future generations to come.