"Want to Avoid a Thirsty Future? Eat Less Meat"

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/08/want-avoid-thirsty-future-eat-less-meat

I found this article to be very shocking and frightening. The relationship between water scarcity and and meat consumption is something that startled me. Just simply opening a magazine, newspaper, or finding something on the internet that talks about meat consumption and its affect on water could open up anyones mind to an often overlooked topic.

Vegetarian Recipes That Are Healthy for You and The Environment

I feel like someone's diet is a very personal thing and I would never try to force someone to become a vegetarian. But, I still think it would be a positive way to show people how easy it is by posting some of my favorite vegetarian recipes!

People always say "I love meat to much. I could never stop eating meat." I used to say the exact same thing before I realized how delicious fruits and vegtables are and how one I acquired this diet, I didn't miss meat at all. Here are some delicious recipes that don't harm the environment!

1. Toasted Buckwheat Pilaf With Dried Fruit

1/2 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup whole-grain roasted buckwheat groats (kasha)
1/2 cup red lentils
3 cups boiling water
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup dried apricots, diced
2/3 cup dried figs, diced
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the walnuts for 7 minutes, or until crisp and fragrant. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes, or until the pepper is tender.
3. Stir in the buckwheat and red lentils, and cook for 3 minutes, or until the buckwheat is well coated.
4. Add the boiling water, rosemary, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the buckwheat is tender. Stir in the walnuts, apricots, figs, and parsley.

Nutritional information SERVES 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


2. Open-Face Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 small bunch asparagus, trimmed and spears cut in half
1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded
4 slices Italian bread
3 ounces goat cheese

1. Preheat grill or broiler. In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Brush mushrooms, asparagus, and bell pepper with oil mixture.
2. Grill or broil vegetables 4 inches from heat, turning over once, until tender, about 10 minutes for asparagus and bell pepper, and about 12 minutes for mushrooms. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice pepper.
3. Turn off grill or broiler. Place bread on grill or broiler rack until warm, about 2 minutes.
4. Spread goat cheese on bread. Place mushrooms on each slice. Top with bell pepper and asparagus. Serve warm.


3. Salad Pizza

1 pound pizza or bread dough, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cups shredded fat-free mozzarella (8 ounces)
6 cups mixed salad greens, torn into bite-size pieces

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll dough out to 12-inch square on an unfloured work surface. Sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal and place dough on top. Sprinkle Parmesan over dough. Bake until Parmesan starts to brown and pizza begins to puff, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and salt. Add tomatoes and onion, and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. Top pizza with mozzarella and return to oven. Bake until cheese has melted and pizza bottom is crisp, about 5 minutes.
4. Add salad greens to tomato mixture and toss to coat. Scatter salad over hot pizza and serve.

SERVES 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Environmental Reasons to Become a Vegetarian

Being a meat eater my whole life, I never knew what would ever drive me to becomming a vegetarian until I found out the negative impact meat consumption had on the environment. If more people were given the straight facts on this issue, more would consider changing their diet for environmental purposes. If you are someone who cares about the earth and what humans can do to help it, familurizing yourself with the facts is a good way to be more aware.

Livestock’s gas and waste is the number one source of nitrous oxide and methane, which are 310 times and 72 times more powerful than carbon dioxide respectively. Livestock industry produces 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than that of the total world transportation systems – of all the cars, trains and planes combined.

Deforestation accounts for 18.3% of global emissions. Livestock overgrazing and crops production for the animals is a key reason for deforestation.

If every American go on a meat-free day per week, it would be the same as taking 8 million cars off American roads.

1 person going vegetarian for 1 year reduces 3,267 pounds of CO2 emissions (equivalent to savings from all household equipments for 1 year), feed 5 times more people, save many lives.

The Scary Facts About Meat Production

Reading a whole book on this subject could seem like a lot to handle. Stating some basic facts about the toll meat production takes on the environment seems like a more effective approach. Just grazing the surface of this topic and reading some important facts will change your perception on meat in the U.S. 

• Agricultural production uses 10 percent of the energy used every year in the U.S
• Livestock production uses a staggering 70 percent of all arable land and 30 percent of the land surface of the planet
• Animal farms are responsible for 73 percent of the ammonia released into the air
• There are 20 billion livestock around the world, triple the amount of people
• it takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of meat
• the runoff from factory farms pollutes our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined
• Livestock grazing is the number one reason that plant species in the United States become threatened and go extinct, and it also leads to soil erosion and eventual desertification that renders once-fertile land barren

A Meat Eater Becomes A Vegan Overnight

I think it's important to share why the topic of meat production sparks an interest for me. This topic is very miscommunicated in the U.S and I was once a victim to thinking that eating hamburgers from Burger King every week didn't affect the environment. I was uneducated and misguided when it came to the food I was eating and the affects it had on the planet.

When I first moved to Boulder in August 2012, my mom got me what she thought was an organic cook book as a gift. In reality, this book, Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier, was going to change my diet and my life overnight.

Not only did Thrive Foods make me cut out meat and any animal products entirely from my diet, it also taught me a great deal about the environmental affects that eating meat has on our planet.

My mother was born in Italy and I grew up with meat balls on my dinner plate every night. Not once was I told that meat was a bad thing. Steak was my favorite food in the world and having a hamburger every week never crossed my mind as having any negative affect on myself or the environment. Although I was always a meat eater, my love for nature was always very strong and I always cared a lot about the environment and always tried to do my part in saving it. I don't drive a car, I recycle, I try to eat all organic and use all organic products. So, when I found out that my diet was affecting the environment in such a negative way, I actually cut it out completely overnight.

My life has changed for the better ever since. I feel like i'm doing something good for my body and the environment. I don't miss eating meat at all because I know that i'm doing my part for making the planet a better place. I feel stronger and more awake and it's good to know that I now have the knowledge on the negative affects of meat production and consumption in this country.

I feel like if everyone read this book they would have a completely changed perception of themselves, their diet, and how what we eat directly affects the environment. I recommend Thrive Foods to anyone trying to explore this topic and learn a little more about the food we eat.