Let’s Save the Cows and the Environment

Going pescatarian for 5 weeks

When I was a little girl, I got my first rabbit. His name was Twitch because his nose never stopped twitching. He loved to be pet, but even more than that, he loved to eat. Being a bunny, all he ate were vegetables and fruit and he didn’t eat any meat. I’m sure he loved his diet, but I never knew how hard it is until now.

Hi. My name is Sabine Kimball and I’m in Ms. Riggen’s 8th-grade science class. Every year she does a Do One Thing (DOT) Project. For my DOT Project, I am going pescatarian for a month. I chose this project because livestock is responsible for 42% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. When my sister was in Ms. Riggen’s class she also went pescatarian and she never went back to eating meat, and I want to see if this project has the same long-term effect on me. I wanted to do something for my DOT that would really make an impact, and while one person not eating meat might not sound like doing a lot, it helps more than you realize.

Meat produces multiple types of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). For my project, I wanted to measure the methane emissions but methane is mainly produced by cows — most animals raised to be eaten primarily produce CO2 — so instead I am measuring CO2 emissions I avoided by not eating meat. There are many different accounts on how much CO2 animals produce so I’m using data from the Environmental Working Group that includes the following:

1. One ounce of beef produces 25 ounces of CO2
2. One ounce of lamb produces 36 ounces of CO2
3. One ounce of pork produces 8 ounces of CO2
4. One ounce of turkey produces 7 ounces of CO2
5. One ounce of chicken produces 3 ounces of CO2

The carbon dioxide and methane emissions aren’t the only reasons I wanted to go pescatarian for a month. Livestock is also responsible for millions of gallons of water wasted, 70% of the deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest, and the destruction of natural ecosystems that were ruined to make room for grazing land for cattle.

Cattle and other animals raised for eating are polluting our environment and by going vegetarian I am taking a step forward in saving our planet. With all the new fake meats, it is an easy lifestyle change that everyone could make that would help postpone the dramatic adverse effects that we are beginning to experience on our planet.