To Meat, or Not To Meat?
A month long journey to become more sustainable
Have you ever thought about the impact of your actions and your daily life? I was never really aware of how my actions could have quite a difference on the environment. At least, I never knew that something as small as using a couple of plastic bags, or having meats as a part of my diet could collectively have such a big impact. When this year’s Do One Thing (DOT) project was first announced, I wasn’t sure about what I should do. But after looking back at my daily life, I realized that my family and I eat meat quite often, which (from what I have learned in class) can have a big impact on the environment and on your ecological footprint. So for my DOT project, I have decided to go vegetarian.
There are various reasons to go vegetarian. First of all, it’s better for your heath. Since vegetarians have a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet, they have a lower risk of getting certain types cancer compared to the overall population. According to a 12-year Oxford study, vegetarians also tend to live longer lives than meat eaters by six years! In addition, being vegetarian can also help reduce global warming. Livestock, especially cows, produce a lot of methane, which in turn leads to climate change. They generate more greenhouse gases than all the modes of transportation combined! Finally, being vegetarian can also help prevent world hunger. On average, 40% of grain produced is used to feed the livestock. If the crops were fed directly to humans instead of the animals, less people would starve. Overall, going vegetarian is a great way to be more sustainable.
“If you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way.”
-Tiana, Princess and the Frog
We should do our best to take care of our planet and be more sustainable each and every day. Our actions may be small, but small actions can lead to big differences. So why don’t you try something new, something better for our planet. I decided to go vegetarian. What will you do?
