Of Vegetarians & Environmentalists

[marian16_rox]

I’ve been watching Greenpeace videos on YouTube and I stumbled on a clip of GP campaigners talking about vegetarianism and its relation to climate change. Being a vegetarian and a volunteer for GP’s youth arm Solar Generation, I was intrigued. I watched and applauded.  One meat-free day is the single biggest contribution one can have, according to

Comments

[aimingforpeace]

My own opinion is that the all-or-nothing attitude of many activists scare off people who do not feel inclined to go the whole distance. This can be applied to so many things - veg*nism, locavorism, what one chooses to wear, what matter of transportation is chosen...

For myself (although I am a vegetarian) getting on the "greener than thou" because of someone's diet choices isn't going to do any good. Perhaps encouraging them to choose local/humanely raised animals would be more constructive instead of getting on their case. But I'm one of those people who will do the exact opposite of what someone wants me to do if they're trying to push me too hard...

[icelore]

Completely agree. I think we should applaud and encourage those who are willing to do *anything* toward the greater green goal, not bash them if they don't 'go all the way' or conform to a set of predetermined standards. Every little bit helps!

[marian16_rox]

Exactly! :)

Most people I meet are only adverse to eco-friendly living b/c they think they'll be expected to take on that "all-or-nothing" creed.

[poetpaladin]

My opinion is that free ranging cattle and buffalo and camels and goats and other hoofed herbivores on less productive grasslands and poor soil scrubland and hard to traverse rocky terrain is a great way to help provide nutrition for lions, tiger, cougars, wolves, and humans. Not to mention conservation for tourism and hunting.

[shapeshft]

Only if their populations are not so high that they overbrowse the native vegetation.
We are at the point in the Northeast US where deer are more abundant than they have been in recorded history. They are browsing some kinds of native vegetation to local extinction. These animals should be eaten for the health of the rest of the ecosystem.

[gravitty]

Thank you so much for this. I know vegetarians that are accepting and open minded about those who are not. But it is nice to see a post once in a while. :) You make basically the same argument I've made for myself, which things are "required" to be an environmentalist? Everyone on the internet is operating a computer, which takes energy after all!

Also, being a veg* doesn't make you immune to environmental damage caused by your diet. Just take palm oil for example! If you eat store bought cookies, you eat palm oil (Girl Scout Thin Mints too). Hyacinth Macaws are also being affected by soy farming in South America on land that was slightly less bad when it was cattle land.

We all have to be conscious of what we do, but what conclusions we come to are our own. The best way to turn people away from greener living is to claim there is a minimum effort required. There isn't. Any step people are willing to take is better then nothing. And for those who have a serious issue with something, changing it is easier then eliminating it!