Does Vegetarianism Equal Green Living?
For many people, both on the green side of the argument and the skeptics, the idea of green living is inseparable from vegetarianism. If you care about your planet and all of the organisms on it, then it naturally follows that you will not want to eat food made from animals or their farming. The argument from some people, again on both sides of the argument, is that if you are not at least a vegetarian and ideally a vegan, you cannot be a true environmentalist. Is there any real mileage in this argument?
Well, there is a lot to suggest that not eating meat can be a good way to help the environment. Much of the meat sold in supermarkets and restaurants is sourced from overseas, which puts a high carbon footprint on it. Additionally, there are some meat farming companies who contribute to deforestation by clearing wooded areas to provide grazing land for cattle. It is also felt that the intensive farming methods used to ensure the highest productivity are bad for the land in the long term.
Some will take issue with the idea of “ethically sourced meat”, but it is one that is held up by environmentalists who still prefer to eat meat. In the end, it comes down to what kind of environmentalist you consider yourself to be. You can eat meat and still help the environment, but if you look into the idea of vegetarianism and find it to be something you can back, then you can do something more for the environment.