Much of the grain that we grow to feed the livestock we consume is drenched in pesticides such as glyphosate, a known carcinogen which is then passed on to us through our diet. Raising animal feed crops also uses 80% of the land in our country and nearly half of our water, squeezing out native wildlife and creating water shortages. By reducing the meat we consume and substituting organic produce we can ease pressure on the climate, land, water and wildlife. While animal agriculture generates about $35 billion more in profit than plant farming, the expenses of animal agriculture are also about $55.8 billion more. Research concludes that “plant-based agriculture grows 512% more pounds of food than animal-based agriculture on 69% of the land. According to research by the University of Michigan and Tulane University and supported by the Center For Biological Diversity, it was found that replacing half of all animal based foods with organic plant based alternatives, would result in a reduction of 1.6 billion tons of climate pollution over the next 10 years.
Now that we are enjoying barbecuing on the home grill in this summer season, maybe by putting more plants and less meat on the grill, we can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and help save our wildlife