Being Green and Eating Meat

While eating meat definitely contributes significantly to air and water pollution, a large amount of Americans find it difficult to cut this source of protein and essential vitamins out of their diets.  This can be attributed to a lack of education about the ways in which to stay healthy as a vegetarian or vegan, but it goes further than that. Eating meat has been a part of human culture for as long as we have been around.  But as we begin to achieve levels of pollution in the environment that require us to take a stand and do something before things get even more out of hand, something needs to be done about this meat eating habit.  So while we all make an effort to cut down on our meat consumption, what can we do to make sure that the meat we are eating is environmentally friendly as possible (and not to mention humane)?

            In Portland we have the convenient and reliable option of buying meat at our local farmers’ markets.  Buying local meat is a great way of reducing the pollution associated with eating meat.  First of all, it cuts down on the amount of fuel required to transport the meat.  The farmers that attend these markets are located locally and don’t need to drive as far as corporate meat farms.  This isn’t to say that all locally grown meat is going to be significantly more environmentally friendly than the meat you buy at the grocery store.  Another good step to take would be to talk to these farmers about what efforts they make to minimize their environmental impact.  You can do this by going to the farm itself or visiting the farmer’s website (websites for farms are becoming increasingly popular with the trend to eat in an eco-friendly way).  They will be more than happy to tell you about their process and you may get them to realize that their consumers want to shop for the most environmentally friendly meat option. 

            If you don’t live near a farmers’ market, you can visit this website to find out where your food is coming from: www.foodroutes.org.  While simply buying local meat is a somewhat more eco-friendly option, further steps are required to really cut down on your impact.  Eating vegetarian when possible is always a good option, but always remember to find out where your food is really coming from.  It has to get here somehow and the longer the distance, the more pollution is being created.

You can also check out this website for some discussion about eating meat and being eco-friendly: http://www.grist.org/article/umbra-meat/