We are not alone.

I have discovered some interesting resources that have recorded some of the research that other people have done on our topic of vegetarianism versus hybrid technology.

Before I address these though, I would like to describe an article by David Pye.  Although he does not write in length about hybrids, he does address the issue of environmentalists he knows choosing to not also be vegetarians.  It seems that in his experience, the choices vegetarian or hybrid technology are mutually exclusive.  His article is titled: “Why environmentalists are not vegetarians.”  Pye has included some information that is very relevant to our project:

The European parliament has stated that ‘Europe can feed its people but not its animals’. Europe imports 70% of its protein for animal feed this is on top of using large proportions of its own arable land. Much of these imported feedstuffs come from countries suffering from poverty or environmental degradation. 95% of world soyabean production is used for animal feed. In the UK, 39% of our wheat, 51% of our barley and 75% of our total agricultural land is used to feed animals. Worldwide one third of grain production is used for animal feed.

Additionally, I found an article abstract that states “The average animal-based diet in the United States generates about 1.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide more per person per year than a plant-based diet yielding the same amount of calories.”  

These percentages and comparisons are astounding.  This translates into the fact that most of what farmers grow is fed to animals.  Essentially, we are using up most of our resources as humans (land, air, water, labor) on animals.  In the realm of this project, it would seem that vegetarian choices are more sustainable than carnivorous choices simply because there is no “middle man” involved.

Other articles I have found include statements in their abstracts such as “going vegan is 50 percent more effective in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions than using a hybrid car,” and “becoming a vegetarian would save more greenhouse gas emissions a year than switching to a hybrid car.”  Certainly our cohort is not the first to think about this topic, and surely our cohort is validated by these scientific studies in our majority opinion that vegetarianism, in the year 2010, is more environmentally sustainable than hybrid technology.

By Emily Spesert


1. Pye, David.  “Why environmentalists are not vegetarians.”  http://www.ivu.org/congress/2002/texts/david2.html
2. Nierenberg, Danielle.  “Eat Vegetables, Save Energy.” http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=105&sid=34948c0f-ba77-4fdb-aa9d-10550be199b7%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=21169125
3. Redwood, Jill.  “Vegetarians help avert climate change.” http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=105&sid=3f45cf7b-7ffd-4977-a6f6-637f171e75e8%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN =36811302
4. McKIBBEN, BILLI.  “The only way to have a cow.” http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=105&sid=28835a51-fa7b-4358-96de-54a3bd198909%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=hgh&AN=48873156