John Post on mon 20 aug 07
Life eats life.
More than 6 billion people on the planet.
They all can't eat free range cattle and chickens, there's not enough
free range left. And sharks, tigers and bears don't eat enough people
to even put a dent in our population... and then we go and try to cure
all the diseases. Eating free range vegan chickens, buying local and
green, recycling... these things seem to hardly make a dent as more of
the world tries to become like the U.S. I haven't heard about any
developed countries trying to work their way towards 3rd world living
conditions. The biggest burden on the environment is people. 6 billion
and counting. As long as I am here I might as well enjoy a nice steak
dinner ;)
John Post
Lee Love on tue 21 aug 07
On 8/20/07, John Post wrote:
> green, recycling... these things seem to hardly make a dent as more of
> the world tries to become like the U.S.
You point out exactly why it is important for us not to crap on our
grandkids and future generations: we have a big influence on the
world.
The other aspect, is that it has an effect on us as people went
we made the shift from consumer to steward/citizen/creator.
--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
discussion on Beauty:
http://journals.fotki.com/togeika/beauty/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"For a democracy of excellence, the goal is not to reduce things to a
common denominator but to raise things to a shared worth."
--Paolo Soleri
Maurice Weitman on tue 21 aug 07
Okay. I (too) wish that clayart would be more about clay. Dammit.
Sets my teeth on edge. I would LOVE for the list to be divided into
one that was limited to clay-related topics, and another for clay
community ramblings. Like this one.
John Post wrote:
>Eating free range vegan chickens, buying local and
>green, recycling... these things seem to hardly make a dent as more of
>the world tries to become like the U.S.
So is that a reason for us to maintain the status quo?
>The biggest burden on the environment is people.
Yeah. People... they're the worst!
Perhaps it would be more accurate to blame people who live without
regard to their impact on the planet.
Or those who fail to appreciate their roles in the problem and change
their habits to have less impact.
Next time one thinks about enjoying "a nice steak dinner," think of
these tidbits:
In "Diet, Energy and Global Warming", scientists at the University of
Chicago calculate that switching from the average American diet to a
vegetarian one causes a 50% greater cut in climate warming than
switching from the average car to a Prius, thus suggesting that a
shift toward a plant-based diet should be at least as high a priority
as advocating improved fuel economy.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cows, pigs, sheep and poultry have been awarded the dubious honour of
being among the world's greatest environmental threats, according to
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The report, entitled Livestock's long shadow, says the livestock
industry is degrading land, contributing to the greenhouse effect,
polluting water resources, and destroying biodiversity. In summary,
the sector is "one of the top two or three most significant
contributors to the most serious environmental problems at every
scale".
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I am not a hunter. (As a kid, I fished in Sheepshead Bay in
Brooklyn. But I could never eat fish.) I don't like the idea of
hunting, especially given the "shooting fish in a barrel" aspects of
most hunting... really: what chance does an animal have?
BUT... I think it's so much more noble if a person is hungry to go
out and face and kill an animal than to buy a package in the
supermarket.
Oh... and don't forget about the health effects of eating (especially
farm-factory-raised) meat.
And can you really condone the treatment chickens, pigs, and cows
must endure in order that humans are able to eat unhealthy food?
If not me, who? And if not now, when?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Blah, blah, blah.
I'll go home now.
Regards,
Maurice
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