Things We Can Do To Save The Environment - Issue No. 22 - Skip the Steak

I don't think giving up steak is on my list of helping the environment, but if it's something you've been thinking about doing, then by all means - quit it.  Seriously; all the cows in the world are warming up our planet faster than the millions of cars we drive in.  But it isn't just the cows - it's the sheep, buffalo and any other animal that takes a crap and releases nitrous oxide.

Giving credit to TIME,  I'd like to thank them for showing us the many ways we can help save the environment.  Just one person can make a difference, and it starts with YOU!
                                                   ~ Peter aka Blade7184  

22. Skip the Steak

Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac? Believe it or not, it's the burger. The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions—even more than transportation—according to a report last year from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Much of that comes from the nitrous oxide in manure and the methane that is, as the New York Times delicately put it, "the natural result of bovine digestion." Methane has a warming effect that is 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great.

There are 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo on the planet, along with 1.7 billion sheep and goats. Their populations are rising fast, especially in the developing world. Global meat production is expected to double between 2001 and 2050. Given the amount of energy consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a 16-oz.T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate.

If you switch to vegetarianism, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to research by the University of Chicago. Trading a standard car for a hybrid cuts only about one ton—and isn't as tasty.

Make sure to follow Blade 7184 every Tuesday for a new issue of Things We Can Do To Save The Environment.  Each issue is thought-provoking, informative and may hold the key to saving your children and grand-children's future.  Please feel free to click on my logo to read previous issues.

Farm to Fork: The Story of Our Toxic Food System

Soooooo, not something we really want to read or see early in the morning, but yeah, pretty much everything we eat will give us cancer.  And this lovely infographic provides you with every detail.  Click on the image below to get the full picture.  The infographic is brought to you courtesy of Healthychild.org.

How Is Meat-Eating Affecting The Planet?

I know that every Tuesday I blog about "Things We Can Do To Save The Environment" but looking at these statistics, it gets even more depressing.  Ugh, but I love my meat.  

Some pretty interesting stuff from Bustr Bensn...

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 58 - Meet Chris P. Bacon

I'm a little behind with the timing of this video, but not too far.  Chris P. Bacon is a celebrity now.  He's been in the news cycle for the past month.  Little Chris here was born without the use of his hind limbs, but this little guy is no quitter!  One YouTube commenter wrote,  "is the pig unhappy".  And the owner gleefully replied, "of course not, I wish I had his life... talk about pampered!"  The video is too darn cute.

I do my best not to cook with pork for the sake of my partner Ryan, and watching this makes it even harder.  I love piggies!

 

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 56 - Why Lambs Should Never Be An Indoor Pet

So yeah... Lambs should never be indoor pets. What do you think?  LOL. 

Well, they are kinda cute, bumping heads, jumping over couches and what not.  I guess if one can have a piggy as a pet, why not a lamb; or two or three?

Enjoy the video... It's Purely Animal.

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 50 - Sit, Piggy, Sit

Awww, this is too cute. I think I'm starting to love piggies again.  Growing up on a farm my sister and I had pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, you name it - we had them all!  The only thing is, my dad would slaughter our pigs for dinner and I was left in an emotional wreck every time.  Hence my disdain for owning farm animals grew.  

Well, as you've heard many of times already, Ryan wants a piggy some day, and by golly I'm going to get him one come hell or high water. lol.

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 44 - Hamlet The Hungry Piglet

Omg, Ryan is going to flip when he sees this.  This is one of the things I miss most about growing up on my mom and dad's farm - the animals.  I'm so grateful to my parents for having me experience country life for for 18 years, because otherwise I wouldn't have learned to appreciate both worlds.  I love living in a city and in the suburbs, but while I admire it, it doesn't compare to the beautiful countryside and farmlands.  I can't wait to get my Ryan a little piggy.  He wants one so bad, and after he sees this he's going to want one even more.

Stylish Piggy

My wonderful guy, Ryan loves piggies, and well, here's a post just for my love.  A cute little piggy in a sweater.

Concealed Cruelty!

If you never want to eat pork again, then watch this video.  Seriously, you will never think of asking for Bacon for your burgers, frying them up on breakfast morning, or making bacon-wrapped Jalapenos on July 4th.  

On Wednesday, I saw the video you're about to see, and I haven't been able to write about it for the past few days, because of the images seared into my mind.  It was one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen.  If you thought Human Centipede was bad, or maybe even those terrible movies, like Hostel or Saw; this video puts those movies to shame.  This is real life folks.

Mercy for Animals, an animal rights group, released footage of some pig abuse going on at a company called, "Iowa Select," an industrial farm that supplies pork to Krogers, Safeway and Costco.  In the video you will see workers, snap off tails from little baby piglets and castrate them without any anesthetic.  You'll watch as they toss and throw them around like footballs.  I mean, the video is the most graphic and disgusting thing you'll ever see.  You see abscesses due to infections, and "skin is flayed away from painful-looking open sores, revealing bone, muscle and pus underneath."

I don't even know where to begin with this, but these people need to be held accountable.  I understand life has to go on, but I'm sure there are some more humane ways of handling these pigs.  Pigs are pigs, I know that, but caring for them as they grow up is important.  Proper care can be provided by hiring more people if you have to... it's the economy stupid.

I'm warning you, don't watch this if you have a queasy stomach, and throw-up easily.