Letter to the Editor: Pushing for sustainablility

By:

Posted: 9/12/08

In response to your article "Dining halls begin to 'go green'" (9/11/08), it was encouraging to see that the university staff is working to reduce our collective impact on the planet by increasing the sustainability of the EIU campus. It's important to note though that there is an easier way to increase sustainability than ditching meal trays in the dining halls, which is to expand the vegetarian and vegan options. According to a recent United Nations study, raising animals for food contributes more to global warming than all of the cars, trains, boats, and trains combined. If we really want to make a difference, without having to overhaul the structure of the dining halls, the first step would be to cut out the meat.

Across the board, animal agriculture squanders the limited resources we have by funneling them through animals raised for meat and other animal products. For example, we currently feed more than 70 percent of the grains raised in this country to animals raised for food, rather than eating the grains directly. Similarly, nearly half of the water and 80 percent of agricultural land consumed in this country is used for livestock, when it could be used to grow food directly for human consumption. This wasteful use of resources also impacts local environments. Currently, farmed animals produce about 130 times as much excrement as the entire U.S. population, much of which finds its way into our local waterways.

Thankfully, it's never been easier to find delicious and "green" meals on the go. With local grocery stores stocking the shelves with products like vegetarian BBQ "riblets" and vegan pizza, not to mention chain restaurants like Denny's and Burger King adding veggie burgers to the menus, there's never been a better time to eat sustainably and cruelty-free.

Ryan Huling
College Campaign Coordinator
peta2.com