Here is a summary of “The Meat of the Problem” by Ezra Klein published in the Washington Post on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. I simply condensed the article by featuring the key ideas here:

“It’s more energy efficient to grow grain and feed it to people than it is to grow grain and turn it into feed that we give to calves until they become adults that we then slaughter to feed to people.” [...]

“Two researchers at the University of Chicago estimated that switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading in your gas guzzler for a Prius (PDF). A study out of Carnegie Mellon University found that the average American would do less for the planet by switching to a totally local diet than by going vegetarian one day a week.” [...]

“eating pasta on a night when you’d otherwise have made fajitas is easy. It doesn’t require a long commute on the bus or the disposable income to trade up to a Prius. It doesn’t mean you have to scrounge for change to buy a carbon offset. In fact, it saves money. It’s healthful. And it can be done immediately.” [...]

“Going vegetarian might not be as effective as going vegan, but it’s better than eating meat, and eating meat less is better than eating meat more.”

Of course, even though you get the idea from the quotes above, you should still go read the whole article, which is currently available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/28/AR2009072800390.html.

The joke about bathing in bacon (not quoted above) is enough to make this a good read, but Klein’s frank honesty and seeming willingness to compromise is compelling to even hard-core carnivores. Please share “The Meat of the Problem” with your friends and loved ones. Together we can make a difference for the planet, for animals, and for human health.

Related: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

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Sections: Vegan News
Topics: Ezra Klein, meat, meatless mondays, news, Vegan, vegetarian