Help
Sign In
earth day
November 2009 
Are you "green"? And how so?
Posted on Apr 24th, 2007
by 
Jessica
Jessica
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for April 24, 2007:
I try to be green! And, I am always striving to make my life greener. Here are a few things I do to be eco-conscious and mindful!
"Animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soy crop, 80% of the corn crop, and 70% of its grain. [2]. In tracking food animal production from the feed through to the dinner table, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 4:1 energy input to protein output ratio up to 54:1." - Wikipedia
And if that isn't enough, check out this article here.
Okay, that's all for now! I'm working on being greener, because it seems like there is always more that can be done. We just have to do what we can and live within our integrity as much as possible, always pushing ourselves and our culture to be better!
- Buy green products! Just about all of the cleaning products, cosmetics, paper goods, a lot of the clothes, etc. that I buy come from eco-friendly, cruelty-free companies like Seventh Generation, Ecover (check out their stain remover!), Jason, etc. Some people say that these products cost more, or that shopping at places like Whole Foods is too expensive. But, I think that these kinds of products cost less and are an investment towards building a better world. I'm happy to pay for these kind of products and contribute to a more ethical economy.
- Buy organic vegetarian/ vegan food! This fits into the last catagory, but I think it's super important, so it deserves it's own lil' section in my blog. I always try to buy organic food. This is not only good for the environment, it's good for our health! (I just found this article from the BBC on the relationship between meat and breast cancer!) Being vegan or vegetarian allows me to create a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The meat industry is a top producer of pollutants. The meat industry has been cited as responsible for about 18% of the world's green house gas emissions! Also, we use a huge amount of land to grow grains to feed to animals. We also use a ridiculous amount of our water supply, wasting resources we could be using and destroying land that we could be preserving.
"Animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soy crop, 80% of the corn crop, and 70% of its grain. [2]. In tracking food animal production from the feed through to the dinner table, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 4:1 energy input to protein output ratio up to 54:1." - Wikipedia
And if that isn't enough, check out this article here.
- I recycle.
- I work for Zaadz, where we strive to inspire a greener, more sustainable world!
Okay, that's all for now! I'm working on being greener, because it seems like there is always more that can be done. We just have to do what we can and live within our integrity as much as possible, always pushing ourselves and our culture to be better!
Access: Public
It's not easy being green! ;-)
Hi Jessica,
Well done for making changes to your lifestyle towards living more lightly on the earth.
You might be interested in some of my blog entries and also various posts on Lorenzo's sustain-a-buble such as that at http://pods.zaadz.com/sustainable/discussions/view/189174
I study, practice and teach permaculture design as an integral, holistic strategy for developing sustainable systems in the intimately related spheres of environment, community and that all important self, the one we can do most about.
Keep it up!
Hywl!
Chris
Hi Jessiccccaaaaa!
:-) Awwww yes, earth friendliness. I was never much of a “green person” till I realized how I started becoming annoyed at the fact that we keep using harmful chemicals to wash items, using plastic cups only once, and throwing so many plastic items away…
It makes me sad.
However, aside from that, there is a market that is popular in the UK but is now in California! Fresh and Easy (www.freshandeasy.com) market has expiration dates on many of their packages. This is because, just like their name suggests, the products are fresh. Also, they don't use chemicals, and much of it is organic. Unlike Whole Foods, this place is ridiculously cheaper! Check it out, I'm sure you'll like it. :-)
Thanks for the suggestions too.
Great pointers, Jessica! Being pro-animal rights is one of the greenest things a person can be! Very rarely, veganism is difficult for particular health reasons (e.g., persons with chronic migraines, whose triggers involve nuts, soy, and other alternative protein sources, have trouble removing all animal products from their diet)–but most people can be very healthy on a vegan diet. And as you say, vegetarianism is very easy to accomplish. With free range options, even people who are not strictly vegan can make compassionate choices that are equally good for the environment. Not only are factory farms brutalizing places for animals, they pollute the environment and make people who live near them very sick (the waste has to go somewhere, and it usually goes in lagoon-type swales that emit noxious fumes). Thanks for this!