The Vegetarian Challenge: My Latest Environmental Experiment

Photo Credit: Flickr/CP Storm

I want to start this by saying that I have lived most of my life as meat eater.  There have been a few times that I have adopted a short-term diet that restricts meat consumption but other than those few instances, I have been an omnivore.  That is, until my son recently showed our family a very graphic video of how chicken nuggets are produced and it spurred a great conversation about the environmental impacts of meat consumption.

There are many sources out there that have different statistics on just how harmful meat production is to the environment but they all project virtually the same message.  Raising cattle or chickens for food is one of the biggest contributors to global climate change because of the resources needed to raise and keep the animals, and also because of the amount of methane gas that is created from their waste.  According to the EPA, 80% of the corn grown in the US is dedicated to livestock feed.  And almost 73 million acres in the US are currently being used as corn farms.  That means 58.4 million acres are used for feed corn.   That is bigger than the state of Utah!  And this doesn’t take into consideration the amount of land needed for the livestock itself.  Let’s talk later about the water needed to make all of this happen.  In my quest to be kinder to the earth, I feel like decreasing the demand for meat is something I can do to make a difference.

My sister-in-law agreed with me and so the two of us have decided to try out vegetarianism.  To be more specific, this first year we will be pescetarians, meaning we eat no meat, but can eat eggs and fish.  We have it set up as a challenge, the first one to break has to give the other a prize.  But our motives are pure, we sincerely want to make a difference and I think it is helpful to have a buddy to help with accountability.  And once this first year-long challenge draws to an end, we plan to evaluate if we can cut back even further and maybe someday go totally vegan!  This would be a giant step for me as my biggest weakness is cheese.

Our challenge started this last Wednesday, October 13^th and it is off to a good start.  I have to say I don’t really miss anything in particular.  The hardest thing is always being mindful of my pact.  One of my other guilty pleasures has been bacon breakfast sandwiches and there have been a few times that I have had to catch myself before mindlessly ordering one.  But with any change comes challenge and it is not always easy.  We are already thinking about holidays and what our new diet won’t allow us to take part in.  I am not going to miss turkey at thanksgiving dinner but I will ache if I see anyone eat a turkey sandwich made from the leftovers.

Today’s article is not an attempt to urge others to join me, but more of a documentation of a process.  But I do hope that in the coming months I can share my experience and perhaps show that it is possible for an omnivore to move toward a meat-free life.  Perhaps I can even serve as inspiration to those who were already considering a change.  As the weeks progress, I will provide updates on how we are doing, what we are eating in the place of meat, and other vegetarian fun facts that I find.  Wish us luck!

Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services to households in the Seattle area.  Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com or email questions about this blog or other green living issues to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.