The question of MEAT

My youngest son, whom I'm visiting in Brasília, has followed a vegetarian diet for many years and is now raising his little daughter as a vegetarian. When my children were young I followed the same diet and raised all three of them without meat until the youngest one was three or so. Since then we've gone our different ways and I've considered myself a semi-vegetarian.

Now, as I confront the issues of climate change, I am trying to decrease my consumption of meat, especially of factory-farm animals. In addition to the environmental reasons for cutting back on meat, there are multiple health benefits, so it should be a no-brainer. But meat-eating is a deeply ingrained habit in most western cultures, and for many of us eating a lot less meat would be easier than cutting it out altogether. 

Today's quote comes from Planetsave webmail, written by Scott James and published on January 24, 2009. 

"German Government Advisory: Eat Meat Only on Special Occasions

Germany's environmental issues advisory issued a strong advisory for German people to lower their meat consumption, effectively asking the population to eat meat only on special occasions. The advisory board cited that 15% of Germany's greenhouse gases come from agriculture. Dramatically reducing meat consumption will diminish Germany's carbon footprint."