Peace, Love & Veggies.

         Every year I come up with a New Years resolution... and fail miserably, like most of the population.  But this year is a little different for me.  Originally, I decided I was only going to give up red meat and only eat locally.. more of a "slow food" diet to help benefit my local economy.  But then I started thinking and why not just give up meat?  I'm all about challenges and this is probably one of the biggest challenges I will have to face.  Here are the reasons why I'm choosing Vegetarianism: 

• If we eat the plants we grow instead of feeding them to animals, the world's food shortage will disappear virtually overnight. Remember that 100 acres of land will produce enough beef for 20 people but enough wheat to feed 240 people.

• Half the rainforest's in the world have been destroyed to clear ground to graze cattle to make beefburgers. What you may not know about this is in effort to make cheaper Big Mac's and Whoopers, eager Americans are slashing and burning our native rain forests to make room for the "Beef industry".  The burning of the forests contributes 20% of all green-house gases. Roughly 1,000 species a year become extinct because of the destruction of the rainforest's. Approximately 60 million people a year die of starvation. All those lives could be saved because those people could eat grain used to fatten cattle and other farm animals - if Americans ate 10% less meat.

• The world's fresh water shortage is being made worse by animal farming. And meat producers are the biggest polluters of water. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. If the US meat industry wasn't supported by the taxpayer paying a large proportion of its water costs, then hamburger meat would cost $35 a pound.

• African countries - where millions are starving to death - export grain to the developed world so that animals can be fattened for our dining tables.

• It's Healthy!!!!! :)