Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion

I have been hearing a lot about how this environmental stuff just is not worth it anymore: recycling programs waste community money, alternative energy is a waste of time, campus' efforts are too expensive.

Most of the news I've heard has been pretty disheartening, so I've been trying something that I believe is pretty sound. It's been around for a very long time, and it doesn't involve doing much. In fact, it's about what you're not doing: eating meat.

Many different people have different reasons to take the semi-veg/vegetarian/vegan route. Issues of health, ecology, economy and animal-rights all have some role in my decision. My aim has never been to convert anyone, but I can erase a little of my own footprint on this world and educate a few people while I'm at it.

For some vegetarians, animal-rights top the list of reasons to abstain from meat. But I'm not going to lie; I don't like most barnyard animals. I really hate cows. I do like dogs and cats, so the following quote by Michael Pollan in The New York Times' "An Animal's Place" really struck me.

"Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us pause to consider the miserable life of the pig - an animal easily as intelligent as a dog - that becomes the Christmas ham."

It's not important for everyone to believe that animals are better or equal to humans, but understanding that animals can feel - be it pain or happiness - is important to understand compassion. There is also an economic and ecological perspective.

Since a giant Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation is doing its best to move into my hometown, I began to do my research. These CAFOs keep hundreds of cattle confined to their stalls for most of their lives. It is in no way animal-friendly or good for the community.

The giant operation is planned to be located very near town. City people are worried about a contaminated water supply and dropping property values. So many area dairy farms have already given up their trade because they simply cannot compete with large-scale agri-businesses like these.

According to Greg Steighner in "What about oil shale?" a giant part of our nation's dependence on oil comes from the production of animal products. Without meat, we would be healthier and more independent.

What if by cutting back on animal products we could also save lives? Dr. Neal D. Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said 2,000 pounds of grain are fed to livestock every year to produce enough meat for a person to survive a year. Only 400 pounds of grain eaten directly would be needed to feed that same person just as well.

The last reason I chose a meat-free diet was out of concern for my health. I grew up on a very typical diet - McDonalds and Mountain Dew. I was doing that for a very long time. Since getting into vegetarianism, it has been much harder to eat so poorly.

Along with obvious health benefits, there are plenty of other things that have outright scared me away from eating meat. According to Ruth Harrison, author of "Animal Machines," the beef industry has contributed to more deaths in the U.S. than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.

At this point in my life, meat just grosses me out. If you're interested in a similar experience, try watching the movie "Earthlings" online.

For me, meat is bad. For you, maybe it is not.

I just like to think I'm helping people understand that vegetarianism isn't so far-fetched an idea. You don't have to eat at special places or have a great amount of self-control. What it takes is compassion and understanding. It's almost like recycling a bottle or turning off a light.

It takes a willingness to understand the darker realities of the world around you, but more importantly, it takes the ambition to do something about it.

Ekern is a junior print journalism major and copy editor for The Spectator.

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