Plant-Based Diet
Oxford University Study Again Shows Vast Environmental Advantage of Plant-Based Diet
by Linda DeStefano
Translated into Spansish by Rob English
Published in the journal SCIENCE and described in the May 31, 2018 magazine THE GUARDIAN, an extensive study by Oxford University in the U.K. concludes: “Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet…” And without meat and dairy, “global farmland could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equal to the U.S., China, the E.U. and Australia combined – and still feed the world. Loss of wild areas to agriculture is the leading cause of current mass extinction of wildlife.”
Joseph Poore, the lead researcher, says: “Avoiding consumption of animal products delivers far better benefits than trying to purchase sustainable meat and dairy.” And THE GUARDIAN adds: “The scientists found that even the very lowest impact meat and dairy products still cause much more environmental harm than the least sustainable vegetable and cereal growing.”
If you want to move toward a vegan diet, check out recipes and other resources at atlantic2.sierraclub.org/conservation/biodiversity. You can also get free information and mentoring from various organizations, such as Vegan Outreach. Contact veganoutreach.org
And you can get a free copy of the brochure “Give a Wolf (and the World) a Break Today: Go Veggie!”
from the Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Committee of the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club by contacting the chair of the committee, Linda DeStefano at LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com or (315)488-2140 (8 a.m. – 10 p.m.) or 5031 Onondaga Rd., Syracuse 13215-1403.