———————– ** Fresh Green Beans ** ———————– Grown in Kansas. Eaten Worldwide.

Recently, I discovered a report from 2006, entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow, which is an assessment of global livestock’s impacts on the environment. The report was produced by the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative. This is not an animal rights group, or a band of hippie vegans, but rather a sub-committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

I’m well aware of many of the report’s findings, but there is much in the report that I never knew. It’s troubling that livestock is rarely addressed by leading environmentalists and environmental groups. Especially because, as the report states, “the livestock sector emerges as one of the most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems at every scale from local to global.”

Based on recent posts about the impact of food on the environment, I highly recommend at least skimming through the report. Here are a few highlights I’ve taken directly from the report’s executive summary:

LAND:
- Livestock production accounts for 70% of all agriculture land and 30% of the land surface on the planet.
- 70% of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures (in other words, livestock is the biggest contributor to Amazon rain forest loss)

ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE:
-Livestock is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions (higher than transportation)
- Livestock emits 37% of anthropogenic (resulting from human activity) methane, which has 23x the global warming potential (GWP) of CO2
- Livestock emits 65% of anthropogenic nitrous oxide, which has 296x the GWP of CO2
- Livestock is responsible for 64% of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.

(photo: USDA. Waste lagoon at a hog farm in North Carolina)

WATER:
- Livestock accounts for over 8% of global human water use
- Livestock is probably the largest source of water pollution
- In the US alone, livestock is responsible for an estimated 55% of erosion and sediment, 33% of pesticide use, and 50% of antibiotic use

BIODIVERSITY:
- Livestock now account for 20% of the total animal biomass, and 30% of the earth’s land surface they now inhabit was once habitat for wildlife
- Livestock may be the leading player in the reduction of biodiversity (due to deforestation), as well as one of the leading drivers of land degradation, pollution, climate change, overfishing, sedimentation of coastal areas and facilitation of invasions by alien species.

The report details many more facts about the negative environmental impacts of livestock. It concludes that if, as predicted, the production of meat will double from now until 2050, the impact per unit of output must be cut in half, simply to maintain current levels of environmental damage caused by livestock. Recommendations for reaching this goal include a sizable reduction in meat consumption from those in developed nations.

If awareness of this issue does not move from the fringes and into a front and center issue for the environmental movement, it is difficult to think the problems will not become significantly worse. This isn’t an opinion, it is a fact. Yet, one of the simplest things an individual can do to have a personal impact is reduce his/her meat consumption.

The sooner people overcome their belief that a vegetarian diet is radical or extreme, but instead is a very positive step toward improving the health of themselves and the planet, and at least reduce their meat consumption, the sooner the problems associated with livestock can be seriously addressed and overcome.

- David

(edited from a previous version)

I live in Culver City, CA with my wife, Rebecca and our rescue mutt, Luke.

I was raised on Long Island until I was almost 13. My dad worked in radio. Having a dad who worked in the music business and having parents who both listened to music throughout my childhood, I was bred to be a music geek.

We moved to Winston-Salem, NC when I was 13. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I majored in Journalism and Mass Communication. After graduation, I left for the Big Apple to pursue a career in the music business. NYC did not agree with me, so I headed to LA.

I spent most of my career at Nettwerk Records as their west coast sales rep and then head of sales. I had a good time, but in the end, it wasn’t very fulfilling. I left the music business in April 2001. I had no idea what I wanted to do next.

In 2002 I started working for an ad agency as an account executive. I remained there for the next 3 1/2 years. It was a job. Passion had nothing to do with it. But, being who I am, I learned that I had to be passionate about my work.

I have always considered myself to be concerned about the environment. But I was pretty casual about it and I really didn’t own my impact on the earth.

Recently, I’ve come to realize that I am passionate about the environment. It has been a pleasure to make simple changes to my diet, to my light bulbs, to my shower heads, to my grocery bags, etc. This newly discovered passion, which is far deeper than my desire to work in the music business ever was, has driven me to keep moving further.

Rebecca and I plan to open a store that sells environmentally friendly clothing and accessories.

I thank Simran for inviting me to join, but I also thank the other authors for letting me participate.

By the way, Rebecca is from Kansas. In fact, she’s a Jayhawk. We were married on the campus of KU (in a small chapel) in April of 2004. Our reception was at Liberty Hall. I have enjoyed many a brew at Freestate. I cheer for Kansas whenever they’re not playing Carolina.

- David Shaw

I drink at least a liter of water a day, which means I end up using the restroom at least five times a day. In the bathroom at work, we have the fairly standard stack of single sheet paper towels that you pull from the holder one at a time (although sometimes a clump comes out, if they’re packed too tightly). It takes two paper towels to dry my hands thoroughly.

So, on a daily basis I use at least 10 paper towels, or 50 paper towels a week, or 200 paper towels a month, or 2,400 paper towels a year! That is a lot of paper. But, I have to wash my hands and I have to dry them. Yet, every time I grab the paper towels, I feel a tinge of guilt. So, I started trying to find ways to conserve paper towels.

First, I decided to cut down to just one paper towel. Yeah, my hands were still a little damp when I left the restroom, but they air dried within a minute or two. Still, with one paper towel per hand washing, I was using at least 1,200 paper towels a year. Not good enough.

This has been bugging me for a while. Finally, one day I had an epiphany. If I were to use one of those quick drying micro-fiber towels that hikers and campers use, I could just keep that in my pocket and use it to dry my hands anywhere I go. AND they are made with some sort of anti-microbial/germ fighting thing that helps prevent them from getting getting germy and stinky.

I know that it takes more resources and energy to make one quick-dry towel than it takes to make one paper towel, but I’m not so sure the same holds true vs. 2,400 paper towels - especially when you consider the paper towels are virgin paper. My guess is I can get at least a couple years use out of the microfiber towel. Weighing that against nearly 5,000 paper towels I might use over two years and it’s a no-brainer - microfiber towel wins!

So, I am going to start pushing a new mantra that’s similar to the bring your own shopping bag slogan that is starting to catch on. Bring your own hand towel. If you are wondering whether using a paper towel or a hot air hand dryer is the better choice, the best choice is neither - Bring your own hand towel!

I was at a sporting goods store with my wife’s parents over the weekend and I found a small micro-fiber hand towel that even comes in its own cute little nylon pouch. I bought one as a gift for my wife’s birthday in May and I asked her to get me one for mine, which is later this month.

I will reduce my carbon footprint even more with this little towel. And I’ll save some trees, too!

David