First Non-Veggie Meal in a Month

About 23 minutes ago was the end of the official four-week vegetarian stint. So, I'm about to have some Easter ham and sausage that I did not eat earlier today at a family dinner. I'm pretty excited. That being said, I do plan on adhering to my every-other-day vegetarianism indefinitely. See you all on the flipside.

Reflections on ENVS1100: Nature and Society

This blog exists because of ENVS1100: Nature and Society, a course I'm taking. And now this course is coming to an end (although the blog won't be). I have definitely enjoyed the class. It was challenging, but nearly all of the work done was incredibly intellectually stimulating, both on individual case studies and big-picture conceptual material. (My only real qualm was with Silent Spring. It is definitely important in the fact that it brought to light environmental degradation in a time when that was basically not considered at all, but the writing style is, in my opinion, quite boring.)

The course also allowed me to embrace vegetarianism, something I probably would not have had the will to do otherwise. And as my previous posts will reiterate, that experience has stuck with me and has allowed me to prove to myself that I can take on a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. I also thoroughly enjoyed discussing environmental, political, and societal issues with my fellow students in class. Moreover, it was great to be able to connect with them on the camping trip.

While I was already environmentally conscious before taking this course, it did show me that there are people working at environmental and sustainability problems. There are intelligent and motivated individuals and groups who care about humanity's impact on the world around us.

Photo: space.com

Sports Fix #1

Just wanted to let you all know, if you hadn't heard, that the Detroit Red Wings swept the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Go Wings!

Beyond Four Weeks

My vegetarian experiment is nearly over. Sunday at midnight, it will have been four weeks since stopping the consumption of meat. But I am certainly not going to jump back into the carnivorous diet I had before. I've seen that I do have the ability to make changes in my life that have a positive impact on the environment and humanity's sustainability. Right now, I'm thinking that I'll be an every-other-day vegetarian, thereby cutting my meat consumption to half of its normal levels. I can still enjoy meat (which I do truly love), but I won't do it excessively. Also, when I do eat meat, I plan on making it the "center-piece" of the meal less often. I'm going to be back in my hometown this summer, and I'm going to try to convince my parents to do the same thing.

And who knows, perhaps I'll ween my meat consumption even further in the future. I may one day become a week day vegetarian like Graham Hill (see previous post). Regardless, I feel that what I'm doing is certainly a step in the right direction.

And it is small steps like this that we all need to take to ensure environmental integrity and a civilization that will be able to continue into the future. If every person takes a small step, the combined effects are incredible. Even if Americans used automobiles 25% less, the environmental benefits would be tremendous. People tend to become apathetic, assuming that massive change is not possible. But humanity has unbelievable ability to force change through unified action.

This confidence in the ability to change must be coupled with, however, the abandonment of the 19th century industrialist mentality that consumption can, and should, continue infinitely. It is ridiculous to believe that there are infinite resources to provide for humanity, and, moreover, the collection of these resources has no repercussions in terms of surrounding environmental damage or disruption. We have witnessed the edges of the forests, counted the number of fish. We are in a finite, closed system and must work within its boundaries.

Vegetarianism is just one way where we can recognize that there must be responsibility in terms of consumption. I truly hope you consider your responsibility in creating a more sustainable society in whatever way you see fit.

TED talks vegetarianism

TED (originally standing for Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is a very cool organization that promotes the spread of "ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world." They do this by providing a platform for these ideas through presentations and conferences. And, the posting of these presentations online has allowed the dissemination of these ideas even faster. The TED series has developed a cult following of people interested in solving the world's problems and discussing humanity's progress.

And lo and behold, there is a lecture on vegetarianism found within the TED database, conducted by Graham Hill. Graham Hill is the founder of the TreeHugger.com, an environmental website, and is a promoter of sustainable lifestyles in general. There's also a short animated feature after the discussion for some reason. You can skip that.




Done watching? Good.

I know that Hill isn't the best public speaker in the world, but his views are very much in tune with a sustainable lifestyle. What surprised me particularly was his statement that livestock produce more greenhouse gases than all global transportation. I had to look this up to be sure, and Hill was right. The facts were confirmed by both the Christian Science Monitor and the Los Angeles Times.

It is irresponsible for our society to eat so much meat, especially when we, as Americans, are also releasing incredible amounts of greenhouse emissions from energy production. But I've said this over and over again in this blog. The word needs to spread about this now. People need to watch videos like this, and read articles on the subject so they can understand how to help the problem.

TED has it right. Information spreading is the name of the game.

Talking With a Fellow Vegetarian

I thought it would be interesting to talk to another vegetarian about the lifestyle. So I interviewed my friend and fellow vegetarian Elise Kokonas, a junior at Marquette University.

Elise became a vegetarian during her sophomore year of high school. There were several catalysts that led to this decision. First, she viewed a video of a cow being slaughtered during a presentation on animal rights and was extremely disturbed by it. Soon after that, Elise came across a piece of entirely clear piece turkey that, understandably, pushed her tastes further away from meat. I can not imagine how a piece of turkey would become clear, but it definitely would not look appetizing. She then did a little more research into the benefits of vegetarianism, and attended an event known as Veggie Fest. Here she learned about the positive environmental impact of the diet and decided to continue with it.

When asked if she actively advocates vegetarianism among friends and family, Elise said that she has, "had [her] moments." She has discussed the benefits of vegetarianism with those around her and will talk about it when it comes up in conversation, but she does not force her diet on anyone. She feels that, in general, people should eat less meat, but she doesn't believe that everyone has to be a vegetarian. I am in absolute agreement with her in this regard.

Elise still eats meat on occasion, particularly when the meal evokes memories of childhood or family. She'll gladly partake in a meat dish prepared by her father during the holidays, for example. She considered a completely vegan diet, but didn't think she would enjoy it. There are simply too many delicious foods with some kind of animal product. Furthermore, those who embrace veganism tend to develop unsocial behaviors because of that diet.

I feel that a stigma is still currently associated with vegetarianism. This is attitude is ridiculous. Vegetarianism is an ideal and well-documented way to help reduce humanity's impact on the environment. Elise is a picturesque example of vegetarianism and the very reasonable life adjustments that come with it. I'd like to thank her very much for allowing me to talk with her.

Music Fix #3

I know you know these guys, you know? The White Album is great late night music.