10% Meat

What’s a sure fire way to create angst between environmentalists and American consumers? Suggest that everyone give up their carnivorous appetite for bacon burgers, char-broiled steaks, thick-cut pork chops, and crisp fried chicken in the name of saving the environment. Facts are facts: Raising animals and the feed to feed them, the water to water and process them, and the pollution created along the chain has a much bigger environmental impact than eating a vegan diet.

Facts are facts: Meat is a celebratory food in the history of most cultures that subsisted on so little – celebrating with meat suggests a small victory over malnutrition. Transportable animals also shaped the European expansion in the United States territories and settling of the West. The mere suggestion that meat should be abolished is a slap in the face of culture, history, and farming. It’s no wonder so few people have gotten on board that wagon train.

So, how about a different approach? It is fact that a large portion of our population is overweight or obese. We don’t need to “celebrate” a victory over lack of food. We are at a point where we should be looking to celebrate weight loss and improved health. Why not lose weight by reducing meat consumption? Data from the 1999 census shows that, on average, people in the U.S. ate 126 pounds of meat and poultry that year – or 5.5 ounces per day. A 10% reduction would still allow you to eat 5.0 ounces of meat per day or 113 pounds per year. That’s still a lot of burgers, chops, steaks, and tenderloins. And, what is a half ounce less meat anyway? 1 to 2 bites? The loss is so little it hardly seems worth arguing over.

Yet, the value of that small gesture is big. Imagine if 300 million Americans each ate 10% less meat per year. Total meat consumption would decrease by nearly 4 BILLION pounds. And, each person could lose four pounds of holiday party weight. Green house gas emissions, water consumption, and waste would decrease.

Now, if every year for four years we continued to decrease meat consumption by 10%, we would finally be consuming the recommended daily serving size of meat - 3.5 ounces. Each overweight person could lose 16 pounds. And, we would significantly reduce the impact of animal farming on the environment – all without giving up meat.

10% less meat: It’s what should be for dinner.

No Membership Fees Required

Could it be that we have reached the tipping point – that we have touched bottom so recovery is inevitable? While you might think I am talking about the economy, I am referring to the epidemic of obesity and excess weight. According to an October report by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one-quarter of people worldwide carry around more weight than a healthy body should. More people now die from being overweight than being underweight: more deaths occur from being over nourished instead of undernourished. The February 2010 Reader’s Digest said it best, “…it’s our appetite for prosperity and all its spoils that’s more likely to kill us now.”


The good news, memberships at health clubs and gyms is growing in the U.S. – and predicted to double in the next 20 years http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/health-club-memberships-good-for-you-864104.html . Is the growth due to an increased understanding of the relationship between health and exercise? Is it the social aspect of exercising with others? Perhaps it’s the cool membership card. Whatever the reason, it appears we’ve had enough of the consequences of prosperity – at least as they relate to our weight.

What about the consequences of prosperity and the health of the environment? Could it be that we will begin to take a collective responsibility for the consequences of prosperity now that we are experiencing a collective wake-up call about an unhealthy environment? Solar panels will help provide clean energy, but reliance on them won’t stop our demand for more – more products, more wasted energy to run those products, more solid waste to create and dispose of those products.

Are we hitting the bottom of wasting too much money, too much energy, too many resources?

It appears so. Jackie Crosby’s article “A New Consumer” in the Sunday 1/24/10 Star Tribune Money & Business section talks about the “frugal mindset” of consumers not willing to live beyond their means. While the article doesn’t directly address personal goals for improving the environment, the environment will benefit from a frugal consumer – those growing masses tired of paying high utility bills, that are disgusted with sub-par construction standards in housing, and who cringe weekly at the gas pump.

The best part about a waste-less program - no membership fees are required.

Ten Percent in 2010 – The Beginning of the Slow Green Movement

Are you concerned about the effort it would take to make your family more energy efficient so you can actually reduce your energy bills? Are you afraid that asking for change will create resistance? Do you want success? Then do what successful dieters do - take it slow, set reasonable goals, and establish exciting rewards.


A dieter that reduces their calories by 10% a day for a year will lose 20 pounds at the end of the year. This slow weight loss usually results in the weight being kept off because the steps to achieve the goal are reasonable. How do you eliminate 200 calories? Drink 12-16 oz. less regular beer. Or, eat ¼ cup less M&M candies. Or, eat 2-3 less cookies. Or, eat 1 ounce less of potato chips (what you usually get at a fast food restaurant). In other words, do a little. Save a lot.

If you reduce your electrical usage by just 10% this year, and 10% again every year for the next six years, you will find that you have reduced your annual electrical use by 50%. A 50% reduction could mean that solar is an affordable option. It could mean that the accumulated savings result in a family vacation.

The average household in the U.S. uses about 900 kWh of electrical energy per month at an average cost of $1,034 per year. A 10% reduction means reducing your electrical needs by 90 kWh per month and saving nearly $ 86.00 for the year. How do you do that? Here’s one example:

Plug home electronics products - computers, printers, and entertainment equipment(TV, VCR, DVD) into power strips and turn them off when not in use – don’t leave them in stand-by mode    http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductCategory&pcw_code=HEF. This action alone may save $100/year, which is more than 10%, and took little effort.

Just imagine if everyone joined the Slow Green Movement. In six years, homes would be using 50% less electricity, and residential buildings would be having a huge impact on energy security – without the need for drastic, unsustainable change. Take it slow and steady. But, do it.