Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer is an extraordinary book!!! It is not one-sided. He looks at ethical farms and good farmers. If there were more ethical and family farms, I would be more likely to eat meat. However, factory farming has taken over. It's all about the money and how to produce as much meat as possible with as little money as possible. Animals are not treated as living things but as mere objects. Here are some notes I took while reading:
1. The lights are turned on 20 hours a day so that the egg-laying hens think it is Spring.
2. Peta would rather euthanize a dog than have it living its life in a kennel.
3. "When we walk around thinking we have a greater right to eat an animal than the animal has a right to live without suffering, it's corrupting."
4. Every turkey sold in every store and served in every restaurant was the product of artificial insemination.
5. KFC chickens are almost always killed in 39 days. That's how rapidly they're grown.
6. How much suffering will you tolerate for your food?
7. On average, Americans eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime.
8. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and have higher levels of dietary fiber, magnesium and potassium, vitamins c and e, folate, carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytochemicals.
9. Excess animal protein is linked with osteoporosis, kidney disease, calcium stones in the urinary tract and cancers.
10. Vegans have lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, lower risk of hypertension, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, lower BMI and lower cancer rates.
11. The highest rates of osteoporosis are seen in countries where people consume the most dairy foods.
12. In the National school lunch program more than half a billion of our tax dollars are given to the dairy, beef, egg and poultry industries to provide animals products to children.
13. Nearly 1/3 of the land surface of the planet is dedicated to livestock.
14. Animal shit seeps into rivers, lakes and oceans killing wildlife, polluting air, water and land in ways devastating to human health.
15. Farmed animals in the US produce 130 times as much waste as the human population.
16. Less the 1 percent of the animals killed for meat in America come from family farms.
17. What kind of crime is animal agriculture, which uses 756 million tons of grain and corn per year, much more than enough to adequately feed the 1.4 billion humans who are living in dire poverty?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Vegan for ethical reasons
The way we are killing animals is absolutely discusting!!! Many people don't want to know how animals are killed. Once you know the process, you will be less likely to eat that burger again!
Birds:
1. Chickens are crammed into densely populated sheds where waste accumulates. The resulting ammonia levels commonly cause painful burns to the birds' skin, eyes, and respiratory tracts.
2. To cut losses from birds pecking at each other, farmers remove a third to a half of the beak from chickens, turkeys and ducks. This causes severe pain and in some cases they are unable to eat and starve.
3. Rapid growth rate has been accompanied by painful skeletal deformites and ascites.
4. Egg-laying hens are packed in cages and can become immobilized and die of dehydration or asphyxiation.
Pigs:
1. The pigs get depressed and won't care if their tail is biten off. To solve this problem, the tail is snipped off. It is now more sensitive and the pigs will now care if another pig is nipping at it.
2. The ends of their teeth are snipped off with pliers.
3. Males are castrated.
4. Because of improper stunning methods, many pigs are still conscious when they are dumped into scalding-hot water.
Dairy Cows:
1. Dairy cows are killed once thier milk production declines.
2. Dairy cows are usually unable to nurse their young. Most calves raise for veal are males from the dairy industry.
3. She is kept constantly pregnant.
4. In the wild a cow would live 20-25 years but on a dairy farm they are lucky to live 4 years.
Veal Calves:
1. The calf spends most of it's time in complete darkness in a small crate, in which he cannot even turn around. Darkness keeps calves quiet and reduced the restlessness and boredom of standing in a bare wooden crate.
2. The calves are deliberately kept anemic so that their flesh is will be pale and tender.
Cattle:
1. Castration of young males is a common procedure. Branding is also a common practice.
2. Dehorning is another painful procedure. Horns just take up room in the feedlot and allow for the dangerous possibility of the cattle attacking each other.
Free-Range Farms:
1. Poultry meat may be labeled free-range if the birds were provided an opportunity to access the outdoors. This could mean 20,000 birds crowded inside a shed with a single exit leading to a muddy strip, saturated with droppings.
2. The cage-free label for eggs is not regulated by the USDA, nor does it guarantee that the hens were provided access to the outdoors.
Many people ask me why vegan and not vegetarian. In my opinion it would be better to eat meat than eggs and dairy because dairy cows and egg-laying hens are treated the worst. They have to live longer....no freedom, little movement, darkness. If you drink milk you are supporting the veal industry. Milk is meant for the young. Do we drink our mother's milk when we are 40?
*Information from Vegan Outreach, Vegetarian Society of Colorado, PETA
Birds:
1. Chickens are crammed into densely populated sheds where waste accumulates. The resulting ammonia levels commonly cause painful burns to the birds' skin, eyes, and respiratory tracts.
2. To cut losses from birds pecking at each other, farmers remove a third to a half of the beak from chickens, turkeys and ducks. This causes severe pain and in some cases they are unable to eat and starve.
3. Rapid growth rate has been accompanied by painful skeletal deformites and ascites.
4. Egg-laying hens are packed in cages and can become immobilized and die of dehydration or asphyxiation.
Pigs:
1. The pigs get depressed and won't care if their tail is biten off. To solve this problem, the tail is snipped off. It is now more sensitive and the pigs will now care if another pig is nipping at it.
2. The ends of their teeth are snipped off with pliers.
3. Males are castrated.
4. Because of improper stunning methods, many pigs are still conscious when they are dumped into scalding-hot water.
Dairy Cows:
1. Dairy cows are killed once thier milk production declines.
2. Dairy cows are usually unable to nurse their young. Most calves raise for veal are males from the dairy industry.
3. She is kept constantly pregnant.
4. In the wild a cow would live 20-25 years but on a dairy farm they are lucky to live 4 years.
Veal Calves:
1. The calf spends most of it's time in complete darkness in a small crate, in which he cannot even turn around. Darkness keeps calves quiet and reduced the restlessness and boredom of standing in a bare wooden crate.
2. The calves are deliberately kept anemic so that their flesh is will be pale and tender.
Cattle:
1. Castration of young males is a common procedure. Branding is also a common practice.
2. Dehorning is another painful procedure. Horns just take up room in the feedlot and allow for the dangerous possibility of the cattle attacking each other.
Free-Range Farms:
1. Poultry meat may be labeled free-range if the birds were provided an opportunity to access the outdoors. This could mean 20,000 birds crowded inside a shed with a single exit leading to a muddy strip, saturated with droppings.
2. The cage-free label for eggs is not regulated by the USDA, nor does it guarantee that the hens were provided access to the outdoors.
Many people ask me why vegan and not vegetarian. In my opinion it would be better to eat meat than eggs and dairy because dairy cows and egg-laying hens are treated the worst. They have to live longer....no freedom, little movement, darkness. If you drink milk you are supporting the veal industry. Milk is meant for the young. Do we drink our mother's milk when we are 40?
*Information from Vegan Outreach, Vegetarian Society of Colorado, PETA
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Dog zones and why I will never own a dog/pet
First off, I just want to say that I am not a dog hater. I love dogs. I grew up with dogs my whole life. They are a great companion and it has been proven that petting dogs can relieve stress. However, there are a lot of people who don't like it when dogs are constantly barking or when you have to smell dog poop because someone didn't clean up after their dog. I live in an apartment and we are not allowed to have dogs. The housing behind us allows pets because they are townhomes. The other night, we were trying to go to sleep and 2 dogs were constantly barking from 10-11p.m. Kyle went to the townhome and knocked on the door but noone answered. We figured the people had gone out and left the dogs out. Kyle decided to call the police and report a nosie complaint. The only thing they can do is leave a note. This ordeal really upset us.
For this reason, I think there should be dog zones. There should be parts of town designated to be dog free zones where people cannot own pets. They would enjoy peace.
I will never own a pet because I believe it is unfair to them. When we go to work, we leave our pets behind. Is that in their best interest? They probably would like it if they were not locked up and could be free to run. If you only have one dog they would probably get very lonely as well. Also, there are animals that get abused and abandoned. If there wasn't such a demand for pets their wouldn't be breeders and therefore less animals. Breeders are out to make a profit and probably don't care for animals. Animal mills do not have a good reputation. Mother animals are forced to start breeding at a very young age and being impregnated as soon as they give birth. The animals are also forced to live in very poor conditions.
Owning a pet is expensive and is a time commitment. Buying food, toys, brush, leash, etc. adds up. There is a time commitment of walking the dog and giving it the attention it deserves. Also, you have to clean up the poop which is not very fun.
There is also the debate of feeding animals a vegan diet since I am vegan. I wouldn't want to force an animal to eat a vegan diet just because I am vegan especially since cats and dogs are naturally carnivorous. So, due to my morals I would have to feed my dog meat. However, I am opposed to the slaughtering methods in order to obtain their food.
Please have your pet spayed or neutered.
For this reason, I think there should be dog zones. There should be parts of town designated to be dog free zones where people cannot own pets. They would enjoy peace.
I will never own a pet because I believe it is unfair to them. When we go to work, we leave our pets behind. Is that in their best interest? They probably would like it if they were not locked up and could be free to run. If you only have one dog they would probably get very lonely as well. Also, there are animals that get abused and abandoned. If there wasn't such a demand for pets their wouldn't be breeders and therefore less animals. Breeders are out to make a profit and probably don't care for animals. Animal mills do not have a good reputation. Mother animals are forced to start breeding at a very young age and being impregnated as soon as they give birth. The animals are also forced to live in very poor conditions.
Owning a pet is expensive and is a time commitment. Buying food, toys, brush, leash, etc. adds up. There is a time commitment of walking the dog and giving it the attention it deserves. Also, you have to clean up the poop which is not very fun.
There is also the debate of feeding animals a vegan diet since I am vegan. I wouldn't want to force an animal to eat a vegan diet just because I am vegan especially since cats and dogs are naturally carnivorous. So, due to my morals I would have to feed my dog meat. However, I am opposed to the slaughtering methods in order to obtain their food.
Please have your pet spayed or neutered.
Acceptance
So, I am learning how to accept other people. I am doing this because I want people to accept me especially since I am different. I am vegan, I am an atheist, I don't want children or pets, I am not consumed by the consumerist world and I don't want to live in one place for a long time. I have always felt that I am a very judgmental person and I feel that people are judging me all the time. I am not myself around other people. I don't want to criticize people for how they live their live. I want to understand how people live and what they believe.
I will do this by realizing people are who they are and there is no changing them. As much as I would love to persuade people to become vegan or atheist, it is hard to change people's minds. I would be more than willing to answer questions but I don't want to be pushy. I don't want to be that person standing outside of the library trying to get people to donate money to planned parenthood. I feel like they just come at you. Often times it is on a weekend when the last thing you want to do is talk to people. It's not like I do not approve of Planned Parenthood. I am in support of them and I think it is great what they are doing. But, to force people to talk to you is not right. I feel bad ignoring them but that's what you have to do if you don't want to talk to them. Same thing with telemarketers. They suck you in. I know, because I was a telemarketer.
How do you not get irritated when people do what you wouldn't do? Accept people as they are. They were raised differently than you. Maybe you can learn something from them. Just because I decided to be vegan, atheist and not have children doesn't mean that everyone in the world needs to be like me. The world would be boring. So embrace people's differences. I know it is easier said than done...
I will do this by realizing people are who they are and there is no changing them. As much as I would love to persuade people to become vegan or atheist, it is hard to change people's minds. I would be more than willing to answer questions but I don't want to be pushy. I don't want to be that person standing outside of the library trying to get people to donate money to planned parenthood. I feel like they just come at you. Often times it is on a weekend when the last thing you want to do is talk to people. It's not like I do not approve of Planned Parenthood. I am in support of them and I think it is great what they are doing. But, to force people to talk to you is not right. I feel bad ignoring them but that's what you have to do if you don't want to talk to them. Same thing with telemarketers. They suck you in. I know, because I was a telemarketer.
How do you not get irritated when people do what you wouldn't do? Accept people as they are. They were raised differently than you. Maybe you can learn something from them. Just because I decided to be vegan, atheist and not have children doesn't mean that everyone in the world needs to be like me. The world would be boring. So embrace people's differences. I know it is easier said than done...
Going green
1. Use reusable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. Use reusable napkins.
2. Change lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lights.
3. Use rechargeable batteries.
4. Shade windows in the summer.
5. Use less toilet paper.
6. Only fllush the toilet after pooping.
7. Pay bills online.
8. Drive through a parking spot. (uses less gas)
9. Ride your bike or walk whenever possible.
10. Fill the dishwasher as full as possible.
11. Turn thermostat down.
12. Unplug things when not in use.
13. Take shorter showers.
14. Buy in bulk.
15. Recycle!
16. Bring your own bags to the grocery store.
17. Don't buy bottled water.
18. Bring your own coffee cup to coffee places.
19. Use oil lamps instead of lights.
2. Change lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lights.
3. Use rechargeable batteries.
4. Shade windows in the summer.
5. Use less toilet paper.
6. Only fllush the toilet after pooping.
7. Pay bills online.
8. Drive through a parking spot. (uses less gas)
9. Ride your bike or walk whenever possible.
10. Fill the dishwasher as full as possible.
11. Turn thermostat down.
12. Unplug things when not in use.
13. Take shorter showers.
14. Buy in bulk.
15. Recycle!
16. Bring your own bags to the grocery store.
17. Don't buy bottled water.
18. Bring your own coffee cup to coffee places.
19. Use oil lamps instead of lights.
Vegan for environmental reasons
1. Nearly 1/3 of the land surface of the planet is dedicated to livestock.
2. Animal waste seeps into rivers, lakes, and oceans killing wildlife and polluting air, water, and land in ways devastating to human health.
3. Farmed animals in the US produce 130 times as much waste as the human population.
4. Livestock is responsible for 18% of greenhouse emissions measured in CO2 equivalent.
5. Livestock are responsible for almost two-thirds of anthropogenic ammonia emissions which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of eco systems.
6. Livestock accounts for over 8% of global human water use.
7. Expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation.
Facts from "Eating Animals" and "Vegan Outreach"
2. Animal waste seeps into rivers, lakes, and oceans killing wildlife and polluting air, water, and land in ways devastating to human health.
3. Farmed animals in the US produce 130 times as much waste as the human population.
4. Livestock is responsible for 18% of greenhouse emissions measured in CO2 equivalent.
5. Livestock are responsible for almost two-thirds of anthropogenic ammonia emissions which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of eco systems.
6. Livestock accounts for over 8% of global human water use.
7. Expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation.
Facts from "Eating Animals" and "Vegan Outreach"
Humans are not like carnivores
1. Humans have small mouths suitable for softer plant foods while carnivores have wide mouths suitable for swallowing large chunks of meat.
2. Humans eat more slowly than carniovores.
3. Human teeth are similar to those found in other herbivores. Our canines are flat and small. Our incisors are flat and spadelike, useful for peeling and biting relatively soft materials.
4. Our nails are not claws.
5. We find rotting or raw flesh gross. (Isn't it interesting that we have to cook and season the meat to make it taste better? No other animal does this.)
6. We perspire through skin pores while carnivores perspire through their tongue.
7. We have an intestinal tract 10-12 times our body length while carnivores have an intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that they can rapidly pass decaying meat.
8. Humans have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore.
9. Humans have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains while carnivores don't.
This gives evidence as to why humans are not supposed to eat meat. We are conditioned to eat meat. It is what we have known since our parents fed us meat. We can easily live without eating meat. It is even healthier!!!
Where I got the information:
The Face on Your Plate by Jefferey Moussaieff Masson
"How humans are not physically created to eat meat"
2. Humans eat more slowly than carniovores.
3. Human teeth are similar to those found in other herbivores. Our canines are flat and small. Our incisors are flat and spadelike, useful for peeling and biting relatively soft materials.
4. Our nails are not claws.
5. We find rotting or raw flesh gross. (Isn't it interesting that we have to cook and season the meat to make it taste better? No other animal does this.)
6. We perspire through skin pores while carnivores perspire through their tongue.
7. We have an intestinal tract 10-12 times our body length while carnivores have an intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that they can rapidly pass decaying meat.
8. Humans have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore.
9. Humans have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains while carnivores don't.
This gives evidence as to why humans are not supposed to eat meat. We are conditioned to eat meat. It is what we have known since our parents fed us meat. We can easily live without eating meat. It is even healthier!!!
Where I got the information:
The Face on Your Plate by Jefferey Moussaieff Masson
"How humans are not physically created to eat meat"
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