Like many who follow environmental and sustainable agriculture news, I woke this morning to tweets and retweets of a Michael Pollan quote: “A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius!”
I’m not vegan or vegetarian and suspect the statement glosses over vast differences in the way meat and vegetable proteins are grown (Wouldn’t local, grass-fed beef trump industrial soybean/tofu production?) But I know that Pollan is talking about how the mainstream food economy works, and in that sense it rings true.
This morning also brought a nagging sense of guilt. On this international day of climate change action, people around the world have been organizing creative displays of “350″ to bring attention to what the number means to humanity (upper limit of parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere that’s safe for humanity; we’re currently at 387). But I, a once lively activist, had no plans for participation.
I’m staying in a remote area of Oregon. I’m not sure where the nearest event would be but know I’d have to drive at least 100 miles and probably more to get to it. And although still supportive of activism in various forms, I’ve grown tired of crowds, banners, marches, etc.
One pile from the potato harvest. I suppose I could have arranged them to form a "350" but I was tired.
So I carried on with my tasks for the day: harvesting potatoes and preparing beds for planting garlic.
Yesterday’s rain had loosened the soil. The sun and strenuous work warmed me. I unearthed a colorful harvest and fried some fresh potatoes for lunch.
Through it all, I regained my confidence in what I’ve known all along (and what Michael Pollan emphasized later in the lecture that yielded the highly publicized quote above): growing food is one of the things more of us need to do to reverse climate change.
Tomorrow, the day of action will be over. But the food growing revolution goes on. I, for on, have a few more potato beds to harvest and at least fifteen pounds of garlic to plant.
I’m glad there are people out there marching and organizing in large groups, and I’m also glad for local, personal, ongoing action. The big crowds don’t work for me, either. Thanks for sharing about your potato harvest!
Growing some of my own food focuses my attention on weather, soil quality, nourishment, bugs, and a host of other issues that would have remained abstract if I were still getting all my food in boxes from the supermarket. It also connects me with the community as we trade seeds and extra tomatoes.
Sonia – I agree. We need people working at all levels. I’m thrilled that so many took part in the Day of Action, and I love the creative ideas that went beyond the usual protest rally (which also has its place as a tool for change). Thanks for bringing attention to how food growing focuses awareness and builds community.
I’m betting the vegan-to-carnivore comparison comes from the fact that livestock (especially cows and pigs) produce up to 20% of all greenhouse gasses responsible for climate change. As a vegan (who won’t even wear wool), I’d also add cows are responsible (by proxy) for the extinction of many species and the destruction of vast amounts of habitat–thereby endangering many other species. It’s the ugly side of eating meat…
But I’m with you: I get all my vegetables from local farms (I live in an apartment and can’t plant a garden, though I’d love to). I’m part of local CSAs where I get regular supplies of organic, locally grown produce (at one I get to go pick it myself–a great way to meet like-minded people and make new friends). Without shipping it and packing it and processing it, I think a world of difference is made–and the food is MUCH fresher.
BTW, if you’ve not seen it, a really cool resource for this is here: http://www.localharvest.org/ — a great tool for finding markets, CSAs, local farms that sell direct to consumers, and so on.
Jason- I’m a huge fan of Michael Pollan and admire how he makes his points.
I also have a lot of respect for anyone making ethical food choices and try to remain open to people drawing the line in different ways. I know some who only eat meat they raise ( on sustainably grown pastures) and slaughter themselves and others who only eat wild meat they hunt. I’ve met Jains who refuse to eat root vegetables because growing them is believed to harm more soil organisms than other vegetables. Personally, I don’t eat red meat (because I don’t like it) and have a lot of vegetarian days when I rely on soy (and I have many questions about how it’s raised and gets to my local health food store). I agree that the world (particularly North America) relies far too much on livestock for protein. I know all that contributes a lot to greenhouse gases and also changes ecosystems. But I’ve lived in places where people raise buffaloes and goats and slaughter one now and then (usually less than once a month) for a bit of animal protein in an otherwise vegetarian diet. I don’t begrudge them that. It’s hard to imagine everyone giving up meat, so it would be good to move in the direction of less meat, grown sustainably (while also respecting vegans and vegetarians).
CSA’s are great. It’s wonderful seeing them become more popular. It’s definitely the next best thing to growing it yourself and builds local communities around food. And yeah, Local Harvest is a great resource. They’re all part of the food revolution.
I’m afraid the “vegan in a Hummer” line was too good to be true.
I crunch the numbers here: http://blogs.reuters.com/adam-pasick/2009/10/26/crunching-the-numbers-on-a-vegan-in-a-hummer/
Adam Pasick
Reuters News
Thanks for leaving a comment and a link to a great article, Adam. Although the idea resonated with me emotionally and I love M. Pollan, I did suspect the facts. I just didn’t have the energy to research them. The argument for reversing climate change has to be based on sound science, and your piece makes that point very clear.