Lately I have been looking a lot at how we use the world’s resources. As a green builder it interests me how we do this because it directly relates to what resources I will use in our green building in Brooklyn.
Another reason I like looking at resource allotment is that it is more factual and not so much about opinions. A million gallons of water is a million gallons of water pure and simple. This is a good way to get my priorities in line with facts and not personal opinions. As a Brooklyn green builder I can’t ignore the facts relating to energy and water regardless of my personal habits.
One of the most startling facts are the resources relating to our food and how it directly effects green building.
I call myself a vegan who eats meat. I enjoy meat but always in the back of my mind I am aware that I am eating meat. No judgment, just an awareness that there are other ways to eat.
The more you look at the facts, though, the more clear it is that eating meat is a very stupid allotment of resources. It is a decadence that may cause us more harm than any good derived from eating meat.
Of course there is the argument that meat is enjoyable and that we should enjoy our food. Then there is the very feeble argument that you need meet as part of a healthy diet. But either way, the facts show that eating meat is a devastating way to use our resources.
Here are some facts taken from Michael Blue Jay:
As a green builder who to conserves habitats through water conservation, smart use of land, and reduction in fossil fuels how can I look at these facts and justify eating meat?
How can I spend all day building green brownstones in Brooklyn and go home at night to a meal with meat? The contrast is too large to just ignore. It is like going to the gym and then smoking a cigarette but on a planetary scale.
If my goal is truly to conserve the environment it seems to me that the most effective way to do that is to stop eating meat.