RSS FEED:
Copy and Paste this feed: RSS FEED into your Aggregator Software
to download New podcasts Automatically.
Vegan - Vegetarian Solutions . . .
. . . for a Sustainable Environment (VSSE)
There are many reasons why the
Vegan - Vegetarian lifestyle is the best choice. There are many podcasts
that focus on the Animal Cruelty/Animal Rights reasons while others
add the health and environmental reasons. The "Vegan - Vegetarian
Solutions for a Sustainable Environment" podcast will focus on the
Environmental Reasons.
The best way to listen to the audio is to subscribe to the free podcast
by downloading a free copy of the iTunes program HERE. You would then proceed to insert the VSSE RSS feed
(http://h2opodcast.com/rss/vsse.xml) into iTunes to complete the free
subscription process. If you don't feel like doing that just click on
the individual links below and listen directly from the internet or
right click, save to your computer and upload to your mp3 player.
Mike Hudak, director of Public Lands Without Livestock (mikehudak.com/PLWL), draws upon passages from his
book Western Turf Wars: The Politics of Public Lands Ranching (westernturfwars.com) that demonstrate how ranchers
who seek more favorable management of their public lands grazing
allotments use violence and social pressure to intimidate
conservationists and government land managers. Contact Info: mike_hudak@yahoo.com
Ken Midkiff discusses the most obvious violation that CAFO's cause to
the Environment: Bad Air Quality - Stink. Much information can be found
by visiting Ken's website: http://www.kmidkiff.com or you can email Ken at kmidkiff@mchsi.com
I wish to thank Pamela
Rice for so graciously giving the "Vegan - Vegetarian Solutions for
a Sustainable Environment" (VSSE) podcast permission to read from her
book, "101 Reasons Why I'm A Vegetarian." Please visit her
webpage to find information about her work and how you can support it by
buying her very important and well written book: http://VivaVegie.org
The following are the foot notes from her book:
1. Michael Pollan, "Power Steer," The New York Times Magazine. Mar. 31, 2002
2. Neill Smith, "Taking an integrated view of the biosphere: Grain Production," Whole Systems Foundation, May 6, 2004.
3. Dale Allen Pfeiffer, Eating Fossil Fuels, Sherman Oaks, CA, Wilderness Publications, 2003.
4. M. Harris, Cultural Anthropology, 2nd ed. Harper and Row, 1987.
5. Walter Youngquist, "The post-petroleum paradigm," Population and Environment, Mar. 4, 1999.
6. David Pimentel, et al., "Impact of population growth on food supplies and environment," paper presented at the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, Baltimore, Feb. 9, 1996.
7. Pfeiffer, Eating Fossil Fuels.
8. The Rendering Industry: Economic Impact of Future Feeding Regulations, Sparks Companies, McLean, VA, June 2001, p. 11.
9. "United States leads world meat stampede," news release, Worldwatch Institute, July 2, 1998.
10. "U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat, Cornell ecologist advises animal scientists," Science Daily, Aug. 12, 1997.
11. Richard Manning, "The oil we eat," Harper's Magazine, Feb. 2004.
12. Laurent Belsie, "How to feed the world," The Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 20, 2003.
13. Geoff McMaster, "How do we feed the world without destroying the environment," Express News, U. of Alberta, Oct. 14. 2003.
14. Manning, "The oil we eat."
15. Colin J. Campbell and Jean H. Laherrere, "The end of cheap oil," Scientific American, Mar. 1998.
16. David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel, "The constraints governing ideal U.S. population size," Dept. of Entomology and Div. of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell U., Jan. 1995.
17. Lester R. Brown, "Food security deteriorating in the nineties: Grain prices more volatile," Worldwatch Institute, Mar. 6, 1997.
18. "World meat demand to rise, animal disease fears, FAO," Reuters, Aug. 28. 2002.
Many thanks to Dawn D'Arcangelo one of the founding members of the Albany Vegetarian
Network Inc. for her great reading of the presentation
Tricia Orr, a member of the New
Hampshire Animal Rights League, reads from Kathy Freston's blog,
KathyFreston.com, the February 2, 2007 entry "A Few More 'Inconvenient Truths' " for the Vegan-Vegetarian Solutions for a Sustainable Environment
podcast.
Howard Lyman and Jerry Cook have a conversation about the effects on the
environment associated with our current day animal production. (factory
farming). They also chatted about swine flu, the subsidies associated
with the fast food hamburgers, transportation associated with feed lots
and our foods, effects of deforestation and a bit about Mad Cow Disease.
More info at http://www.madcowboy.com/
Here are some links to other Interviews of Howard Lyman on the Animal Voices Podcast:
Why Industrial Chicken Production is Wrong
Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns
Abstract
We hear a lot about the destructive effects of large-scale cattle
grazing on the environment, much less about the destructive effects of
industrial chicken and egg production. In fact, the chicken industry is
a major source of environmental degradation in the United States and
elsewhere. Industrial chicken production kills fish and other wildlife.
It dumps arsenic into the soil and water and makes chickens and humans
sick with bacterial and viral diseases including Salmonella,
Campylobacter, and Avian Influenza
(www.upc-online.org/poultry_diseases/birdflu.pdf).
In nature, chickens range in small flocks over broad, verdant areas
contributing to the health and beauty of the land. In chicken factory
farming, thousands of birds are crammed together in polluted buildings
filled with disease organisms and toxic gases. The nitrogen in chicken
droppings, which nourishes the land in small amounts, transforms into
poisonous ammonia gases in industrial chicken houses. Chicken house
pollution spreads into the surrounding environment. Poultry researcher
Donald Bell notes for instance that each agribusiness complex holding a
million caged hens produces "125 tons of wet manure a day." Where does
it go?
On the Eastern seaboard of the United States, the destruction of the
Chesapeake Bay by the chicken industry has been watched for decades, but
regional politics has given the industry a free hand. More attention is
now being paid as the Chesapeake Bay continues to deteriorate into Dead
Zones where nothing can live. The PBS television program Frontline aired
a depressing documentary, "Poisoned Waters," on April 21, 2009, showing
what the chicken industry's license to pollute has led to. The chicken
industry blames the growing human population in rural areas, claiming
that "What the Bay needs is better sewage treatment, not fewer chicken
farms." 5,600+ chicken houses comprising 6.5 million chickens - 30,000
birds per house - surround the Chesapeake Bay producing 750,000 tons of
manure each year. Where does it go?
Karen Davis's talk provides an in-depth look at the environmental and
related human health and animal welfare issues arising out of industrial
chicken and egg production and recommends what people can do to help
chickens and the planet.
Correction: In my interview I mistakenly referred to the Influenza
pandemic that took place during World War One as having occurred during
World War Two. The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918, also known as the
"Spanish Flu," swept across the globe during World War One killing 30 to
100 million people. "The 1918 pandemic littered the Earth with millions
of corpses. . . . Evidence now suggests that all pandemic influenza
viruses - in fact all human and mammalian flu viruses in general - owe
their origins to avian influenza" (Michael Greger, MD, Bird Flu, pp.
11,13).
-----------------------------
Karen Davis is the founder and president of United Poultry Concerns, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to the compassionate and respectful
treatment of domestic fowl. She is the author, most recently, of the
Newly Revised Edition of her 1996 groundbreaking book Prisoned Chickens,
Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry (Book
Publishing Company, 2009).
Rae Sikora is co-founder and director of Plant
Peace Daily (www.plantpeacedaily.org), which supports individuals and groups in
creating peaceful community that respects all Life. Rae is also
co-founder and co-director of Vegfund (www.vegfund.org). Vegfund provides funding for
individuals and groups serving free vegan food to non-veg audiences.
She co-created the Institute for Humane Education
(the nations first humane education certification and
Masters programs) Her innovative critical thinking
programs have redefined personal power and the
ability of one person to make a difference in the world.
She has been leading programs internationally for 25
years on compassionate living and all forms of
non-violence, including: ethical consumerism,
advertising / media influences, communication, conflict
resolution, animal rights / awareness, and
environmental awareness / responsibility.
We are delighted to present a recording of a lecture by joint Nobel
Peace Prize Winner and Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri. Dr Pachauri has made news
recently by advocating eating less meat as a personal contribution to
combating the problem of global warming and climate change. This advice
has its basis in a recent report by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation entitled "Livestock's Long Shadow" which showed
that beef and dairy farming was responsible for a massive 18% of global
greenhouse gas emissions - more than the entire global transport sector.
The lecture is entitled "Global Warning - The impact of meat production
and consumption on climate change."
Richard H. Schwartz, president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America,
author of "Judaism and Vegetarianism," and associate producer of "A
Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World" gives a
great presentation "Ten Strategies Toward a Vegetarian Conscious World."
Further information about Dr. Schwartz and his writings can be found at
http://www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/ and "A Sacred Duty" can be
seen in its entirety at ASacredDuty.com.
Many thanks to the Earth & Sky Podcast for permission to link to these
radio program episodes. Please visit the podcast the podcast page here:
http://www.earthsky.org and subscribe with this
RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/earthsky
Presentation given by Dan Brook at the World Vegetarian Festival Weekend
in San Francisco California on October 4, 2008. Sponsored by the San
Francisco Vegetarian Society (sfvs.org) and In Defense of Animals (idausa.org). More information can be found at http://www.brook.com/veg/
Mike Hudak, director of Public Lands Without Livestock
(mikehudak.com/PLWL), draws upon passages from his book Western Turf
Wars: The Politics of Public Lands Ranching (westernturfwars.com) to
illustrate how public lands ranchers use the political system to
achieve land management that benefits their profits in the short
term, but that degrades America's natural resources in the long term. Contact Info: mike_hudak@yahoo.com
David Pimentel and his colleagues at Cornell University in New York set
out a number of strategies which could potentially cut fossil energy
fuel use in the food system by as much as 50 percent.
The first, and very astute suggestion they put forward is that
individuals eat less, especially considering that the average American
consumes an estimated 3,747 calories a day, a staggering 1200-1500
calories over recommendations. Traditional American diets are high in
animal products, and junk and processed foods in particular, which by
their nature use more energy than that used to produce staple foods such
as potatoes, rice, fruits and vegetables. By just reducing junk food
intake and converting to diets lower in meat, the average American could
have a massive impact on fuel consumption as well as improving his or
her health.
Tricia Orr, a member of the New
Hampshire Animal Rights League, reads from Kathy Freston's blog,
KathyFreston.com,
the January 18, 2007 entry "Vegetarian is the New Prius" for the
Vegan-Vegetarian Solutions for a Sustainable Environment podcast.
Mike Hudak, director of Public Lands Without Livestock (mikehudak.com/PLWL), an organization that informs
the public about environmental harms and economic costs entailed by
ranching on America's public lands, presents an overview of ranching
impacts on wildlife and explains the banking connection behind ranchers'
clout with federal management agencies. Hudak, author of Western Turf
Wars: The Politics of Public Lands Ranching (westernturfwars.com) cites passages from his book
that illuminate the topic. Contact Info: mike_hudak@yahoo.com
Discover the true cost of producing the food on your plate. The greatest
water savings you could make, the greatest gift you could offer to
preserve our precious land and soil, the most powerful protection you
could offer to our home planet at this time of crisis - it's right there
on your plate. Be Veg, Go Green, Save Our Planet."
Lee Hall, legal director for Friends of Animals (www.friendsofanimals.org), an animal-rights organization founded in
1957, gives a succinct and inspiring overview of the importance of vegan
living -- for our health and that of the planet -- and then explains why
"animal rights will have unprecedented power to confront the
environmental crises of our time." Hall is one of the creators of
VeganMeans.com, and author of the forthcoming book On Their Own Terms:
Bringing Animal Rights Philosophy Down to Earth.
I am very grateful to Ken Midkiff for permission to use his audio
podcasts related to CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations).
Much information can be found by visiting Ken's website: http://www.kmidkiff.com or you can email Ken at kmidkiff@mchsi.com
Dr. Tuttle discusses the main ideas in his recent book, The World Peace
Diet, which has been called one of the most important books of the 21st
century. It provides the foundation of a new society based on the truth
of the interconnectedness of all life. Dr. Tuttle makes explicit the
invisible connections between our culture, our food, and the source of
our broad range of problems - and the way to a positive transformation in
our individual and collective lives. Anyone wishing to understand the
big picture of our culture and why we have the unyielding dilemmas we
face, and how we can solve them, will be fascinated by these
provocative, challenging, and ultimately inspiring ideas.
In this overview, Dr. Tuttle discusses the power of food, the underlying
crisis in our culture, and veganism as as path to peace and
environmental sustainability.
I wish to thank Pamela
Rice for so graciously giving the "Vegan - Vegetarian Solutions
for a Sustainable Environment" (VSSE) podcast permission to read
from her book, "101 Reasons Why I'm A Vegetarian." Please visit
her webpage to find information about her work and how you can support
it by buying her very important and well written book: http://VivaVegie.org
Here is the list of References for "World Water III":
1) Quoted in Ginger Otis, "A world without water." The Village Voice, Aug. 21-27, 2002, p. 62.
2) Otis, "A world without water." p. 63.
3) Danielle Nierenberg, "Factory farming in the developing world," Worldwatch, May-June 2003, p.13
4)"Institute warns of possible water shortage," AP, Apr. 20, 2004.
5) "The browning of America," Newsweek, Feb. 22, 1981, p 26.
6) "Institute warns of possible water shortage."
7) Jim Motavalli, "The case against meat." E: The Environmetal Magazine, Jan.-Feb. 2002, p. 29.
8) Mark W. Rosengrant, et. al., "Global water outlook to 2025," IFPRI, 2001, p. 8.
9) Fen Montaigne, "Water pressure," Natinal Geographic, Sept. 2002, p. 9.
10) "Growing water scarcity threatens global food and environmental security," news release, International Water Management Institute, Aug. 13, 2001
11) Sandra Postel, "Troubled Waters," The Sciences, Mar.-Apr. 2000, p. 19.
12) "Global water supply central issue at Stockhom conference," Reuters, Aug. 14, 2000.
13) "World meat demand to rise, animal disease fears-FAO" Reuters, Aug. 28, 2002.
14) Jim Suber, "Zinc man and iron woman save beef from vegetarian insults," The Newton Kansan, Mar. 6, 2003.
15) Alex Kirby, "Hungry world 'must eat less meat'," BBC News, Aug. 16, 2004.
16) "Shortage of fresh water predicted," AP, Aug. 27, 1998.
17) Mark Johnson, "Study urges water conservation on farms," AP, Jan. 10, 2005.
18) Michael Dorgan, "China: Running dry," Knight-Ridder/Tribune, July 11, 2000.
19) Cote D'Ivoire, "Expert warns of African water shortage crisis," Reuters, Feb. 9, 2000.
20) "Water shortages may make Africa more aid dependent," Reuters, Nov. 3, 2003.
21) Andrew Cawthorne, "Asian Farmers are sucking the continent dry, says report," Reuters, Aug. 26, 2004.
22) Otis, "A world without water," p. 62.
23) Fred Pearce, "Thirsty meals that suck the world dry," New Scientist, Feb. 1, 1997.
People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a
personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change,
the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the
Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their
meat consumption even further.
His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel
on how individuals can help tackle global warming.
Pachauri, who was re-elected the panel's chairman for a second six-year
term last week, said diet change was important because of the huge
greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including
habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals.
It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing
means of transport, he said.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat
production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas
emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds,
for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is
23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide.
The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the
middle of the century.
'In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about
reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive
opportunity,' said Pachauri. 'Give up meat for one day [a week]
initially, and decrease it from there,' said the Indian economist, who
is a vegetarian.
However, he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to
combat climate change. 'That's what I want to emphasize: we really have
to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.'
. . .the rest of the article can be read by visiting the online version of The Observer.
Richard H. Schwartz, president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America,
author of "Judaism and Vegetarianism," and associate producer of "A
Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World" is
interviewed about global warming and other environmental threats to all
of humanity, how a shift toward vegetarianism can help reduce the
threats, and other ways of responding to current global problems.
Further information about Dr. Schwartz and his writings can be found at
JewishVeg.com/Schwartz and "A Sacred Duty" can be seen in its entirety
at ASacredDuty.com.
A fourth-generation cattle rancher, Howard Lyman is now a prominent
advocate of plant-based diets and sustainable agriculture. Lyman burst
into the national spotlight in 1996 after an appearance on the Oprah
Winfrey show. On that show he discussed the way meat is produced and the
dangers of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow
disease. Lyman's revelations prompted Oprah to say on air, "I will never
eat a hamburger again." Beef sales dropped noticeably after the show,
and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association sued both of them for
libel. On February 29th, 1998, an Amarillo, Texas, jury found them not
guilty.