Personal Action Step 4:
Eat less animal meat and dairy products as often as you can and get your protein in other ways. The global agri-business (the cattle, pig, chicken, and fish industries), is probably THE single leading cause of climate change and global warming when its total climate polluting greenhouse gas emission effects are taken into effect. One study has estimated global agribusiness responsible for 51% of all global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. (The total fossil fuel industry is estimated to be responsible for 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.)
In fact, eating less animal meat and dairy products appears to be the single most effective individual thing that you can do to directly make a real difference that matters in reducing carbon pollution --- in fact, by many, many times over all other personal eco-footprint lowering activities when taken as a whole. Reducing or eliminating all animal and dairy products from your diet is also important because it IS something within your power right now.
If you want to do something truly effective to dramatically reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions--many, many times more effective than all of your other personal eco-footprint lowering activities--we strongly recommend reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Furhman. You will learn about how to personally do your part to save the planet from climate destabilization while also being healthier and looking better than you can imagine.
If you would like to learn more of the hard science behind why dramatically reducing your animal and dairy product intake or becoming a vegan is so important to the planet's future, watch the documentary called Cowspiracy and go to this page http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
"If you're really committed to reducing your environmental footprint, consider phasing in a plant-based diet. Why? Because the most highly leveraged environmental action any individual can take is to reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products (meat, dairy, and eggs). Vegan and vegetarian diets generate up to a whopping 42 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and have dramatically lower overall environmental impacts than nonvegetarian diets do. Consider this: Eating a plant-based diet less than one day per week reduces more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than buying local food all year long and switching to a full-time plant-based diet results in greater GHG reductions than switching from a sedan to a hybrid vehicle." --Carol Misseldine
Also live the slogan reduce, recycle and reuse wherever you can. A little less of what you do not really need today will mean more for tomorrow. If you can:
a.) walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving,
b.) use fewer plastics.
c.) find ways to increase the energy efficiency of everything that you use.
d.) shop locally,
f.) grow some of your own food if possible.
Climate destabilization, peak oil, and resource depletion are just around the corner. Those individuals and businesses who begin practicing and preparing now will be ready and will not go through the shock of those who do not practice and prepare now.
We all need to begin to decentralize, downsize, de-carbonize, de-materialize, and diversify toward a new balance if we are going to have a world that lives within the closed system of the Earth's means.
Each day ask yourself what can you do today to reduce your eco-footprint and carbon pollution of the environment. Reduce, recycle and reuse is an essential part of the new sustainable consumerism. (For more information on what you can do personally to reduce your eco-footprint and carbon pollution click here.
To learn more about the personal action steps of Sustainable Prosperity in this online booklet click the next link to the bottom right.