Manufactured landscapes and why vegetarianism is a good thing

Greetings earthlings,

thanks for dropping by. It's about time that I publish a new entry on this blog for the world to read - well, at least those that can afford to use the internet. This entry - just like some previous ones - consists of two different parts. First I want to share with you some pictures made by Edward Burtynsky and after that bombard you with a few facts which I hope will make you ponder.

The photographs taken by Edward Burtynsky show: Anti-Nature. Exploited quarries. Raw sewages. The machinery of oil fields. A bleeding planet. And still there is something magical about them.

Nickel Tailings #34

E.g. like a flow of magma the wastewater of the nickel mine in Sudbury (Canada) cuts through the bare scenery. Oxidised iron particles recolored the stream.

Oil Fields #2

E.g. abandoned by mankind, the oil fields in Belridge, California (U.$.A.). Dozens of squaremiles of churned up soil, dominated by mechanic mosquitoes, that seem to suck the earth dry. Thousands of pumps have delivered more than one billion barrels of oil. A landscape created by humans: imaginary but still real.

Oxford Tire Pile #8

E.g. a canyon between rubber walls covers this meadow in Westley near by Sacramento. These 40 million car tires fit together as if they have been lying here since the beginning of time. As if their formation are a result of geological evolution. Three months after Burtynsky took this picture lighning struck this pile of caoutchouc and it burned for 34 days. Nature destroyed man-made destruction.

Ferrous Bushling #7

E.g. limp leaves, withered flowers? What rots here was punshed, rolled, forged. Scrap metal carelessly thrown away and rusting. Still it seems arranged to present the beauty of autuum.

To read more about this 51 years old artist and take a look at his collections, then visit his homepage @ EdwardBurtynsky.Com.

Why it is good to be a vegetarian:

Because it's better for the environment!

A vegetarian diet reduces the destruction of the tropical rainforests, wildlife habitat, and help to save endangered species. Rainforests are cut down to make room to raise cattle or introduce monoculture -often Genetically Modified-, which ends up as food for cattle or chicken. Every second, one football field of rainforest is destroyed in order to produce 257 hamburgers. E.g. two-thirds of Central America's rainforests have been destroyed, in part to raise cattle whose meat, typically found in hamburgers and processed meat, is exported to profit the US food industry.

And that's not all. The effort to clear rainforest to produce beef for one hamburger produces 75kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂), therefore a vegetarian diet also reduces the production of CO₂.

A vegetarian diet reduces pollution in the land and waters: Modern factory farms are sprayed with herbicides and presticides to grow grains to feed cattle. Over 4 million acres of cropland are lost to erosion in the US alone every year due to plundering farmlands to fatten animals for slaughter. High contents of toxic chemicals are often found in fish in many parts of the world's lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Another benefit of eating a vegetarian diet is that it also reduces the depletion of our oceans' marine lives and the destruction of corals and reefs.

Because it saves energy and precious resources!

Eating a vegetarian diet reduces waste and devastation of earth's resources. Consider the enormous energy put into growing grains to feed cattle. Aside from the gutted rainforests, up to 16kg of crop or soja beans are needed to 'produce' 1kg of beef. Without exaggeration this can be considered the most effective means of nourishment destruction. Also consider that only a rather small portion of the animal will result in meat that will be sold to consumers, therefore a lot of energy is being wasted. 90% of the soja produced is used to feed animals, while millions of individuals are starving. For example, if North Americans would decrease their meat consumption by 10% 1,000,000,000 people could be fed and saved from starvation. Crazy huh?!

Only 3 days ago (20/08/06) the world water week was kicked off in Stockholm. Water is a precious good. With the amount of water you need to get 1kg of meat one could take a shower every day for one whole year.

Because I refuse to be cruel to animals!

 

• 
  
  20,000,000 individuals die per year as a result of malnutrition and starvation
  
  


• 
  
  Worldwide, in 2004, about 50 billion land animals were eaten by humans
  
  


• 
  
  The world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food more than enough to feed the Earth's entire human population
  
  


• 
  
  Much plant food grown in 'third world' countries is sold to 'developed' countries to produce cheaper meats
  
  


• 
  
  On the other hand, millions in the 'developed' countries suffer from diseases related to over-consumption, often linked to meat eating, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes
  
  


• 
  
  Although world hunger is a complex, multi-faceted issue, the high demand for meat is certainly a contributing factor
  
  


• 
  
  Meat consumption in much of the world is still on the rise - 'modern' animal farming is rapidly polluting and depleting our natural resources
  
  


• 
  
  Greater demand for meat leads to more deforestation, more water pollution, and more soil degradation
  
  


• 
  
  Livestock 'production' accounts for more than half of all water used in the U.$.
  
  


• 
  
  40,000 pounds of potatoes can be produced on an acre of prime land
  
  


• 
  
  250 pounds of beef can be 'produced' on an acre of prime land
  
  


• 
  
  Well, and for those that still don't feel motivated to be a vegetarian: Alanis Morissette, Immanuel Kant, Paul McCartney, Pink, Propaghandi (a political punk-rock band - all members are vegan), Sir Isaac Newton, Tom Morello (political activist, ex-guitarist of Rage Against The Machine), Leonardo Da Vinci, Bob Marley, Lisa Simpson, Tobey Maguire, Tracy Chapman, Vincent van Gogh and many more scientists, artists and celebrities are/were vegetarians as well. So, you are certainly not alone!
  
  

---------------

Sources for the facts and figures mentioned above:

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (1997). Food Supply and World's Population.

de Haan, C.; Steinfeld, H.; Blackburn, H. (1997). Livestock and the Evironment. Finding a Balance.

FAO (1997). Report of the World Food Summit (13-17 November 1996; Part One). Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy.

FAO (2000). Food and Agriculture Organisation Statistical Databases (FAOSTAT).

Halweil,B. (1998). United States Leads World Meat Stampede. Worldwatch Press Briefing on the Global Trends in Meat Consumption (July 2, 1998). Worldwatch Institute.

Steinfeld, H.; de Haan, C.; Blackburn, H. (1997). Livestock - Environment Interactions. Issues and Options.

Unicef (1998). The State of the World's Children 1998. Focus on Nutrition. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Geneva, Switzerland.

GlobalHunger.Net

PlantsForHunger.Org (Highly recommended!)

Compassion in World Farming

EarthSave.Bc.Ca

VegForLife.Org

Thanks for reading this entry till the end.

~peace&solidarity~

tags: edward burtynsky  anti nature  photography  facts meat  vegetarianism  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit