Metaphorically speaking, our family ecosystem is how the world should function. Animals and plants not only live harmoniously but thrive from each other as they’ve done for thousands of years. The debate, however, is more about whether this is sustainable. For one, I don’t use the word ‘sustainability’ all that much. By definition, sustainability means “sustain” or to keep something constant, or perhaps not further degenerate or degrade it.
and then claim that eliminating meat altogether will fix everything.
This common narrative seems to miss the mark – it really misses how we arrived HERE. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the biggest factor in greenhouse gas emissions is burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Transportation (i.e. planes/semis) leads with 27%, electricity follows at 25%, industry a close 3rd at 24%, commercial and real estate lag at 15%, with agriculture bringing up rear at 11% (~3% from manure). It’s been years of mistreatment of Mother Earth. We live in a glutenous world. We made daily choices that led us HERE. Since our ancestors stepped foot on this land with “conventional farming practices,” soil health and fertility have declined due to centuries of tilling and compaction. My husband was raised to believe weeds are cancerous to any field and the only way to yield a fruitful crop was from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Naturally, our cropland goes to feed our livestock and the rest is sold on the market, so a good crop is appreciated by our animals and to fund the following year’s seeds. My husband is transitioning to more
To me, it doesn’t embody the true spirit of the movement we really need to begin.
To me, the real question is, how do we not only sustain but thrive from one another?
Picture a map of the globe with a bright red star on it and the words: “YOU ARE HERE.”
There is no going back to millions of buffalo roaming native prairie land or vast amounts of untouched, diverse forests , or an abundance of bees and Monarchs. WE ARE HERE. We have depleted tons of resources for the betterment of people - for food, housing, water, transportation, jobs, consumables, etc. We lament about cow farts yet jump on a plane and head to the next big executive meeting,turntheaironwhenuncomfortably hot, or ship millions of freezer goods
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