Being Vegetarian or Reducing your Meat Consumption November 7, 2009

I am currently reading a book called “The Ominivore’s Dilemma”.  A friend of mine recommended it, after I was talking about “Hot, Flat and Crowded” as it distinctly relates to the environment we are currently living in.  The book breaks down three different food cycles – The Industrial, The Pastoral (organic farming), and The Hunter-Gatherer food cycles.  I am right in the middle of the Pastoral food cycle and while I am a little surprised by some things I’m reading, I’m not nearly as horrified and shocked as I was by the Industrial food cycle, which mainly serves to produce cheap meat.

To summarize 120 pages of the book into 500 words: The Industrial Food Cycle stemmed from over -production of corn.  Due to programs sponsored by the government, farmers can’t make a living producing corn and to have to grow more and more to eke out a living. This has been an ongoing problem since then end of WW2, and has resulted in annually massive surpluses of corn. This surplus of corn needed to be utilized, so scientists used it to develop almost every food additive we have, and feedlots started feeding it to cattle.

Cattle have bacteria in their rumen (the rumen is similar to their stomach), which help to convert grass into nutrients that help them gain weight.  However, feedlots discovered that due to the concentrated calories in corn, they could force the cows to gain weight faster by feeding them corn.  NOW HERE IS THE SHOCKING PART – little does anyone know that cow’s rumen’s and bacteria cannot properly digest corn.  So, as a result of eating corn the rumen gets acidotic and the bacteria starts reproducing out of control.  This causes the cows to get incredibly sick and the only way they can survive on the feedlot for the year required to be big enough to go to the slaughter house is by being pumped full of anti-biotics and hormones.  Every day they are fed anti-biotics and hormones for an entire year!!!!  As a result of consuming all of these antibiotics, the manure that the cows lay in every day now houses large quantities of drug resistant E.Coli bacteria, which recently paralyzed a girl for life, who ate a contaminated hamburger.

I don’t really care about animal rights.  I’m a cold hearted bitch when it comes to animals.  HOWEVER, I certainly want to take care of my own body.  And in order to do this I certainly don’t want to be eating anti-biotics or hormones every day.  I am so shocked by this because I know so many people that go on and on and on about how they don’t want to take a Tylenol for their headache, but then they eat TONS OF MEAT!!  I can guarantee you, that the hormones and anti-biotics that are present in the meat you are eating are far far far worse for your body than that measly Tylenol.

Further on the topic of what they feed to cows, did you know that although the USFDA has banned feedlots from feeding the same species of animal to the animals they are raising (ie. chicken meat can’t be fed to chickens, nor cow to cow), cows still get a vast amount of their protein from beef tallow (essentially beef lard residues left over from the slaughterhouse), and if that isn’t disgusting enough, please consider that it is common practice to feed chicken pellets, bedding and excrement to beef on the feedlot as a source of protein.  That is just downright DISGUSTING!! Who wants to eat that?  If only because it’s truly harmful and damaging to your own body, never mind the environment or the actual animals.

And on that note, were you aware that more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions are produced from livestock and the transport of meat around the world.  This figure includes the emissions by the animals, which is significantly higher than grass easting animals because their stomachs are essentially rotting, the oil needed for transport and the oil (yes, actually crude oil) required to GROW THE CORN!!!  Say what??? Why would you need oil to grow corn???

Well, as it turns out, oil is used to make the fertilizer that is used to grow the corn.  Farmers need to put this type of fertilizer on their fields so that the ground has enough nutrients to actually grow the corn because the farmers are not responsibly rotating crops so the soil is losing all it’s nutrients.  Further, in order to grow corn as close to each other as farmers do now, the soil has to have massive amounts of nutrients.  This fertilizer inevitable washes away during rains, gets into the fresh water supply and into the ocean and resultantly causes over production of algae, which removes oxygen from the water and kills all the other organisms in the water.

Fun Statistics:

• Eating one lb of meat is will emit equivalent greenhouse gases to driving an SUV 40 miles
• One c ow, before slaughter will have consumed equivalent to 2 BARRELS of oil in its’ lifetime

So by stopping eating meat, or at least drastically reducing it, you are single handedly reducing your Eco-footprint by 50%!!!  There is literally nothing else you can do that would be more beneficial to the environment than that.   NOTHING!!!!

Bullfrog Energy November 5, 2009

I’ve been meaning to post this link for ages, along with some others, but the others are just not materializing, so I’m going to post this one on it’s own because it’s something important for people to know back home.

Although Canada only derives 19% of their electricity from coal, that amount is significantly higher in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia – at 70% of electricity being generated by coal.  Canada is attempting to reduce this number by 2020, to make Canada a non-emitting electricity producer.  However, in so doing, that means that this 19% of electricity is going to have to come from somewhere else. 

 

Bullfrog energy is doing a wonderful job in BC and Alberta, providing an alternative to naturally damaging hydroelectric energy and coal, providing electricity from wind and conservationist hydro.  Their prices are slighty more expensive than the regular electricity at home, but only minimally, and it’s possible to switch from BC Hydro at any point to support a company that is trying to make a difference in our world. 

 

http://www.bullfrogpower.com/

350 Turnout October 29, 2009

So last Saturday, I went to the 350.org rally and there was a really good turnout.  About 200 people were there as  well as a bunch of news crews.  I am in the bottom right of the 5, wearing a green hoodie.

350.org put together a short video of all the people worldwide who participated in this event and our group was at 0.34 seconds in the video.  It wasn’t me, but those were the people I was with.

 

 

As it turned out, strangely enough, my next door neighbour is one of the leading organizers of 350.org in Taipei.  I always say good morning to him, but have never really talked.  Guess the next time I see him, I will have something to say.

 

I have to admit that seeing all the photos worldwide and seeing the turnout in Taipei has almost made me cry a number of times.  It’s so amazing and wonderful to me that people in the middle of nowhere in Mongolia (the picture on the left) know what is going on and CARE!!!

 

350.org had over 20,000 photos contributed to their website, but check out their 3min video to see the vast variety of people who showed up to show that they are willing to change to protect our environment and want their governments to make plans to enforce it for everyone.

 

350.org October 24, 2009

Today is the International Day of Climate Action and it makes me smile that 350.org ’s website is so overwhelmed with traffic that their servers are failing. I know I will be participating in this event here in Taipei and it may be small, but I hope many others will also participate in their respective cities.  There are more than 5000 events planned in over 180 countries!

One friend mentioned she would do it if she were in Taipei, but in Chicago alone (where she lives) there are 10 events.  I hope Carla attends something in her hometown.

350 is piggy-backing on the movie “Age of Stupid” that aired last month, to generate support for binding climate change government policies at the coming Copenhagen Summit in Dec.

I hope the millions of people that take action today will really show governments that people are ready for their governments to step up and take responsibility for protecting the land we live on.  If not, our biggest concerns in the future will not be the “state of the economy”!

Organic Produce October 17, 2009

I know I’ve heard people recently talking of buying organic produce and buying locally but I never realized how much it can make a difference, and further, how not-that-expensive it could really be.  I remember back at university thinking that buying organic local veggies was ridiculously overpriced, and perhaps it was, or I was just poor, so it seemed very expensive.  But recently I have been looking online at locally delivered organic produce and it only runs in the $20-40 a week range.  That certainly doesn’t seem overpriced to me.

A number of companies now offer a “box” option of organic, local veggies.  They send you boxes of veggies and fruits that are in season and available in that week, which allows farmers to harvest the vegetables that are ready and have a market for them.  This supports organic farmers and provides a local market for their produce.  I know some people think “well what if I want arugula and they don’t offer it that week” but to me, I love the idea of them sending me a wide assortment of random veggies that I might never choose for myself. It broadens my veggie consumption and provides me with the excuse to find new recipes, be surprised and try new things.

Buying locally helps the environment because it minimizes the fuel costs associated with transporting foodstuffs around the world on ships and airplanes.  Buying organic helps because it preserves soil in any areas where it is used, allowing continued use of the soil to grow more food.  This is in contrast to farming that occurs in areas such as deforested rainforest, where the soil is not conducive to growing crops and farming sugarcane there only is effective for 3-5 years before the soil erodes or loses all its nutrient value, or both.  Organic growing also maintains healthy ecosystems around the areas that are being farmed, because pesticides and herbicides are not leaking into the water supply and being consumed by humans and the surrounding animals.  Although there are these reasons and many others, it seems to me that for a few dollars more, wouldn’t you want to support farmers who are trying to make a difference to the planet we live on, have non-carcinogenic food items, and preserve the soil, water, and your own surrounding environment?  Everyone always complains that bad things are happening in “their” neighborhoods.  Buying organic local food items is your chance to help change things directly in “your” neighborhood!

Check out these cool websites (I was incredibly surprised how many companies are out there at the click of a google search engine):

England:

http://www.farmaround.co.uk/

http://www.riverford.co.uk/

http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/

Victoria, Canada

http://www.shareorganics.bc.ca/

http://www.localfooddirectory.ca/foodshed/geobrowser/ (takes a lot on your brower but good site for finding local food)

Vancouver, Canada

www.spud.ca

Activism in Taiwan October 11, 2009

350ppm of CO2 is what's considered "safe". We are at 390ppm currently and rising fast.

I have been thinking a lot how I can help in Taiwan make any difference with regards to the environment.  I sent my letters to the mayor, and I have stopped using our dryer.  But, because I don’t speak or read Chinese, I have been wondering recently if there are any NGO groups that organize activities to promote awareness or have rallies.

As it turns out, the answer to this questions is YES.

There is a non-profit group called 350 that is having a rally on Oct 24, 2009 at 4pm to promt the government into curbing carbon emissions, and to send to Copenhagen for the coming climate change summit.

The significance of the name 350 is that this is the amount of CO2 that can be in our atmosphere that is considered by scientists to be “safe”, where warming and the climate are not in crisis.  Currently we are at 390ppm and it’s rising quickly.   Please join me on Oct 24, perhaps for those of you coming to Bishop’s birthday we can do this beforehand, to march from XinYi District A8 Mitsukoshi building.

http://350taipei.blogspot.com/

Climate change Cassandras October 2, 2009

This was stolen from an Op-Ed piece in the NY Times, but certainly sums up how I’ve been feeling lately about climate change:

Every once in a while I feel despair over the fate of the planet. If you’ve been following climate science, you know what I mean: the sense that we’re hurtling toward catastrophe but nobody wants to hear about it or do anything to avert it.

And here’s the thing: I’m not engaging in hyperbole. These days, dire warnings aren’t the delusional raving of cranks. They’re what come out of the most widely respected climate models, devised by the leading researchers. The prognosis for the planet has gotten much, much worse in just the last few years.

What’s driving this new pessimism? Partly it’s the fact that some predicted changes, like a decline in Arctic Sea ice, are happening much faster than expected. Partly it’s growing evidence that feedback loops amplifying the effects of man-made greenhouse gas emissions are stronger than previously realized. For example, it has long been understood that global warming will cause the tundra to thaw, releasing carbon dioxide, which will cause even more warming, but new research shows far more carbon locked in the permafrost than previously thought, which means a much bigger feedback effect.

The result of all this is that climate scientists have, en masse, become Cassandras — gifted with the ability to prophesy future disasters, but cursed with the inability to get anyone to believe them.

And we’re not just talking about disasters in the distant future, either. The really big rise in global temperature probably won’t take place until the second half of this century, but there will be plenty of damage long before then.

So if you live in, say, Los Angeles, and liked those pictures of red skies and choking dust in Sydney, Australia, last week, no need to travel. They’ll be coming you way soon.

In a rational world, then, the looming climate disaster would be our dominant political and policy concern. But it manifestly isn’t. Why not?

Part of the answer is that it’s hard to keep peoples’ attention focused. Weather fluctuates — and it’s all too easy to reach the false conclusion that the danger is past or that it hasn’t even really yet begun.

But the larger reason we’re ignoring climate change is that Al Gore was right: This truth is just too inconvenient. Responding to climate change with the vigor that the threat deserves would not, contrary to legend, be devastating for the economy as a whole. But it would shuffle the economic deck, hurting some powerful vested interests even as it created new economic opportunities. And the industries of the past have armies of lobbyists in place right now; the industries of the future don’t.

Nor is it just a matter of vested interests. It’s also a matter of vested ideas. For three decades the dominant political ideology in America has extolled private enterprise and denigrated government, but climate change is a problem that can only be addressed through government action. And rather than concede the limits of their philosophy, many on the right have chosen to deny that the problem exists.

So here we are, with the greatest challenge facing mankind on the back burner, at best, as a policy issue. I’m not, by the way, saying that the Obama administration was wrong to push health care first. It was necessary to show voters a tangible achievement before next November. But climate change legislation had better be next.

We can afford to do this. Even as climate modelers have been reaching consensus on the view that the threat is worse than we realized, economic modelers have been reaching consensus on the view that the costs of emission control are lower than many feared.

So the time for action is now. O.K., strictly speaking it’s long past. But better late than never.

Electric Scooters letter to the Mayor October 1, 2009

Just the other day, I was thinking, how can I affect change while living in Taiwan.  There are not a lot of marches or rallys I could join, nor would the federal government take me seriously, as I’m not even a citizen of this country.  Then it occurred to me that writing to the mayor very likely could affect some type of change, as I have heard from others that his office has personally responded to their phone calls and letters.  As such, I wrote this letter to the mayor the other day and mailed it to his office on Monday.  I have yet to hear back but will let you know when I do.

If anyone wants to copy the letter or send a version of your own, I highly encourage you to do so.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Dear Mr.Mayor,

I am writing you this letter today to strongly encourage the government in Taipei to implement a program requiring local residents to switch from gas powered scooters, to electric scooters.  If correctly implemented over the next 5 years, this plan could drastically reduce the amount of pollution in Taipei’s air.  Although electric scooters still require electricity to operate, electricity is significantly cheaper, cleaner and better for the oceans, as there is no possibility of oil leakage from barges importing oil into Taiwan.

I have spoken with many Taiwanese people about the environment, and the biggest concern that comes up in Taipei is that of air quality.  When people are asked to identify the causes of this air pollution, every single person says “cars and scooters”.

The plan I propose, would include a monetary incentive (perhaps NT$500 -2000 rebate on the purchase of a new electric scooter) for people to trade in their old gas scooters for an electric scooter.  This would encourage people to purchase the newly required electric scooters.   Further, the traded in old gas scooters could then be refurbished by mechanics or the government to provide poorer residents with a cheaper electric alternative to a brand new electric scooter.

As the standard of living in Taipei and Taiwan is increasing, people are more and more frequently purchasing new scooters.  As such, implementing this plan over a 5 year period would give residents a long enough time frame that, when in the market to buy a new scooter, they could easily make the choice to purchase an electric scooter alternative instead of purchasing a gas scooter.
Recently a number of car companies, including Nissan and Tesla Motors have created fully electric cars that are coming out on the market in 2010.  If this is possible, then surely it would be possible to promote the sale of electric scooters which already exist on the market, and are currently used in China.

I have noticed a lot of changes happening in Taipei that make me very happy to be a part of the community.  I am very pleased with the new legislation preventing smoking inside buildings, am excited about the great local support for Taipei Car Free Day, and about the growing use of the riverside bike paths.  Further the new bike path on Dunhua Rd encourages me to think that the local government is trying to cut back on cars in Taipei.   I think these are all wonderful programs to have implemented, and hope that the Taipei government continues to help the city to grow to be prosperous, clean and environmentally conscious.

Yours Sincerely,
Tracey Bowen

Doing what you can September 29, 2009

Often when I discuss environmental issues with people, a common complaint or comment I hear is “Why try? There’s nothing I can do anyway.”

The past few weeks I have been finding a lot of web based information about climate change and what people are trying to do about it.  Some people are renovating homes in inner cities so they don’t have to drive everyday.  Some people are builiding homes with rammed earth, some are protesting and rallying to make themselves heard by the government and all these things show the government that as societies we are ready and willing to change.

This mentality of “I can do nothing of importance” frustrates and saddens me, because there are so many things one can do if they wanted to.  There are many groups that are trying to make themselves heard by governments (check out Avaaz (www.avaaz.org), there are many little things that you can do to change how you consume resources .  I know that not using a paper cup for coffee man seem little and insignificant but things like this do make a difference and they show you are willing to MAKE THE EFFORT TO CHANGE.

The Civil Rights movement only affected change  when the government saw that it was more painful to continue as they had been than to change. This was done by millions of people raising their voices and saying they were unwilling to continue as they had.  The environmental movement is similar, in that the governments won’t change until they are forced to, however it differs greatly in that if this movement isn’t taken up, it’s not just “rights and freedoms” that we will not gain.  It well could be that we are jeopardizing the future of the entire planet.

As such, I urge EVERYONE, to try to make small changes in your lives and lifestyles that can help.  We all know what these changes are, but I also to encourage you not to listen to those nay-sayers that seem to be lurking around every corner.  On multitudes of websites I visited there were always comment criticizing the efforts these people were making to make a difference, saying they weren’t doing things properly or “green enough”.  Well screw them! Don’t listen to those people who tell you you’re not making a difference.  Every little thing you do can make a difference, and if you need direction on where to start, please msg me and I’d be happy to discuss it with you.  Please make your voice heard!

Standing on a Soap Box September 27, 2009

soap box

As anyone who reads this blog is aware, recently I have become re-acquainted with concern for the environment and climate change.  I feel that this a  good thing, but at the same time, it’s quite difficult to know the things I’ve come to understand and not really be able to say anything about it without coming across like a soap box preaching lunatic. Especially because a lot of what I’m interested in, researching and spending my time on lately is related to this topic.  Therefore when anyone asks me “so what you been up to?” how should I respond? “Oh, nothing much?”
Mag mentioned today that no one wants to listen to someone preach from their soap box, and I totally agree.  I don’t enjoy listening to soap box preaching either, but then arises the question of – how do you make yourself heard without standing on a soap box?  How do you convince people to listen, as we all know that the soap box is ineffective.

I think it’s a very difficult line to walk.  I imagine everyone has to find their own way to be effective and meaningful in the topic they feel strongly about, but I’m just starting out in baby steps here, so I appologize if the “soap-boxing” gets out of control.