Go Vegan Earth Day and Go Green

My Yoga Online is proud to support Farm Sanctuary and their campaign to promote eco-friendly vegan diets for Earth Day. Farm Sanctuary is conducting a nationwide outreach and education events that will highlight the harsh environmental impact of meat consumption.

Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, is coordinating a series of nationwide events for Earth Day (April 22) that will encourage people to "eat green" by reducing or eliminating their consumption of meat and other animal products. The group will be involved in nearly two dozen outreach and education events from coast to coast raising awareness about factory farming's negative impact on the environment, and that choosing a plant-based vegan diet is the most ecologically sustainable way for people to eat.

Here are just some of the documented facts that Farm Sanctuary cites to support its argument that industrialized animal agriculture is destroying the environment:

*Resource Depletion: Raising billions of animals for meat wastes massive amounts of resources because feeding plants to animals raised for food is many times less efficient than feeding plants directly to people. Overall, the animal agriculture industry consumes more than half the water and over one-third of the petroleum used in the United States. In addition, two-thirds of the planet's land surface is used by the agriculture industry to house, graze and grow grain for farm animals, driving the extinction of endangered species.

*Climate Change: A 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report indicated that about 18 percent of total greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere are produced by animal agriculture - more than all the cars, trucks, trains, planes, boats, and other forms of motorized transportation combined. Livestock also generate large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, and methane is 23 times more potent than CO2, while nitrous oxide is nearly 300 times as potent as CO2.

*Pollution: Every year, farm animals excrete half a billion tons of manure, which is three times the amount of waste produced by the entire human population. This waste is typically stored in gigantic lagoons that leach toxic substances (such as nitrogen, phosphorous and heavy metals) into ground and surface water. According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, farm animal excrement has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.

More facts showing the link between factory farming and environmental destruction can be found at
www.vegforlife.org/earth_protect.htm and www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/environment/.

According to Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur, there is an unmistakable connection between factory farms' exploitation of the environment and abuse of animals. "The system of industrialized animal agriculture is based on maximizing short term profits" said Baur, "and producers that raise and process animals in the cheapest, fastest way make the most money, while animals and the environment pay the price. People need to know how their food choices impact the planet, so during Earth Day, Farm Sanctuary will be getting the word out, and promoting vegan lifestyles as a key part of the solution to our environmental
crisis."

Farm Sanctuary is coordinating volunteers around the country to leaflet and table at Earth Day festivals and celebrations, where they will speak with people about meat's devastating impact on the environment and hand out literature promoting a healthy, sustainable vegan diet. Attendees will also get a taste of vegan fare, as volunteers distribute coupons for Tofurky products from Turtle Island Foods, and soy jerky donated by Vegan Dream. Other events include lectures and workshops presented by Farm Sanctuary staff members. Details about these events can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org/get_involved/actionalerts.html.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.