Making a Difference

You can make a difference when it comes to human impact on our environment. I encourage you to take a moment to read this and give it serious consideration.

Even if you care about the environment, it isn't always clear how you can make a difference. What you eat can make a difference.

This is a short segment (15 min) of the longer video, Cowspiracy.

https://youtu.be/dSjE8xw_-Dg

To me, it sounds a bit dire and alarmist and I get tired of alarmist videos. However, I believe most of the data is valid.

Even if you don't believe that human activity/animal agriculture is the major driving force for climate change, I think it is pretty easy to connect both to air/water/soil pollution, natural habitat destruction, species extinction and depletion of resources. You can see some of this for yourself if you notice your surroundings.

I find it depressing to drive/bike from Goshen to Indianapolis because of the vast regions devoid of forests, natural ditches and other natural habitats. So much has been removed to make room for corn and soybean production. Most of these crops go to animal consumption.

If you make a long drive, here in Indiana or anywhere, make note of the distance a pollinator/wild animal must travel to find blooms/food/shelter. Notice how much of the land is still natural.

If you are skeptical of this documentary, I encourage you to spend a few moments researching how much water and land is required for some of the foods you eat, especially if you eat meat.

I would contend that we also need to reduce all pollution when possible. For example, when I bike to work, I certainly smell the results of burning petroleum coming from parked or passing vehicles or release of pollution from factories. These sources of pollution are very noticeable, but it is typically less obvious how our food choices can make a difference.

It is extremely tough to consider how we can change our behavior and make different choices. Our first instinct is to dismiss or ridicule, often because it feels like we are "attacked". I know there are many changes I still need to make to reduce my impact on the environment.

I encourage you to consider what you can do. Talk about it and seek ideas with others. Even just one step forward is progress.