Over one billion people in 192 countries will take action to protect our shared environment on Earth Day, April 22, 2016. All across the globe, in big cities to small villages and everything in between, people are organizing, demanding climate action, cleaning up their local communities, meeting with their elected officials, planting trees, and teaching their children to protect our planet.
This year, in a rare and special event, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has invited every world leader to the United Nations to officially sign the Paris Climate Agreement reached this past December. It is no coincidence that the agreement is being opened for signatures on April 22nd, Earth Day.
“Earth Day is the largest, most recognizable face of the environmental movement,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “Millions of people in dozens of different countries will become lifelong environmentalists this and every Earth Day. Hundreds of thousands will be children – our planet’s future. They will join the more than 1 billion people who already use Earth Day to focus on the urgent need to stabilize and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, fight climate change, act locally, become climate voters, and protect their children’s futures.” Learn more at: http://www.earthday.org/earth-day/
Many organizations have formed and united in the past 46 years since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. This year, in support of creating greater awareness, we at The Happy Herald are spotlighting organizations that are committed to compassionately caring and educating the population to make fundamental life choice changes that have far-reaching benefits.
In consideration of the information you are about to read, maybe you will be encouraged to choose one day a week and practice being a vegan. Get creative and invite others to share in your newfound discoveries. You may find it feels good to do good!
The Compassionate Farming Education Initiative is a 501c3 educational non-profit organization based out of southeast Florida. CFEI is committed to creating conscious, educated, empowered consumers, thereby shifting mass industry towards vegan, sustainable products. Check it out at: www.compassionatefarming.org
Compassionate Farming is Plant- Based Farming. It is an essential now, to consider plant based farming because our world is in peril and animal agriculture is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, deforestation, water depletion, ocean acidification, species extinction and world hunger. Their website is chockfull of resources including reading lists, recipes, documentaries and good old fashioned encouragement. They aim to educate the public in the following areas:
• Current factory farming practices and their impact on our health and the world
• The meat industry’s marketing myth of ”humane” animal farming
• Healthy, convenient and affordable plant-based food alternatives
• The personal and global impact of our food choices
In honor of Earth Month, here are five reasons Whitney Lauritsen, founder of the website ecovegangal. com compiled to help people make healthy eating choices and develop more sustainable lifestyles. Do you know how impactful being vegan is? Read on and discover:
It Protects Our Soil
You can get almost all vital nutrients you need from eating plantbased foods (save vitamins D and B12) - and that’s because minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and amino acids are in our soil.
Researchers have found that raising animals for consumption contributes to erosion and nutritional depletion of soil, plus desertification and deforestation. Earth-friendly tip: Chose mainly organic, non-GMO food to help keep our soil (and your body) healthy and nutrient-rich.
It Conserves Water
More than 70 percent of the earth’s fresh water is used in agriculture of plants and animals: it takes 100 to 200 times more water to produce a pound of beef than it does to grow a pound of plant foods. Plus, the United Nations has reported that the livestock sector is most likely the largest source of water pollution. So, skipping the meat may have more of a positive planetary impact than turning off the water while brushing your teeth or taking a shorter shower!
Earth-friendly tip: Skip the prerinse when using a dishwasher and only run it when full - this can save up to 7,300 gallons of water a year.
It Clears The Air
A report by the UN concluded that animal agriculture is a larger contributor to greenhouse gas than all forms of transportation.
Earth-friendly tip: Buy local, plant-based food to cut back on the distance the food has to travel from farm to plate, thus reducing the amount of emissions created in the process.
It Combats World Hunger
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are currently suffering from hunger and malnutrition, and yet 70 percent of the grain grown in the United States is fed to livestock. Even animals in poor countries are fed cereal, as well as legumes and vegetables, in order to produce meat and dairy. All in all, more than 700 million tons of human-grade food goes into animal agriculture each year, which could instead be used to eradicate hunger.
Earth-friendly tip: Only order or make as much food as you can eat in one sitting to prevent waste. If you happen to have leftovers, store them in a reusable glass or stainless-steel container and compost any inedible scraps.
“Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.”- Christine Todd Whitman