Who is more environmentally friendly, the non-organic vegan or the organic meat eater

[ryan]

Which person is better for the environment?

Someone who is vegan but doesn't eat organic or someone who restricts his/her diet to organic food but consumes a lot of meat?

[The Dean of Green]

The Vegan because they usually are VERY conscious of their impact. It's not just the food they consume its a completely different lifestyle...

[john]

I think the deciding factor is where they get their produce from. Food miles (the total distance the food has travelled until it reaches your plate) make much more of an impact on the environment than the choice between organic and non-organic. The pollution caused by long-distance transport of organic vegan food could easily outweigh the environmental benefits of the organic growing methods.

For most people, the decision of whether or not to eat meat seems to be more of a moral one, based on the ethics of eating animals, rather than for environmental reasons. Similarly, the decision of organic or non-organic seems to be more often based on health concerns rather than the environment.

Either option can be used as part of a green lifestyle, and both have their pros and cons. Sorry if my answer seems to be on the fence, but you ask a very interesting question, and I don't think it has a straight answer one way or the other. There are lots of variables.

[koddio]

You are right. It is a complex issue.

[go.green887]

I would suggest checking out Michael Pollan's [I]The Omnivore's Dilemma[/I]. It's an excellent book and deals exactly with the issues being discussed in this forum (food transportation costs, organic food, etc.).

[kymsolaris]

Did you know that an heirloom tomato has been named after Michael Pollan. Check this out:


Michael Pollan Immortalized as Heirloom Tomato

Author and food luminary Michael Pollan has been widely praised for his thoughtful inquiries into how our food is produced and what it means for our health and environment. For his work and impact, he was recently named to Time's annual Time 100 list of noted figures.

So, it is not surprising that the next logical step in his apotheosis, would, of course, be his immortalization as an heirloom tomato.

According to anniesannuals.com:
'Michael Pollan' is an odd shaped mutant! (The tomato that is.) Egg shaped fruits are yellow with green stripes & some have little “nubbins” on the ends. Related to ‘Green Zebra’ but with a milder taste & a good amount of sweetness. Very popular in taste tests. Plus the bloom on this variety is reported to be quite showy. Nice! Named after the amazing author & teacher -whose books we highly recommend.


As esteemed as Pollan -- the writer -- may be, his tomato self is not immune from the vagaries of agriculture: "‘Michael Pollan’ is possibly susceptible to Blossom End Rot so make sure & water him evenly to prevent this from occurring. The tomato that is!"

[go.green887]

Haha! That's great. Now I'll have to find one and taste it!

[gthurnball]

Here is an interesting article about at technology that could make local, organic beef more accessible:

Mobile slaughterhouse could help save New York cattle farmers
By Julian Martin
May 24, 2010
Despite a growing demand for local, organic beef in New York restaurants, a shortage of slaughterhouses has caused many independent cattle farmers to switch to dairy or poultry production. A new mobile slaughterhouse, however, could provide much needed relief for farmers forced to travel to processing facilities hundreds of miles away.

Previously, the closest slaughterhouses available to farmers in New York’s Hudson Valley were in Pennsylvania or Massachusetts, creating higher fossil fuel emissions, increased costs and stressed livestock. Farmers needing to use the facilities were also required to schedule appointments nine to 12 months ahead of time.

“Because they’re raising them outside, they don’t have as much control over their growth as other people do on feed lots,” said Judith LaBelle, president of Glynwood, a nonprofit in Cold Spring, N.Y., that focuses on sustainable farming, to The New York Times. “So even if the animal’s not their optimal weight or condition, they have to keep their appointment.”

In 2008, Glynwood began studying potential ways to build a slaughterhouse capable of meeting the demands of farmers throughout the region. The nonprofit’s research led to the creation of the Modular Harvest System, or M.H.S.

The M.H.S. consists of a trailer, 8 feet wide and 53 feet long, and a refrigerated semi-trailer attached to a delivery truck. After the animal is slaughtered in the trailer, the carcass is transported in the delivery truck to a nearby butcher. The entire operation is overseen by a United States Department of Agriculture inspector.

“The hardest part was being the first to do this,” said Joan Snyder, a Wall Street investment banker turned sheep farmer and owner of the M.H.S., to The New York Times. “We were trying to miniaturize what is a very complex process and still keep it able to be legal on the road. It’s so well choreographed in there. It’s like the Rockettes: you can’t step out of line because you’ll bump into somebody’s saw.”

LaBelle anticipates demand for locally-processed beef to increase once more farmers and chefs become aware of the mobile slaughterhouse.

“There may be a place that starts out with a mobile unit that at some point may say, ‘Gee, we have enough to be able to do a high-quality plant on our own now,’ ” she said. “We would declare victory and leave the field.”

[go.green887]

Great article. If mobile slaughterhouses actually become more popular, the transportation costs / energy investment in these processes would shoot down. Hopefully this new invention takes off.

[Saffron]

This question fascinated me because I couldn't answer it. I read through the replies, thinking that maybe they would answer it.

I guess the question is still up for debate. I am not a vegan, but I would like to think that I treat our environment with the respect it deserves.