Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Happy Chanukah
2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen Into CopenVegan”
3. Promoting Our Award-Winning Documentary “A Sacred Duty”
4. Strategy to Promote Vegetarianism
5. My Message to UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Urging Him to Promote Vegetarianism
6. Top Ten Vegetarian-Related Recent Developments
7. Increasing Temperatures Causing More Wildfires
8. Talk By World Watch “51%” Author at FAO Meeting
9. Connecting Chanukah to Copenhagen
10. Paul McCartney and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Promote Plant-Based Diets
11. Great Interview of Jonathan Safran Foer by Ellen Degeneres
12. Relating Chanukah to Climate Change Responses
13. “Restoring Eden” Helps Religious Institution Serve Sustainable, Healthy Food
14. Poll: Vast Majority of Israelis Against Fur Industry
15. Call for Interfaith Responses to Climate Change
16. Martin Rowe, Lantern Book Publisher Discusses My Book ”Judaism and Global Survival”
17. Update From “Responsible Policies for Animals”
18. Haaretz Editorial on Israel and Climate Change
19. Foer Book Claims that Hitler Was a Vegetarian
20. NY Times Article: Global Warming is Not Slowing Down
21. Climate Change Activists Should Build Ties With Health Professionals
22. Awesome Comprehensive, Scientific Analysis of Global Warming
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Happy Chanukah
Chanukah starts at sundown this Friday. Amid the joy and meaning of each holiday, we always try to promote vegetarianism by relating the holiday’s values to vegetarian values. So, please use points in my article “Chanukah and Vegetarianism” (in the festivals section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz) to help spread the Jewish Vegetarian message. And enjoy the holiday!
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2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen Into CopenVegan”
Although I am not going to Copenhagen, I have been working with some very dedicated people trying to “turn Copenhagen into CopenVegan.”
a. Below is a link to today’s COP15 Post, a publication that is widely read by people in Copenhagen for the climate conference. It includes an article by me and an ad arguing that a shift to plant-based diets is essential to avoid an unprecedented global climate catastrophe.
http://cop15post.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ISSUE-4.pdf
b. Below is a press release that will be sent to many media outlets right after midnight.
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=51216&lang=en
TO AVERT CLIMATE CATASTROPHE, COALITION URGES WORLD LEADERS TO PUT DIETARY CHANGES ONTO COPENHAGEN CLIMATE CONFERENCE AGENDA
GROUP AIMS TO “TURN COPENHAGEN INTO COPENVEGAN.”
Contact person: Richard H. Schwartz, Director, Veg Climate Alliance
Director@VegClimateAlliance.org
Phone: (718) 761-5876 Mobile: (917) 576-0344
New York, December 8, 2009: A major societal shift to plant-based diets is essential to avoid an unprecedented global climate catastrophe! This is the message that Veg Climate Alliance, a broad coalition of environmental, vegetarian, animal rights, health and other groups, is stressing in conjunction with the major global climate change conference in Copenhagen from December 7 -18.
In an attempt to “turn Copenhagen into CopenVegan,” the alliance is organizing a forum on “Vegetarianism: Essential to Save the Planet?” on Sunday, December 13, 2009. The event, to be held at Mogens Dahl Koncertsal, Snorresgade 22, DK 2300 København S, will have talks, videos, panel discussions, questions and answers and a sampling of vegan foods. In addition to the forum, the group has place an ad in the December 8 issue of the Copenhagen Post, a publication that will be widely distributed to people in Copenhagen for the conference, and will take part in demonstrations and use flyers, posters, banners and stickers to get their essential message out. The group is also sending letters to conference delegates and to key governmental officials stressing the urgency of dietary changes. A link to the letter and the supporting groups and one to a flyer that the group is distributing in Copenhagen are at the end of this release.
“We feel that the fate of humanity and all of Creation is at stake,” stated Richard H. Schwartz, VCA director, “and it is essential that the urgency of dietary changes to avoid a climate disaster be part of the message resulting from the Copenhagen climate conference.”
Veg Climate Alliance is urging consideration of recent reports that show the significant role that animal-based agriculture plays in causing global warming:
· Livestock production is responsible for more GHGs than all the world’s transport combined. (18 percent vs. 13.5 percent, in CO2 equivalents) (Livestock’s Long
Shadow, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)
· According to the Worldwatch Institute the livestock sector contributes at least 51 percent of global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
(Former World Bank Environmental Advisor Robert Goodland and World Bank Environmental Specialist Jeff Anhang, “Livestock and Climate Change”, World Watch magazine, Nov/Dec 2009)
· The world’s population of farmed animals will double in 50 years if current trends continue. (Livestock’s Long Shadow) The resulting increase in GHGs would largely negate emission reductions from all other sectors.
Veg Climate Alliance is also pointing out that climate change is occurring faster than even in worst-case projections, and they are quoting leading climate scientists and economists calling for a reduction in meat consumption:
“The picture is quite grim – if the human race does not do anything, climate change will have serious impacts (...) Please eat less meat – meat is a very carbon intensive commodity.”
~ Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC
“(...) I think cutting back and substituting more fruit and vegetables is a responsible alternative.”
~ Al Gore, author of An Inconvenient Truth
“(...) in terms of individual action changing your diet is the best thing you can do.”
~ Dr. James Hansen, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies
“Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.”
~ Lord Stern of Bradford, former World Bank Chief Economist
The alliance is also stressing that a major switch to plant-based diets would have many additional positive benefits, including reducing: heart disease, cancer and other chronic, degenerative diseases; water pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, species extinction, desertification and other environmental problems; the wasteful use of land, water, energy and other resources; and the massive mistreatment and slaughter of billions of farmed animals annually.
Veg Climate Alliance’s mission is to increase awareness and facilitate communication on the benefits of plant-based diets and related issues. Our mission statement: http://vegclimatealliance.org/about/
Further info: www.VegClimateAlliance.org
http://www.Copenvegan.com
http://www.PlanetDiet.org
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Text of Letter Being Sent to the Delegates to the December Copenhagen Climate Crisis Conference Urging They Support Shifts to Plant-Based Diets
vegclimatealliance.org/veg-climate-alliance-letter-to-copenhagen-delegates/
Flyer being distributed widely in Copenhagen
http://copenvegan.com/banners-and-signs/
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3. Promoting Our Award-Winning Documentary “A Sacred Duty”
Thanks to long-time vegetarian and environmental activist Jeff Tucker for sending us the following message and for having it sent to about 3,000 people. Please share this or a similar message with others and please help make many more people aware of “A Sacred Duty.” Thanks.
Please watch the FREE video, A Sacred Duty - one of the most important documentary films of this decade is available for free viewing online, or arrange to have it embedded in a website you know, or request a free DVD. I have shown it at Temple Beth Or, spoken proudly of it at various Shabbat services, a temple men’s group, etc. but now as America starts to take responsibility for Global Warming at Copenhagen, treat yourself to this high quality, entertaining piece of social and eco- justice and become more aware of this awesome and momentous issue, Pretty Please.
The great Theodore Bikel (Tevya as you may know him from Fiddler) provides key narration, It contains segments with TWO Chief Rabbis, Prominent Israeli Scientists, and stunning visuals of the US, Israel, terra firma- what more can you ask for at such a bargain price?
If you see the entire film I promise you will be enlightened...
Jeff Tucker,
Eco-Judaism rep.
Watch Video >>> www.asacredduty.com <<<
A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World
A Major Documentary on Current Environmental Threats and How Jewish Teachings Can Be Applied in Responding to These Threats
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4. Strategy to Promote Vegetarianism
Thanks to author and JVNA advisor Dan Brook fir the following very valuable suggestion. This is an idea that I have also been promoting for a very long time.
I recommend that whenever you see a story online about food, that you post something about vegetarianism/veganism; when about health, post something about the health benefits of veg; when about animals, post something about animals and veg compassion; when about the environment, and especially deforestation and global warming, post something about the unsustainability of meat/poultry/fish/animal products and the many eco-benefits of going veg.
We should also write to TV stations, call in to radio stations, contact local, state, and national politicians, lobby corporations, and so on.
For some background info (aka talking points), please visit (and share):
Eco-Eating at www.brook.com/veg
GoVeg.com
FactoryFarming.org
51percent.org
We need to step up our game. Please help spread the word and get veg onto the agenda and into the public consciousness.
Thanks!
Peace,
Dan
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5. My Message to UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Urging Him to Promote Vegetarianism
KOL hakavod, Chief Rabbi Sacks on your eloquent statement urging Jews to respond in view of global warming threats.
But, very respectfully, I urge you to speak out far more strongly at a time when the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented global climate catastrophe, and some climate experts are telling us that we may have only a few years to avoid a tipping point when global warming spirals out of control.
As you are very aware, there have been many recent indications that global warming is already causing severe droughts, floods, storms, wild fires and heat waves an the very rapid melting of glaciers and polar ice caps.
Chief Rabbi Sacks, you are a position to make a major difference by urging that responding to climate change must become a major focus in Jewish life today. I urge you also to point out that a shift to plant-based diets is essential if we are to be able to reduce GHGs enough to be able to shift our imperiled world to a sustainable path.
If you would like more information on these issues or if I might be able to help i any other way, please let me know.
Many thanks!
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6. Top Ten Vegetarian-Related Recent Developments
This is a truly outstanding article embedded with much valuable information and links. Please read and share!
Peace,
Dan Brook
Top 10 (Recent) Developments On Factory Farming And Vegetarianism
On Thanksgiving, I spent some time taking stock of my life and the world around me and, as we're supposed to do over the holiday, giving thanks for all the joys -- little and big -- in my life. One of the larger joys for which I am giving thanks is all of the recent attention that has been lavished on a topic that is near and dear to my heart -- the cruelty and environmental harm involved in raising animals for food.
I struggled to cohesively construct an article about some of the many recent and important developments on this topic, but there is just too much. Instead, I decided on a top 10 list (a tip of the hat to David Letterman) -- the 10 most interesting articles on the farmed animal welfare front.
So without further ado:
a. World Bank scientists conclude that eating meat causes more than half of global warming (conservatively).
World Bank agricultural scientists Robert Goodland, who spent 23 years as the Bank's lead environmental advisor, and Jeff Anhang, a research officer and environmental specialist for the Bank, argue convincingly that more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to our desire to eat chicken, pigs, and other farmed animals. That's right: Add up all the causes of climate change, and you find that eating meat causes more than everything else combined.
Honestly, this was the biggest point for me: How can I possibly take the environment seriously if I'm still participating in what is -- by far -- the biggest contributor to warming?
Which might explain:
1. Prominent Stanford biochemist pledges to focus all his energy on promoting veganism.
Most of us have heard of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. RK Pachauri from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and his lectures all over the world promoting vegetarianism. Now along comes Dr. Patrick O. Brown who, as reported in (of all places) Forbes, will spend the next 18 months focused on "put[ting] an end to animal farming." Explains Dr. Brown, "There's absolutely no possibility that 50 years from now this system will be operating as it does now... I want to approach this as a solvable problem. Solution: 'Eliminate animal farming on planet Earth.'"
1) Al Gore is taking notice.
Although Gore's Global Warming Survival Handbook noted that "refusing meat" is the "single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint" (emphasis in original), Gore had not spoken publically about the issue. Now he has -- repeatedly. For example, on Larry King recently, Gore explained that "the impact of meat-intensive diet is a significant factor" in warming the planet, that "the growing meat intensity of diets around the world is bad for the planet," and that "the more meals I've substituted with more fruits and vegetables, the better I feel about it..." The truth is becoming less inconvenient, thankfully.
1. Celebrated author of Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close publishes Eating Animals a riveting book based on a three-year investigation of factory farming.
Jonathan Safran Foer has been widely hailed as one of the greatest novelists of his generation, was one of Rolling Stone's "People of the Year," and Esquire's "Best and Brightest" -- and after just two extraordinary works. As Nobel Prize-winning novelist J.M. Coetzee puts it about Foer's latest work, "The everyday horrors of factory farming are evoked so vividly, and the case against the people who run the system presented so convincingly, that anyone who, after reading Foer's book, continues to consume the industry's products must be without a heart, or impervious to reason, or both."
In his interview with Mother Jones Magazine (the entire interview is worth reading), Foer points out that Americans "now eat 150 times as much chicken as we did 80 years ago," and that it "takes between 6 and 26 calories to make one calorie of meat. It is an incredibly inefficient protein because we are cycling through all of these other grains that humans could eat."
· Actor Alicia Silverstone and Chef Tal Ronnen on the New York Times bestseller list.
For some weeks now, Chef Tal Ronnen's Conscious Cook and actress Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet have joined Foer and former model agent Rory Freedman (whose book convinced home run slugger Prince Fielder to adopt a vegan diet) on the list with books that make the case for vegetarian eating. You may recall Ronnen from his appearances on Oprah, which caused Oprah to exclaim, "Wow, wow, wow! I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying."
- Martha Stewart promotes a vegetarian Thanksgiving.
As my friends at Ecorazzi put it, "Martha Stewart has proved once again why she's a pioneer in the kitchen. Having someone with as much sway as the famous host show people that the big feast doesn't have to include meat to be successful is huge. Even better, she took the opportunity to educate her audience on factory farming industry -- with help from author Jonathan Safran Foer (of Eating Animals) and filmmaker Robert Kenner (Food, INC.)."
4. Egyptian mummy heart disease in LA Times
I'm not sure it belongs in my top 10 list, but I found it extremely interesting that "CT scans of Egyptian mummies, some as much as 3,500 years old, show evidence of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which is normally thought of as a disease caused by modern lifestyles..." What on earth could have caused it? I think I know: "The high-status Egyptians ate a diet high in meat from cattle, ducks and geese, all fatty." If only the ancient Egyptians had the wisdom of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn!
A. Honesty at the Turkey Pardoning
First Obama talks about factory farming and animal rights as a candidate. Then he puts in a garden at the White House. Now he's adding some honesty to the annual turkey pardoning -- talking about the fate of other birds, the fact that it's a fairly new ceremony, etc.
Might he have celebrated a vegetarian Thanksgiving? The White House isn't saying, according to Gail Collins of the New York Times in her delightful Thanksgiving Day contemplation of the turkey pardoning. Okay, I'm kidding a bit (could he really get away with having a veggie Thanksgiving, given the power of Agribusiness -- as documented in this sad piece on FoodConsumer.org), as was Collins of course, but the honesty at the event is refreshing, and we do have the first president who understands the harms of factory farming and who is taking global warming seriously.
I. Cargill launches dairy-free cheese!
The largest privately held company in the United States (six times the size of McDonald's) has just launched "a 100 percent non-dairy cheese analogue for pizza and other prepared food applications" that "replicates the functionality of dairy protein and replaces it fully at an outstanding cost advantage for the manufacturer." According to Cargill, "its appearance, taste and texture perfectly match those of processed cheese" and it "also offers health advantages as it contains reduced calories (less fat and no saturated fats) and... a unique opportunity for vegans to enjoy a product that has the characteristics and taste of cheese but without any animal-derived ingredients." It's also Halal and Kosher.
1. Yet another study is exposing the horrid treatment of workers by the all-powerful meat industry.
A recent six-part piece in the Lincoln Journal-Star documents the horrid conditions endured by slaughterhouse workers. Sadly, nothing has changed since Human Rights Watch released their report on the industry, "Blood, Sweat, and Fear," six years ago. Then and now, researchers have documented "systematic human rights violations embedded in meat and poultry industry employment." It's becoming all too obvious that if we care about worker rights, it makes sense to go vegan.
For information on making the switch to vegetarianism, please check out my previous post, "A Beginner's Guide to Conscious Eating."
Also visit Eco-Eating at www.brook.com/veg
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7. Increasing Temperatures Causing More Wildfires
Inferno on Earth: Wildfires Spreading as Temperatures Rise
19 November 2009
Future firefighters have their work cut out for them. Perhaps nowhere does this hit home harder than in Australia, where in early 2009 a persistent drought, high winds, and record high temperatures set the stage for the worst wildfire in the country’s history. On February 9th, now known as “Black Saturday,” the mercury in Melbourne topped 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.4 degrees Celsius) as fires burned over 1 million acres in the state of Victoria—destroying more than 2,000 homes and killing more than 170 people, tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and 1 million native animals.
Even as more people move into fire-prone wildlands around the world, the intense droughts and higher temperatures that come with global warming are likely to make fires more frequent and severe in many areas......
Source: Inferno on Earth: Wildfires Spreading as Temperatures Rise
Date: 2009-12-03
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8. Talk By World Watch “51%” Author at FAO Meeting
Robert Goodland: 'Forests, Fisheries, Agriculture: A Vision for Sustainability'
.. emissions attributable to livestock should be considered as impacts managed or owned by the industry or sector that emits them..
Expert consultation on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potentials
FAO 2-4 December 2009
Excerpts:
--If livestock are responsible for at least 51% of anthropogenic GHG emissions, then mitigation measures no longer suffice, and broadly avoiding emissions attributable to livestock becomes critical.
--The same crops used to manufacture biofuels and feed livestock can be used instead to feed people. The number of hungry people in the world now exceeds 1 billion for the first time ever, with a 20% increase in malnutrition expected by 2050. Already 6 million children die of hunger each year.
--Besides GHG emissions attributable to livestock products, they are also highly inefficient in their use of water, when compared to better alternatives. For example, assessments have shown as much as 200,000 litres of water used in the production of each kilogram of beef, versus 2,000 litres of water per kilogram of soybeans.Besides the amount of water used for livestock products, they are responsible for high levels of feedlot runoff, pollution of rivers and coastal waters (red tides), and eutrophication, leading to decreases in populations of aquatic organisms, and diminished availability of clean water. Livestock across the world have also been implicated as key drivers of today’s depletion of water tables, decreased percolation rates of rain into soils, and desertification, all of which are intensifying on a worldwide basis..
--As with all other emissions in the world, the emissions attributable to livestock should be considered as impacts managed or owned by the industry or sector that emits them...
--Funding for the following should be reduced or dropped, to make more resources available for investments in sustainability and food security: All large-scale livestock and feed production; industrial logging of old-growth forest; crops produced in tropical industrial export plantations; food-based crops used to manufacture biofuels; most marine commercial fisheries, until they recover to exploitable levels....
Source: 'Forests, Fisheries, Agriculture: A Vision for Sustainability' Author: Robert Goodland
Link: Livestock and Climate Change - By Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang
Date: 2009-12-03
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9. Connecting Chanukah to Copenhagen
From Hanukkah to Copenhagen: A Broad-Based Jewish Call to Action
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 12/2/2009
· Devoting Jewish Holidays to Peace/Global Scorching/ Hanukkah
Dear folks,
At the initiative of The Shalom Center, a broad spectrum of American Jewish leadership has issued the following statement about Hanukkah and Copenhagen:?
“Hanukkah for Humanity”
The traditions of rabbinic Judaism have long celebrated the Hanukkah miracle in which one day’s oil met eight days’ need. In that spirit, we join in urging the world community to include in our Hanukkah celebration this year a call to all the peoples of the earth. We encourage Jewish communities, wherever possible, to gather in public one Hanukkah evening to light their menorahs with this message:
That the human race deeply reduce our burning of fossil fuels as a step toward healing the climate crisis that threatens our future. The world’s governments are convened in the Copenhagen conference as we light the lights of Hanukkah at a time of the darkness of the moon and sun. We especially call out to them, that together all humanity light the lights of a sustainable future in the midst of a dark and difficult passage through history.
The list of individual signers of the “Hanukkah for Humanity” statement continues to grow; a full list of signers can be found below. Among the nationally known signers are: Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman, past president, Ohalah; Ellen Bernstein, Founder, Shomrei Adamah; Evan Eisenberg, author, The Ecology of Eden; Rabbi Steve Gutow, Director, Jewish Council on Public Affairs; Debra Kolodny, Executive Director, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal; Vivian Lehrer, Co-founder/Director, Eden Village Camp; Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Recon. Rabb. Coll.; Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Relig Action Ctr of Reform Judaism; Nigel Savage, Executive Director, Hazon; Richard H. Schwartz, President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America; Rabbi David Shneyer, past president, Ohalah; Nili Simhai, director, Teva Learning Center ; Rabbi Margot Stein, New Legends; Rabbi Warren Stone, Chair, Environment Comm, CCAR; Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Greenfaith; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director, The Shalom Center ; Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Inst for Jewish Spirituality; Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Among organizations, The Shalom Center, Hazon, the Teva Learning Center, and ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, have so far joined in endorsing it.
Please share this letter with your friends and coworkers and take the initiative to organize a “Hanukkah for Humanity” event in your own community. For one example, see below.
One example of carrying “Hanukkah for Humanity” into action: The Shalom Center, with support from a wide variety of Philadelphia synagogues, other Jewish organizations, and several interfaith groups and activists, is sponsoring a vigil for action to heal our endangered climate from “global scorching” — on the night of December 12 at 6:15, the second night of Hanukkah, near Independence Hall — at People’s Plaza, between 5th & 6th close to Market Street. ? ?That vigil will be connecting with hundreds of candle light vigils around the globe on the weekend of December 11-13, calling on the negotiators in Copenhagen to take the actions needed to save our eco-system. The call to that action came from Bill McKibben. Excerpts follow, below.
Shalom, salaam, shantih — Peace! Arthur
Here are excerpts from Bill McKibben’s letter:
”There’s a global mobilization coming together for the weekend in the middle of the Copenhagen conference—Dec. 11-13. Our collective message? “The World Wants a Real Deal” — people all over the planet are demanding a binding global climate agreement guided by the latest science and built upon principles of justice and equity.
”Our main hope is that you will help organize a candlelight vigil at some iconic or strategic place near you on Friday or Saturday night, December 11th or 12th. Around the world people will gather to light lanterns or candles, in solemn solidarity with the citizens of those nations who will be first to face the challenges to their very survival.?
“Click here for details about staging a local vigil and to register one in your community: 350.org/vigil? ? ?
“The short-term survival of many nations, and the long-term health of the whole planet, rests in the hands of Obama and the United States Senate. Their positions, along with the level of leadership provided by the European Union, China and a few other nations, can make or break a global climate treaty. The decisions made by this small group of people will, in large part, determine whether or not the world forges a real deal—not just any deal, but one that is strong enough to pull us back from the brink of climate catastrophe and put the planet on a path to 350. Their courage—or lack of it—will help set the future of the planet for geologic time.
“The candles we will light are candles of hope.”
The Shalom Center / web: http://www.theshalomcenter.org / email: office@theshalomcenter.org?mail: 6711 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19119, USA / tel: (215) 844-8494
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10. Paul McCartney and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Promote Plant-Based Diets
Belgium: Paul McCartney and Dr Pachauri in EU parliament for climate change hearing:
Less Meat = Less Heat
3 December 2009
This morning the vegetarians Paul McCartney and Dr Pachauri spoke at a hearing on climate change.
Sir Paul recommended the introduction of a meatless day per week to help cut CO2 emissions.
It was evident that the advice to go vegetarian, or at least reduce meat consumption, made the representatives of the meat industry and some politicians quite hot under their collars.
The comparison of tobacco and meat may have frustrated them even further.
But the times, they are changing....
----------------------
Quote: "By making a simple change in the way you eat, you are taking part in a world changing campaign"
---------->Paul McCartney
More (incl. link for downloads): http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=51050&lang=en
FoEI Climate Capsule - add your message to delegates in Copenhagen and to the world: http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/un-climate-talks/global/2009/climate-capsule
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11. Great Interview of Jonathan Safran Foer by Ellen Degeneres
Thanks to Jeff Tucker
Did you see this interview on Ellen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYZ7IlWo3BM
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12. Relating Chanukah to Climate Change Responses
At the initiative of The Shalom Center, a broad spectrum of American Jewish leadership has issued the following statement about Hanukkah and Copenhagen:
“Hanukkah for Humanity"
The traditions of rabbinic Judaism have long celebrated the Hanukkah miracle in which one day's oil met eight days' need. In that spirit, we join in urging the world community to include in our Hanukkah celebration this year a call to all the peoples of the earth. We encourage Jewish communities, wherever possible, to gather in public one Hanukkah evening to light their
menorahs with this message:
That the human race deeply reduce our burning of fossil fuels as a steptoward healing the climate crisis that threatens our future. The world's governments are convened in the Copenhagen conference as we light the lights of Hanukkah at a time of the darkness of the moon and sun. We especially call out to them, that together all humanity light the lights ofa sustainable future in the midst of a dark and difficult passage through history.
The list of individual signers of the "Hanukkah for Humanity" statement continues to grow; a full list of signers can be found on our website. Among the nationally known signers are: Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman, past president, Ohalah; Ellen Bernstein, Founder, Shomrei Adamah; Evan Eisenberg, author, The Ecology of Eden; Rabbi Steve Gutow, Director, Jewish Council on Public
Affairs; Debra Kolodny, Executive Director, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal; Vivian Lehrer, Co-founder/Director, Eden Village Camp; Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Recon. Rabb. Coll.; Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Relig Action Ctr of Reform Judaism; Nigel Savage, Executive Director, Hazon;
Richard H. Schwartz, President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America; Rabbi David Shneyer, past president, Ohalah; Nili Simhai, director, Teva Learning Center ; Rabbi Margot Stein, New Legends; Rabbi Warren Stone, Chair, Environment Comm, CCAR; Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Greenfaith; Rabbi Arthur
Waskow, director, The Shalom Center ; Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Inst for Jewish Spirituality; Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Among organizations, The Shalom Center, Hazon, the Teva Learning Center, and ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, have so far joined in endorsing it.
Please share this letter with your friends and coworkers and take the initiative to organize a "Hanukkah for Humanity" event in your own community.
One example of carrying "Hanukkah for Humanity" into action: The Shalom Center, with support from a wide variety of Philadelphia synagogues, other Jewish organizations, and several interfaith groups and activists, is sponsoring a vigil for action to heal our endangered climate from "global scorching" -- on the night of December 12 at 6:15, the second night of
Hanukkah, near Independence Hall -- at People's Plaza, between 5th & 6th close to Market Street.
That vigil will be connecting with hundreds of candle light vigils around the globe on the weekend of December 11-13, calling on the negotiators in Copenhagen to take the actions needed to save our eco-system. The call to that action came from Bill McKibben. Excerpts follow, below.
Shalom, salaam, shantih -- Peace!
Arthur
SNIP
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13. “Restoring Eden” Helps Religious Institution Serve Sustainable, Healthy Food
Forwarded message:
The world's religions all share in common one fundamental and important idea: food nourishes us, and is integral to our rituals and celebrations. At a time when billions of people are engaged in an increasingly global food system, our food choices represent one of the most important environmental decisions we can make. In response, GreenFaith has created Restoring Eden, to identify the most effective opportunities for Houses of Worship and religious schools to serve sustainable, healthy food.
“Restoring Eden is a one-stop shop: it outlines recommended steps, inspires with success stories, helps to clear confusion with definitions, and furthers your learning and action through an extensive list of resources,” said Stacey Kennealy, Restoring Eden’s author.
Please visit www.greenfaith.org and click on the link to access Restoring Eden.
You can also jumpstart your Restoring Eden efforts by screening the documentary , which celebrates the farmers, thinkers, and business people across America that are re-inventing our food system. Seen by over 25,000 people in communities throughout the United States, FRESH it is an uplifting movie that showcases inspiring projects and solutions. Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, states: “FRESH is a bracing, even exhilarating look at the whole range of efforts underway to renovate the way we grow food and feed ourselves.” Read an interview with filmmaker Ana Joanes.
For a limited time, FRESH is offering GreenFaith supporters a 20% discount on their screening licenses. You can purchase a screening license on their website at www.FRESHthemovie.com (click on the ‘Host a Screening’ button on the sidebar). Once you receive the receipt for your purchase, reply with the subject line "GREENFAITH REBATE" to receive your 20% off. FRESH will mail you your 20% discount right away.
Rabbi Lawrence Troster
Director, Fellowship Program,
GreenFaith: Interfaith Partners for the Environment
201 833-5166
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14. Poll: Vast Majority of Israelis Against Fur Industry
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3812115,00.html
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15. Call for Interfaith Responses to Climate Change
Forwarded message:
Dear Jewish Colleagues and Friends,
Thank you for your work to prevent runaway global warming and the “collapse of civilization” (as warned by the U.N., U.S. Army, World Bank,… see: ).
We would be so grateful if you might be able to share these requests with synogagues and Jewish organizations:
· Sign the Interfaith Call for 350 www.350.org/interfaithcall -- Faith communities call for justice and preventing harm to all people
· Ask congregations and organizations to participate in the Worldwide Candlelight Vigil on Dec. 11-12: www.350.org/vigil
· Ask congregations and organizations to participate with the World Council of Churches in the sounding of religious instruments: Dec. 13 – Faith communities sound 350 www.350.org/faith
Please advise us if there are congregations or organizations you think we should personally contact.
If you and others would like a briefing on the latest science and why 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide is now an urgent matter that requires strong action in the next few years, we have scientists available from the Sustainability Institute. The latest analysis is that we must reduce emissions by 40% to to save hundreds of millions of people, especially people in drier countries, poor countries, living on coastlines and islands (hundreds of millions of people), and people who depend upon meltwater from mountains for food and drinking water (1.3 billion people in the Middle East and Asia alone).
Many thanks,
Tina
Tina Clarke, tina@350.org, 413-863-5253
www.350.org
Invitation from the World Council of Churches:
SNIP
To support our work, donate securely online at 350.org/donate
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16.Martin Rowe, Lantern Book Publisher Discusses My Book ”Judaism and Global Survival”
http://lanternbooks.com/audio/1930051875.mp3
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17. Update From “Responsible Policies for Animals”
Forwarded message frim RPA Founder and Director David Cantor
Responsible Policies for Animals Members & Friends!
Thank you, all who have donated to Responsible Policies for Animals (RPA) in recent weeks! Through recent speaking trips and Thanksgiving (hope you had a good one!), I’ve looked forward to telling you about recent inspiring RPA events! Thin Ice due out soon will say more, and I will make my talks available upon request, but here are basics of presentations I gave at four colleges in three states early to mid-November:
Eat Like Life Matters.
Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, November 2nd
Toward Free and Informed Food Choices.
Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, November 3rd
Earth’s Best Hope: Rights of All Animals.
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, November 12th
Land of the Free – and of the Enslaved.
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, November 18th
At Grinnell, I also spoke to a political science class. My talk there was part of the symposium Rights and the Environment. I got to dine with other speakers and interested professors and students. My talks were very well received. And at all of the colleges, I enjoyed serious conversations with event organizers and members of their groups. I received superlative comments from some professors as well as students and local community residents!
I am very grateful to event organizers and hope that as RPA supporters you will share my gratitude. Many people attended thanks to organizers’ hard work! And many people stayed through lengthy question & answer sessions! My talks varied significantly, but in each I explained RPA’s 10,000 Years Is Enough campaign to end the land-grant university meat problem, and the political argument for animal rights. Briefly explaining the ethical argument – they experience life and have interests, therefore need basic rights for meaningful protection – I went far beyond:
There is no likely way to solve the big human problems – war, genocide, poverty, hunger, disease, soaring medical & insurance costs, global warming, pollution, ecosystem destruction, overpopulation, and more – without establishing equal basic rights of all animals regardless of species. Nonhuman animals’ lack of basic rights to live in healthy ecosystems and not to be used, owned, sexually abused or genetically manipulated is the root cause the big human problems share in common.
Since RPA works to improve human life by ending inhumane treatment of animals – all animal use and ecosystem disruption – and is promoting animal rights by methods that established basic rights for humans, not singling people out for blame, there is no talk of “animal rights violence,” “hating people,” and the like, despite the radical nature of animal rights as a political, social, and economic proposal.
The take-away message I received and most want to share with you: Many people are willing to consider animal rights when it is fully and truthfully explained. It is not necessary to substitute magical thinking that the animal-welfare system can protect animals or that vegetarianism can bring needed change through the ripple effect. Those approaches, though good for the few they help, do not address the institutions that lock people into inhumane practices and policies by promoting their own perceived interests over the public interest. People help and care about animals without significant prompting, and people are as likely to become vegetarian from grasping animal rights as from learning diet facts.
I plainly saw that people can grasp why only equal basic individual rights of all animals regardless of species can solve the big problems, including inhumane treatment of nonhuman animals.
On another note: Many thanks to all who have requested RPA land-grant university (LGU) fliers in response to recent offers! I thought of you all the other day when I spotted my first car with Penn State AND Cornell decals! Fortunately, I had both fliers on hand! Amazing numbers of Penn State cars in these parts! I rarely leave home without spotting some! Probably more than Obama and McCain cars combined – even adding “random kindness” and “impeach Bush”! So I always have fliers in my pocket! I'm sure it's the same in every state! In Raleigh I saw many N.C. State cars. Even in the small town of Grinnell, I saw a couple of Iowa State cars -- the university long ranked number one in serving the meat industry!
Right now in Florida, Hawai’i, Ohio, New York, and other states, RPA members and friends are using RPA fliers to urge LGU boosters to help end their institutions’ extremely inhumane, eco-destructive, health-devastating meat-industry programs! It’s easy & convenient! Request fliers anytime!
I hope you will donate to RPA today. Like me, you probably receive at least ten, maybe dozens, of e-mails each day, some items by mail, too, telling you what to do or support to “fight cruelty,” “cure disease,” “end hunger,” “fight global warming,” and the rest. Well into my second half-century of life, having lent support to many good causes and having achieved many victories for nonhuman animals with no rights, I now see popular, well-funded efforts, even when run by talented and dedicated people, as what Thoreau called “hacking at branches” rather than “striking at the root.”
The root cause of the intractable problems we all want to solve is not “cruelty” or “cruel factory farming” but inhumane treatment of animals – all animal use and ecosystem disruption. Only basic rights can begin to address that. Think of RPA as promoting “the mother of all causes”! By supporting an organization that exclusively promotes animal rights, you don’t just fund gimmicks like “change we can believe in” but the only likely meaningful change.
As RPA member Mike Grieco (Whitehorse, Yukon) put it in an e-mail the other day, “Hopefully those kind-hearted, humane-minded people who give millions to the "welfare" organizations will soon come to realize that they would be wise to give to Animal Rights instead. Otherwise there will never be meaningful protection for nonhumans, humans, and ecosystems (as you know).” Read about Mike’s sustained efforts for the animals in Thin Ice due out soon!
If you haven't visited RPA's three websites recently, have a look! They're listed below -- as is information for donating online or by mail.
RPA needs money to operate, yes – and these are dire times as many of our friends have been hit by the global economic squeeze. But RPA does not demand millions like animal-advocacy institutions. We recognize the difference between creating a meaningful rights movement and building an institution, and we choose the former. So your most generous possible gift is plenty! My working more-than-full-time for RPA for no pay is not due to independent wealth but the conviction that animal rights must happen or the massive institutionalized violence against nonhumans and the rapidly deteriorating quality of human life cannot be reversed. I hope to hear from you soon! Meanwhile, enjoy a rewarding holiday season – assured that you are part of the solution despite our all being, for now, locked into the problems.
Best wishes,
David Cantor
Founder & Director
Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc.
P.O. Box 891
Glenside, PA 19038
215-886-RPA1
RPA4all@aol.com
www.RPAforAll.org
www.ExpertsOfConscience.org
www.EatForSports.org
Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization, shows people how to establish responsible policies for animals that are also responsible policies for people and ecosystems – meaningful, enforceable basic rights for nonhuman animals, the only means to humane treatment as public policy rather than personal choice.
RPA’s 10,000 Years Is Enough campaign aims to end our land-grant universities’ support of the meat industry -- see www.RPAforAll.org and www.ExpertsOfConscience.org.
RPA's This Land Is Their Land campaign aims to protect wildlife by ending armed assaults and destructive land-use practices. See Campaigns page at www.RPAforAll.org.
RPA's position statement opposing violence and other antisocial behavior in association with animal advocacy is available at www.RPAforAll.org or by request.
Donations to RPA are tax deductible as allowed by law and may be made at the above address or www.RPAforAll.org.
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18. Haaretz Editorial on Israel and Climate Change
Israel must do its part to stop global warming
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1133321.html
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19. Foer Book Claims that Hitler Was a Vegetarian
Forwarded message to me from JVNA advisor Stewart Rose:
Thanks for your help in [trying to correct] this mistake. On page 258 of the new book, Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, the author claims that Hitler was a vegetarian. This is especially upsetting since the author is Jewish and the book begins with the experience of the author's grandmother in the Holocaust. The relevant sentence at the top of the page is " Okay, we don't fight wars because we eat meat, and some wars should be fought-which is not to mention that Hitler was a vegetarian." Even more upsetting is the fact that in the notes section on page 329 the author states that he "has no idea if it's true" and that "it's especially doubtful" If that's the case then why did he say it? He makes no qualification in the text whatsoever. Even just Googling "Hitler Vegetarian" quickly results in the fact that this is a myth.
In my opinion, the greatest threat to the Jewish people is not global warming even though I would agree that it's still a very, very serious problem. I believe that the greatest threat to the Jewish people is another Holocaust. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, half the world's Jews could be wiped out in an instant. Distorting the history of the last Holocaust is the surest way I know of for another Holocaust to happen.
I have been a vegan for thirty years. As a Jew committed to Tikun Olam I have been working to help a transition in the world's diet to take place. Within the Jewish community, I have tried to make the case for the vegan diet as a moral imperative for Judaism. While I will continue to share your book with as many members of the Jewish community as I can, I will not be able to share Foer's new book because of this mistake. Ironicaly, Foer is a professor of English at Columbia Univeristy where last I heard Ryn Berry, who wrote a book dispelling this myth, was also a professor.
I respectfully ask that you contact the author, and others who may be able to help, and inform them of this mistake and ask that a correction be made and also mention this mistake in the next JVNA newsletter as you think appropriate.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the great work you have done on behalf of the JVNA for so many years.
Stewart Rose
Vice President
Vegetarians of Washington
www.vegofwa.org
[Please loin me in contacting Jonathan Safran Foer at EatingAnimals@gmail.com, to urge him to correct the misconception. Thanks.]
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20. NY Times Article: Global Warming is Not Slowing Down
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/science/earth/09climate.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp
NY Times December 8, 2009
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21. Climate Change Activists Should Build Ties With Health Professionals
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-12-08-advocates-should-build-tieswith-public-health-community
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22. Awesome Comprehensive, Scientific Analysis of Global Warming
http://www.ccrc.unsw.edu.au/Copenhagen/Copenhagen_Diagnosis_LOW.pdf
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December 19, 2009
December 5, 2009
12/2/2009 JVNA Online Newsletter
Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Happy Chanukah
2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen into CopenVegan”
3. Hazon and Jewish Climate Initiative Call for 50% Decrease in Meat Consumption by Jews by 2015
4. Many Recent Activities Point to Building Momentum Toward Plant-Based Diets
5. Recent Review of “A Sacred Duty”
6. Argument for More Passion in Promoting Vegetarianism
7. Letter From Dr. Rajendra Pachauri and Sir Paul McCartney Re Reducing Meat Consumption to Help Address Global Warming
8. New Group Promotes World Watch Article Conclusion That Animal Sector Is Responsible For at Least 51% of GHGs
9. Canfei Nesharim’s Statement on Global Warming
10. Paul McCartney Calls For Meat-Free-Day
11. NY Times Article Promotes Healthier Eating
12. Chief Rabbi of the UK Urges Jews to Respond to Global Warming
13. Update on Meat Grown in Labs
14. Hazon Food Conference Scheduled/Special Rate Offered
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Happy Chanukah
With Chanukah starting at sundown on Friday, December 11, time to think of connections to our issues. Please see my article “Chanukah and Vegetarianism” in the festivals section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz, and please consider using these points for letters to editors, calls to talk shows and talking points. Thanks.
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2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen into CopenVegan”
With the Copenhagen climate conference scheduled to take place from December 7 – 18, it is more important than ever that the delegates issue a final statement that declares that it is urgent that there be a major societal shift to plant-based diets to avoid an unprecedented global climate catastrophe.
I have been working as director of Veg Climate Alliance with some amazingly dedicated people from many countries in efforts to “turn Copenhagen into CopenVegan. Among other things, we have taken out a full page ad proclaiming that there is a “Convenient Truth,” that can help reverse global warming. We will also be distributing many flyers with our basic messages.
We are also planning a major forum on Sunday, December 13 on “Vegetarianism: Essential to Save the Planet?”
For more information, and to see our ad and flyer and some of my related writings, please visit www.VegClimateAlliance.org and www.CopenVegan.com.
As of now, for a number orf reasons, including my feeling that I might be more helpful through email messages, writing articles and press releases and helping with strategy ideas, it looks like I will noit be going to Copenhagen. But I am spending many hours daily planning events there.
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3. Hazon and Jewish Climate Initiative Call for 50% Decrease in Meat Consumption by Jews by 2015
http://www.jewishclimatecampaign.org/education.php
This is a very significant development and I plan to write a JVNA press release supporting it. I hope that will be in the next JVNA newsletter. Suggestions welcome.
Thanks.
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4. Many Recent Activities Point to Building Momentum Toward Plant-Based Diets
[Below are just a few recent indications of the growing momentum of interest in plant-based diets.]
Forwarded message:
1) With her huge following, Martha Stewart exposes the animal industry on Thanksgiving! And promotes the movie "Food Inc." and Vegetarian cooking. Good job Martha - Vegetarianism continues to rise!
http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/vegetarian-thanksgiving
[She also had a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, since a daughter is a vegetarian.]
2) Very recently, 60 Minutes Australia did a Primetime feature on the horrors of the pig industry. Excellent show... video and transcripts
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=973831 13 minutes.
3) India's Environmental Minister promoting Veg to his whole country and the world, {He urged that all meals at the Copenhagen climate conference be vegetarian.] Obama putting on an almost complete vegetarian meal to welcome the Indian PM.
4) The Stanford University biochemist (featured in Forbes magazine) has a new mission: "Eliminate animal farming on planet Earth." http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1130/thought-leaders-mcdonalds-global-warming-drop-that-burger.html
5).Plus all the amazing news from the UK recently such as
The Windsor Castle going vegan hosted by Prince Philip and UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon in attendance:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8337000/8337997.stm
6) UK Climate change chief Lord Stern of Brentford echoed the call. He said: "Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world's resources. A vegetarian diet is better."
7) AL Gore supporting veg by eating less meat in his diet, [and admitting that meat production is a significant contributor to climate change.]
and more, including much positive publicity and reviews around Jonathan Safran Foer’s new book “Eating Animals” and his interviews and talks.
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5. Recent Review of “A Sacred Duty”
Judaism Site
Lisa Pinkus, BellaOnline's Judaism Editor
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61632.asp/zzz
A Sacred Duty - A Documentary Review
Conversations around the topics of environmental concerns, health and sustainability, and the ecological future of our world often lead me to a deeper contemplation of our purpose here on Earth.
It is time – no matter who you are or what you believe in – to begin to consider the bigger picture. In a world focused on immediate gratification, accumulation and thinking of only the present moment, we are neglecting the far greater responsibility to the future survival of our world and all those in it. It is time we become accountable for the actions we take and how our actions make their impact on the world around us.
Lately, I’ve trained my children to use only one paper towel when drying their hands in public restrooms; we wrap birthday presents in recycled bags from the grocery store; and we are trying to purchase more locally grown foods. Little steps can make a huge difference – the primary one being the effect they have on our children’s view of the world and how they care for it.
The more you learn, the more frightening it can become. However, increasing our knowledge is critical from this point forward. The field of ecological sustainability is not something new. The Torah is rampant with mandates on how to care for the Earth, our bodies and the animals in it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to view a documentary called A Sacred Duty, produced by multi-award-winning producer/director, writer and cinematographer, Lionel Friedberg and edited by professional editor, Diana Friedberg. The documentary is an hour long and can be viewed on the website of The Jewish Vegetarians of North America. Whether you are an environmentalist, a vegetarian, or neither – this documentary is a worthwhile view that will educate, inform and raise questions in your mind.
Ethics, morality and Torah Law. These are three of the explanations given for the imperative to take better care of our world and ourselves as demonstrated by A Sacred Duty.
What more can I be doing? What are our Torah responsibilities in regard to caring for the Earth? Is it truly G-d’s plan that we should all be vegetarians? How does the way I carry out my life impact the rest of the world? Am I really that important in the grand scheme of things?
A Sacred Duty begins in Israel, a tiny piece of land, which is – amazingly – a reflection of ecosystems found throughout the world. Pairing scientific evidence with Judaism’s ancient law, this documentary reveals how we are failing our G-d given responsibility to protect the Earth and all that is in it.
The concrete facts tell us that 18% of greenhouse gases come from livestock agriculture. Less land is needed to feed millions on a soy/vegetarian- based diet than is used to raise the cattle that feed far fewer people. With a world population where 15% of people are undernourished, one begins to wonder how we ended up here in the first place.
Was it because of Noah and Jews who said they needed more than fruits and vegetables to sustain them? How did the Jewish people – especially traditionally observant Jewish people – arrive at a place where we are disregarding G-d’s requests to care for the land, the people and the animals? Is this not the basis for ecological sustainability and “green” living that has become so popular in our culture today?
A Sacred Duty makes the insinuation that we are disregarding essential Jewish tenets to satisfy our own selfish desires. And, from what I gathered while watching this movie, there are several reasons to at least explore the concept of vegetarianism, the notion of ecological sustainability and the Torah Laws connected to caring for ourselves, for animals, and for the world.
The first being that these principles are mandates from G-d. They are just as important as any other mitzvahs we are asked to observe. The documentary covers several of them such as Bal Taschit, a prohibition against waste; Tzaar Ba’alei Hayyim, a prohibition against causing animals unnecessary pain; and, of course, implied throughout, is tikkun olam, protecting and repairing our world.
Further, the future of our world is at stake if we do not contemplate the consequences of our current way of life – each and every one of us. Whether you are religiously observant or not, future generations cannot exist if we destroy and use up all that we have.
Let the humanitarian in everyone arise. If we are able to take simple steps to ensure that most people in this world receive the proper nutrition and to significantly reduce greenhouse gases and other “bad effects” that are destroying our planet, why wouldn't we do it?
A Sacred Duty is a great – and frightening – place to start. This film is filled with hard facts and religious principles to convince the viewer of his or her responsible stewardship required as a caretaker in this world. From Israel to a global view of the world, you will be provoked, concerned and motivated to make some change – even if it is a small one.
The end of the documentary is a bit horrific with repulsive images that may just convince some of you to contemplate vegetarianism. While it is difficult to watch the inhumane treatment of some of these animals, I understand the need to show it. What we don’t ask, we don’t know. If we don’t know – how are we able to make informed decisions?
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6. Argument for More Passion in Promoting Vegetarianism
Forwarded article:
Dispassion As the World Ends: The Absent Heart of the Great Climate Affair
Stop Being So $@%!ing Polite ?By Adam D. Sacks ?Grist, October 14, 2009 ?Straight to the Source?
http://www.grassrootsnetroots.org/articles/article_19490.cfm
In “The Fallacy of Climate Activism,” I suggest that we as climate activists are not telling the unadulterated truth—which seems to worsen daily—to the public. This is one critically important reason we’re making so little progress in changing behavior and politics commensurate with the drastic acceleration of global warming. We have hurled ourselves far beyond the point where simply reducing greenhouse-gas emissions will make a difference that makes a difference.
Having examined some of the what of our missteps in “Fallacy,” in this piece I take a look at some of the how: the timid, tentative, emotionally impoverished voice of our communications, the feelings unexpressed in the face of the premature and squalid end of so much of what we love, the unfathomable reluctance to speak to the depth of the grief we are bringing upon ourselves.
Global climate disruption—having graduated in short order from a spectre a century away to a battering present-day reality—foreshadows the demise of civilization, the failure of our life-support systems, and even, perhaps, the end of most life on earth. Yet most industrialized humans, to date, remain largely unaware and only marginally concerned. This is a remarkable puzzle, and were we to solve it perhaps we would take a major step toward addressing the climate catastrophe.
I offer you a key puzzle piece: The end of all that we have known is an unthinkable thought, as are so many unprecedented abrupt and catastrophic events. When a thought is unthinkable, it is invisible even when writ large—we simply can’t see it, even when we have reason to try. If we do see it, it quickly falls from awareness. If, finally, we accept it, perhaps after months or years of getting used to the idea, we find that we’re alone, mostly talking to ourselves.
Then, when the reality strikes us all irrefutably, undeniably, without mercy, we are completely unprepared, asking incredulously, “Why didn’t somebody tell us?”
And what hasn’t been told?
To date, most of our arguments about the reality of global warming have been data-driven, psychically tepid litanies of climate science and industrial “solutions,” peppered with the heartstring-tugging of cute polar bears and sad stories of /i>, but we don’t know them and there’s nothing we can do to help anyway, except perhaps changing lightbulbs). Coastal insalination rendering vast swaths of farmland useless, houses plunging into the sea as permafrost melts, even wildfires threatening the City of the Angels, to name just a very few—these are far, far away and don’t really affect us. Or we don’t see it. (Yet.)
We climate activists are the ones who aren’t saying what needs to be said.[4] Our silence is not the lack of words, it is the absence of an essence in urgent human relationships, an essence with power to break the bonds of unthinkable thoughts:
Passion.
To illustrate, I would like to reproduce for you an excerpt from one of my favorite speeches of the 19th century. It is entitled “What to a Slave Is the Fourth of July,” and was delivered by Frederick Douglass before the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society on July 5, 1852 (he refused to speak on July 4, for reasons that will quickly become apparent). Douglass, as you may remember, was one of the great political thinkers and orators of that horrific era, an escaped slave who taught himself to read and went on to become an erudite, articulate, and passionate abolitionist, a writer, a sought-after speaker, and a guest of President Lincoln.
Here are his words:
... What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong?
... What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine, that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine!! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument has passed. At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire, it is not a gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.
What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. ...
Well ...
Today we are addressing the end of the world we know, quite possibly the extinction of homo sapiens and most other species on earth, and we can do little more than cite statistics?[5] Surely an unravelled web of life, miserable ends for countless creatures great and small, and mass death of billions of human beings, mostly innocent, should call for “scorching irony,” at the very least.
Where are our fire, thunder, ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, stern rebuke? Why are we so polite?[6] Why are we so obedient? What are we thinking? What aren’t we thinking? What are we doing? What aren’t we doing? When do we start? [7]
I have a proposition for you. Try your hand at a letter—to an editor, or to a friend, or to a lover, or to a child—availing yourself of all the passion you can muster as we hasten blindly toward world’s end. Post it here for all to ponder—then we’ll send the collection to everyone we know, far and wide.
When do we start? Now’s the time.
Quill and ink (or keyboard) in hand, summon your muse and write for our lives!
SNIP
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7. Letter From Dr. Rajendra Pachauri and Sir Paul McCartney Re Reducing Meat Consumption to Help Address Global Warming
Brussels, 3rd December 2009
Dear Sir/Madam,
As you are certainly aware, the world – and especially the developed countries – has to take significant and urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have no doubt that you have already taken concrete steps to mitigate climate change. However, we would like to bring to your attention an option that you may have not yet considered.
Worldwide, meat production is responsible for no less than 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions through meat production and associated land-use changes are one of the most important causes of climate change. Yet people, especially in high-income societies, continue to eat large amounts of meat. This high meat intake not only has negative effects on the climate and biodiversity, it is also harmful for our health because it increases the risk of cardio-vascular disease, obesity, diabetes and other diseases of affluence. Hence, it is very important to limit our meat consumption.
Because our food, and especially meat consumption, is such a significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions, the most powerful resource we have in the fight against climate change may very well be… our forks. Each time you eat a vegetarian meal instead of a meat-based meal, you contribute to mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases. So skipping the meat now and then is a good recipe against climate change.
Local governments can certainly play a role in helping citizens to reduce their intake of meat and other animal products. We would like to bring to your attention the campaigns for weekly meatless days that are appearing in different parts of the world. Notably in the case of the city of Ghent, Belgium, such a campaign was carried out in partnership between an NGO and the city government. Together they have distributed maps of the city highlighting vegetarian eateries, how-to brochures for
restaurants and changed the menu in city restaurants. Ghent has also introduced a weekly vegetarian day in all 35 city schools, an initiative which has also been enacted in schools in the city of Baltimore, USA. Similar programmes have recently started in São Paulo, Brazil and Hasselt, Belgium and other cities are considering following suit. In the UK, the Meat Free Monday campaign is encouraging people to discover the
benefits of eating less meat. The Swedish government has also produced guidelines on healthy and climate-friendly eating which include a recommendation for meat reduction.
Individuals can only do so much. It is also the responsibility of governments and industries to ensure that sustainable alternatives like plant-based products are widely available and affordable. Several alternative policies and options could lead to lower consumption of meat and climate-friendly lifestyles. Cities like Ghent, São Paulo or Baltimore have provided a menu of actions that could be more widely adopted, and it is for communities and governments to decide how to implement them. We both are appealing to leaders at the national and local levels to ensure that concrete steps are taken in this direction.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Sir Paul McCartney
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8. New Group Promotes World Watch Article Conclusion That Animal Sector Is Responsible For at Least 51% of GHGs
Forwarded message:
Von: Stephen Ma <stephen_ma_tw@yahoo.com
The Most Important Solution To Global Warming
Datum: Dienstag, 1. Dezember 2009, 7:38
Dear Friends,
In the run up to the Copenhagen climate change summit, it is vital that the following information be disseminated to the public as well as to our political leaders.
A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, Livestock’s Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to livestock….however recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang co-authors of “Livestock and Climate Change” in the latest issue of World Watch magazine found that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions!
http://www.51percent.org
The main sources of GHGs from animal agriculture are: (1)
Deforestation of the rainforests to grow feed for livestock. (2)
Methane from manure waste. – Methane is 72 times more potent as a global warming gas than CO2 (3) Refrigeration and transport of meat around the world. (4) Raising, processing and slaughtering of the animal.
Meat production also uses a massive amount of water and other resources which would be better used to feed the world’s hungry and provide water to those in need.
Based on their research, Goodland and Anhang conclude that replacing livestock products with soy-based and other alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change. They say “This approach would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentrations- and thus on the rate the climate is warming-than actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.” The fact is that we are being informed of the dangerous path we are on by depending greatly on animal flesh for human consumption. We still have the opportunity to make the most effective steps in saving ourselves and this planet. By simply choosing a plant based diet we can reduce our carbon foot print by a huge amount. We are gambling with our lives and with those of our future generations to come. It’s madness to know we are fully aware of the possible consequences but yet are failing to act. Please make a truly environmental, healthy and compassionate choice, choose to drastically reduce your meat intake or simply go vegetarian or vegan. This is the single most powerful action for preventing climate change as it is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Take action now by visiting http://www.51percent.org
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours Sincerely
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9. Canfei Nesharim’s Statement on Global Warming
Learning and Resources / Environmental Issues
Statement on Climate Change (by CN's Science & Tech Advisory Board)
Approved by Canfei Nesharim Board of Directors, May 2009
http://canfeinesharim.org/learning/environmental.php?page=22256
Summary: What is Happening
The Earth’s climate has warmed significantly over the last 50 years, and unless human activities change dramatically, will continue to warm throughout this century.
1. Fossil fuels are burned as a result of things we do every day to eat, travel, and live in our homes.
2. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, are released by the burning of fossil fuels (such as oil, coal, and natural gas).
3. These “greenhouse gases” remain in the atmosphere for a long time and are causing our atmosphere to become warmer.
4. In addition, destruction of forests and other changes in the way we use our land have increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
5. The rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases parallels the rapid rise in the Earth’s surface temperature during the same period of time.
It has been predicted by sophisticated computer models, demonstrated by carefully designed experiments, and confirmed by countless direct observations that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have profound effects on the Earth’s temperature, sea level, and the abundance and distribution of precipitation.
Why Climate Change is Important
Global warming affects the health and welfare of humans and other living organisms on this planet. To date, the earth’s surface has warmed an average of 0.7oC and according to IPCC scientists, if no corrective action takes place, carbon dioxide concentrations will double by the latter half of this century, causing a rise of from 2.0 to 5.5oC (3.6 to 10oF) in the earth’s average surface temperature.[1]
While these temperature changes may seem small, it is important to understand that even these slight changes in the average surface temperature can have profound effects on the global systems that regulate our planet. One way to help put these temperature changes into perspective, one must understand what climate change means in terms of human health and welfare[2].
While climate change might allow those in northern latitudes to enjoy warmer winters, warmer winters generally reduce the snow pack that provides the drinking water resources for a region. Snow and ice from mountain glaciers and snow pack are primary sources of water for both surface water (lakes and rivers) and ground water (the water source for wells). For example, scientists have shown that glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and may disappear within 30-50 years[3], with serious impacts on the water availability in those regions. Additionally, in many subtropical and tropical regions, increased heat will cause drying, expanding arid conditions.
Our water resources are used for agricultural, commercial, and domestic purposes. As population numbers increase and the demands for water rise, decreasing levels of available, usable water could create severe socio-political crises and economic disruptions.
Beyond the need for water, a warmer planet can have significant impacts on agriculture. Warmer winters, earlier snowmelts and later frosts have been shown to cause greater insect infestations for agricultural crops. That is because many insects die during extended winter periods of subzero temperatures.[4] Additionally, while some species of crops grow better with increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, the warmer, drier weather in some regions that are associated with increased carbon dioxide reduces overall productivity for many other key agricultural species.[5]
There is also a risk of warmer weather to human health. Aside from the very real risks posed by drought and heat stress (particularly to vulnerable populations such as babies and the elderly), there is also a potential for increased disease. Because changes in rainfall patterns and temperature regimens, may extend the range of mosquitoes that can spread malaria, yellow and dengue fever, populations that had not experienced waterborne diseases may now be susceptible.[6]
While many of us have heard predictions of sea level rise as a consequence of climate change, we do not realize that ocean islands may be completely submerged by this increase. This reality may create millions of environmental refugees as people flood into areas in search on potable water and arable land. A recent report from the United Nations projects that the sea level could rise as much as two meters by the end of the century. Sea level rise could have devastating impacts on the hundreds of millions of people currently living in densely populated coastal regions or mega-deltas of Asia and India. The United Nations estimates that a sea level rise of only one meter will cause some areas to be uninhabitable, such as the oceanic island nation, Maldives, where about 80 percent of the 1,192 coral islets are one meter or less above sea level [7].
The displacement of entire societies, most of whom have had no share in the causes of climate change, pose startling issues for human justice.
Scientific Evidence
Largely as a result of increased human activities, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has reached 385 parts per million, a 40% increase over levels in the pre-industrialized world [8] and the highest values known for the last 1 million years. [9] Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide continue to increase at a rapid rate [10] with 75% of the increase in carbon dioxide emission occurring in the last half century.[11]
Because of the long lead-time between emissions and consequent atmospheric temperature change, the atmosphere is expected to warm another 0.6°C (1.1°F) due to emissions that have already taken place even if no additional greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.[12]
There is a strong scientific consensus that rising carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has caused temperatures to rise above pre-industrial times by about 0.7oC (1.3oF) and has brought the hottest weather on record for several years within the last decade. [13] Damage from climate change is predicted to be most severe for changes above 2°C (3.6°F) and a carbon dioxide concentration of 450 parts per million.[14] Combining these data, it is clear that the system has already experienced or is committed to some 65% of the warming we can safely afford.
Without any corrective action, carbon dioxide concentrations will double by the latter half of this century, resulting in a rise of from 2.0 to 5.5oC (3.6 to 10oF) in the earth’s average surface temperature.[15] Therefore, it is highly likely that significant changes in agriculture, health, and socioeconomic parameters will occur.
Some of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, thereby increasing its acidity. Ocean acidification and related worldwide changes in ocean chemistry have been shown to be detrimental to marine organisms such as reef-building corals and a host of economically important fish species.[16]
Current research cannot prove with 100% certainty that existing climate change does not have a natural component along with the human industrial influence. However, predictions climate scientists made 20 years ago as to the Earth’s response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are entirely consistent with the actual changes that have occurred.[17] This powerful finding is matched by retrospective computer modeling that has demonstrated that the single most accurate predictor of current changes in land and ocean temperatures is the human-driven emissions of carbon dioxide.[18]
While there are uncertainties in the science of climate change, they are not about whether the Earth has already warmed or whether human emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for a large part of this warming. Rather, they concern the magnitude of future changes if civilization does not take corrective action.
What Can Be Done to Help
Given that human activities are a critical cause of global climate change, Canfei Nesharim recognizes that people can also become motivated to act to reduce or even reverse the rate at which these changes are occurring. Specifically, as an organization we appeal to the full range of societal stakeholders to promote policies and practices that reduce carbon footprints at the individual, corporate, national, and international levels.
This appeal is consistent with the Biblical (d’araiso) injunction, Bal Tashchit—from the book of Deuteronomy (Chap. 20: 19-20). This injunction not to waste or destroy trees in times of war has been interpreted by the rabbinic authorities of the Talmud and later generations to encompass a larger proscription against wasteful destruction of resources.
“When you lay siege and battle against a city for a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding an ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down – for is a tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? Only the trees which you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down, and you shall build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you until it is subdued.”
Over the centuries, the instruction not to waste became extended well beyond fruit trees to become a general philosophy of prudence and protection, consistent with our stewardship over the earth. We are obliged not to use more than what we need, not to destroy things needlessly, not to use something of greater value when something of lesser value will suffice and not to use something in a way it was not meant to be used (which increases the likelihood the item will be broken or destroyed). This injunction points us in the direction of proper, sustainable use of natural resources, and certainly is consistent with preventing significant damage to natural systems upon which life depends, such as our climate.
Our actions are causing destructive harm to the resources on our planet, upon which all life depends. Our Jewish tradition obligates us to take action.
Acting locally to limit our energy use and reduce our environmental impact can change a mindset of disbelief and inaction that, in turn, will move corporations and governments to greater action. Examples of these small-scale actions include but are not limited to:
a. If you can walk to shul on Shabbat, walk there for daily minyanim whenever it is convenient.
b. Get an energy audit for your congregation and, within the ability of your community to do so, implement an energy savings plan for the building.
c. Consider the energy used in simple activities such as water usage in your home and synagogue; lighting, heating and cooling buildings; and growing, transporting, and buying food.
d. Buy local to reduce fuel requirements in merchandise transportation both for your home and shul.
e. Even more effective than buying local is shifting to less than one day per week’s worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more greenhouse reduction than buying all locally sourced food. [19]
f. “Green” your home and shul as best as you can in terms of its physical structure, e.g., where appropriate, install a green roof or solar panels and compact fluorescent bulbs (taking care to buy those with lower mercury).
g. Use carpools, bicycle, or take advantage of public transportation to get to work. When buying a new car, consider the models with the highest gas efficiency.
h. Minimize home and synagogue energy usages, e.g., if you are not in a room, then turn the light off; use setback thermostats to control air temperatures; and insulate your house.
i. Work with organizations that encourage greater tree plantings or roof gardens in urban areas, especially pollution-tolerant species. This will help reduce the urban heat island effect, which is associated with increased heat-related illnesses and mortalities.[20]
To sign a pledge advocating for a Jewish response to climate change, click here.
Footnotes:
1
An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, approved in detail at IPCC Plenary XXVII (Valencia, Spain, 12-17 November 2007. These data are detailed in the Synthesis Report of over 2,500 scientists who gathered at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Plenary XXVII (Valencia, Spain, 12-17 November 2007)
2
For additional information refer to the US Climate Change Science Program Report Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems
3
WGMS Glacier Mass Balance Bulletin 2002-2003, No. 8.World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, 2005.
4
Cynthia Rosenzweig, Ana Iglesias, X.B. Yang, Paul R. Epstein, Eric Chivian. 2000. Climate Change and US Agriculture: The Impacts of Warming and Extreme Weather Events on Productivity, Plant Diseases, and Pests. Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard University.
5
ibid.
6
W J Martens, L W Niessen, J Rotmans, T H Jetten, and A J McMichael. Potential impact of global climate change on malaria risk. Environ Health Perspect. 1995 10:458–464.
7
Shriner DS, Street RB. North America. In: Watson RT, Zinyowera MC, Moss RH, editors. The Regional Impacts of Climate Change. An Assessment of Vulnerability. [A special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group 2.] Cambridge (MA): Cambridge University Press; 1998. p. 253-330.
8
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center.
9
D. King. Climate change: the science and the policy. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:779-783, 2005.
10
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Committee on Global Change, National Research Council, Chapter 3 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Global Processes, Ozone Depletion, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate Change, National Academic Press, Washington, DC, 1989, pp. 10-18.
11
Hansen, J., et al. Dangerous human-made interference with climate: A GISS model study. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7:2287-2312, 2007
12
IPCC op. cit.
13
ibid.
14
ibid.
15
ibid.
16
2004 UNESCO report, Priorities for Research on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World
17
ibid.
18
F. Joos and R. Spahni. Rates of change in natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing over the past 22,000 years. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci USA 105:1425-1430, 2008.
19
CL Weber and HS Matthews, Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42:3508-3513, 2008.
20
Gamble, J.L., K.L. Ebi, F.G. Sussman, T.J. Wilbanks. 2008. Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA.
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10. Paul McCartney Calls For Meat-Free-Day
Subject: [WVW] McCartney calls for meat-free day to cut CO2
Reply-To: list@vegetarianweek.org
McCartney calls for meat-free day to cut CO2
(AFP) – 2 hours ago
BRUSSELS — Paul McCartney is urging consumers to fight global warming by going vegetarian at least once a week, ahead of an address he will deliver on Thursday to the European Parliament.
"By making a simple change in the way you eat, you are taking part in a world changing campaign where what's good for you is also good for the planet," the former Beatle told the Parliament Magazine.
"Having one designated meat-free day a week is a meaningful change that everyone can make," he said. "Above all, remember that the future begins with the actions we take now."
McCartney is fitting his campaign in Brussels for a "Meat-free Monday" into a European concert tour which starts Wednesday in the German city of Hamburg, where the Beatles began building their fame in the early 1960s.
McCartney, a longtime environmental campaigner, told the EU magazine that there is "clear" evidence that meat production is "major contributor" to climate change.
World leaders at the upcoming Copenhagen summit on climate change should regard a sustainable food policy as a key part of the fight to curb CO2 emissions, he said.
"A lower-meat diet could see greenhouse gases reduced by as much as 80 per cent," he said.
"Western countries currently eat meat at least seven times a week, but using a series of projected world diets, latest reports recommend reducing that to twice or three times a week."
Joining McCartney in Brussels will be Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN intergovernmental panel on climate change, and Olivier de Schutter, UN special rapporteur for the right to food.
None of the three eat meat, the Parliament Magazine said.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jzc3oulh3mmDKPGEEZKrSXK08gBA
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11. NY Times Article Promotes Healthier Eating
November 29, 2009
Health Care Savings Could Start in the Cafeteria
By MELANIE WARNER
New York Times
Thanks to author and JVNA advisor Dan Brook for forwarding this article to us:
Ms. Totten contends that overeating doesn't result from a nationwide failure to count calories, but from the fact that so many people consume a diet of processed, refined foods. "People overeat Doritos because those foods are designed to trick the body's beautiful ability to be able to self-regulate," she said. "When you eat primarily health-supporting foods you will recover those protective mechanisms."
A study in the January-February 2009 issue of the journal Health Affairs concluded that 75 percent of the country's $2.5 trillion in health care spending has to do with four increasingly prevalent chronic diseases: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Most cases of these diseases, the report stated, are preventable because they are caused by behaviors like poor diets, inadequate exercise and smoking.
Obesity alone threatens to overwhelm the system. In a recent study, Kenneth Thorpe, chairman of the department of health policy and management at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, found that if trends continued, annual health care costs related to obesity would total $344 billion by 2018, or more than 20 percent of total health care spending. (It now accounts for 9 percent.)
Dr. Thorpe also said that if the incidence of obesity fell to its 1987 level, it would free enough money to cover the nation's uninsured population.
Complete article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/health/policy/29diet.html
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12. Chief Rabbi of the UK Urges Jews to Respond to Global Warming
Article by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the UK:
Essentially the Sabbath is about recognising that we are not just creators but also creation
http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1572
As the Copenhagen conference on climate change approaches, it’s worth remembering a call made independently by two of the world’s most distinguished scientists. One was E. O. Wilson, pioneer of socio-biology and consilience. The other was Lord May, former President of the Royal Society. Though neither is religious, both called for an alliance of science and religion to combat global warming and the destruction of biodiversity.
They were right to do so for three reasons. First is that care for the environment is a fundamental religious imperative. In the second chapter of genesis, God places Adam in the garden to “serve and protect” it – the overarching principle of ecological responsibility. Leviticus and Deuteronomy contain the world’s first environmental legislation. The land should lie fallow every seventh and fiftieth year. There should be no needless destruction at a time of war. Jewish tradition ruled that the same applies at times of peace.
Many otherwise puzzling laws were intended, according to thirteenth century commentator Nachmanides, to inculcate respect for the integrity of nature. According to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in the nineteenth century, humanity was only created on condition that we honour the earth and its non-human life. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” says the Psalm. We are merely “strangers and temporary residents” says Leviticus. Every major scientific discovery since Copernicus has added depth and pathos to this idea. We know how small we are. We are the earth’s guardians, not its owners.
The second reason is that the pioneering work of Darwin (evolution), Mendel (genes), Crick and Watson (DNA) and the mapping of the genome add up to a momentous discovery, of consequence to science and religion alike. All life, from the most primitive bacterium to you and me, comes from a single source. It is all written in the same genetic code, what Francis Collins, head of the genome project, called “the language of God”.
The prophet Hosea spoke of a covenant with “the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground.” All life is interconnected. The miracle at the heart of monotheism is that unity up there creates diversity down here. That is an idea capable of bringing scientists and religious believers together in a shared sense of awe and responsibility.
The third is that religion has unparalleled power to change lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Jewish Sabbath, which we should now see as one of the great environmental-awareness days. On the Sabbath Jews are forbidden to use a car, travel by plane, shop or operate a business. If everyone did this one day in seven, we would solve the energy crisis and end global warming.
Essentially the Sabbath is about limits. It is about recognising that we are not just creators but also creations, something we share with every living and non-living thing. Once a week we relinquish our mastery over nature to remind us of the larger truth that with power comes responsibility. Not everything we can do, should we do. The Sabbath is our defence against the heedlessness and hubris that has led human beings time and again to leave in their wake a trail of ecological destruction.
The current crisis should remind us of an ancient truth. Isaiah foresaw the day when the wolf would lie down with the lamb. This is a utopian vision – though there is an apocryphal story of a zoo in Los Angeles where, in one cage, a wolf did lie down with a lamb. “How do you manage that?” one visitor asked the zoo-keeper. “Easy,” he replied, “You just need a new lamb every day.”
There was however one non-utopian moment when, according to the Bible, predator and prey did live together, namely in Noah’s ark. How did this happen? a Jewish commentator asked. He answered: because otherwise they would drown. The improbable may happen when there is no other choice.
Not everyone is convinced of global warming, but the risk is simply too great. So let us join together, scientists and religious believers, to make a commitment to living within limits. An old rabbinic teaching says that God told Adam: “All I have made, I have made for you. Be careful, therefore, not to destroy my world, for if you do, there will be no one after you to mend what you have broken.” Never was this more true than now.
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13. Update on Meat Grown in Labs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6680989/Meat-grown-in-laboratory-in-world-first.html
Researchers in the Netherlands created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it.
No one has yet tasted their produce, but it is believed the artificial meat could be on sale within five years.
Vegetarian groups welcomed the news, saying there was “no ethical objection” if meat was not a piece of a dead animal.
Mark Post, professor of physiology at Eindhoven University, told The Sunday Times: “What we have at the moment is rather like wasted muscle tissue. We need to find ways of improving it by training it and stretching it, but we will get there.
“This product will be good for the environment and will reduce animal suffering. If it feels and tastes like meat, people will buy it.
“You could take the meat from one animal and create the volume of meat previously provided by a million animals.”
The scientists extracted cells from the muscle of a live pig and then put them in a broth of other animal products. The cells then multiplied and created muscle tissue. They believe that it can be turned into something like steak if they can find a way to artificially "exercise" the muscle.
The project is backed by the Dutch government and a sausage maker and comes following the creation of artificial fish fillets from goldfish muscle cells.
Meat produced in a laboratory could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with real animals.
Meat and dairy consumption is predicted to double by 2050 and methane from livestock is said to currently produce about 18 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
Animal rights group Peta said: “As far as we’re concerned, if meat is no longer a piece of a dead animal there’s no ethical objection.”
However the Vegetarian Society said: “The big question is how could you guarantee you were eating artificial flesh rather than flesh from an animal that had been slaughtered.
“It would be very difficult to label and identify in a way that people would trust.”
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14. Hazon Food Conference Scheduled/Special Rate Offered
Forwarded message from Nigel Savage, director of Hazon:
. . . it’s December, and I’m looking forward to the 2009 Hazon Food Conference in three weeks’ time on the Monterey Coast of California, December 24-27. In three years this conference has grown from 158 people (in 2006) to 560 (in 2008). This year we’re expecting 650 people – but we have room for 700, so if you’d like to join us, I’m writing now to invite you.
It really is the perfect event for anyone interested in food, Jews and contemporary issues. Or if you just want to escape Christmas by going to a beautiful retreat center, right on the Pacific Ocean, with local kosher organic food, various flavors of davening, and round-the-clock childcare and kids’ programming. (OK: not completely round-the-clock – but pretty nearly.) I can promise a joyful Shabbat celebration, amazing speakers, workshops, lectures, demonstrations and opportunities for networking throughout the weekend.
The conference has had a significant impact on the Jewish food movement in the United States, and we were delighted that two weeks’ ago more than 500 people went to a first-ever Israel Sustainable Food Conference – inspired by, and modeled on, the Hazon Food Conference.
If you would like more information about the conference, visit hazon.org/foodconference. Please feel free to pass this email along to family and friends! I hope you will consider joining me.
Kol tuv,
Nigel Savage
PS – If you type in the code “Nigel” you’ll get a $75 discount. FYI.
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This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Happy Chanukah
2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen into CopenVegan”
3. Hazon and Jewish Climate Initiative Call for 50% Decrease in Meat Consumption by Jews by 2015
4. Many Recent Activities Point to Building Momentum Toward Plant-Based Diets
5. Recent Review of “A Sacred Duty”
6. Argument for More Passion in Promoting Vegetarianism
7. Letter From Dr. Rajendra Pachauri and Sir Paul McCartney Re Reducing Meat Consumption to Help Address Global Warming
8. New Group Promotes World Watch Article Conclusion That Animal Sector Is Responsible For at Least 51% of GHGs
9. Canfei Nesharim’s Statement on Global Warming
10. Paul McCartney Calls For Meat-Free-Day
11. NY Times Article Promotes Healthier Eating
12. Chief Rabbi of the UK Urges Jews to Respond to Global Warming
13. Update on Meat Grown in Labs
14. Hazon Food Conference Scheduled/Special Rate Offered
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Happy Chanukah
With Chanukah starting at sundown on Friday, December 11, time to think of connections to our issues. Please see my article “Chanukah and Vegetarianism” in the festivals section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz, and please consider using these points for letters to editors, calls to talk shows and talking points. Thanks.
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2. Update on “Turning Copenhagen into CopenVegan”
With the Copenhagen climate conference scheduled to take place from December 7 – 18, it is more important than ever that the delegates issue a final statement that declares that it is urgent that there be a major societal shift to plant-based diets to avoid an unprecedented global climate catastrophe.
I have been working as director of Veg Climate Alliance with some amazingly dedicated people from many countries in efforts to “turn Copenhagen into CopenVegan. Among other things, we have taken out a full page ad proclaiming that there is a “Convenient Truth,” that can help reverse global warming. We will also be distributing many flyers with our basic messages.
We are also planning a major forum on Sunday, December 13 on “Vegetarianism: Essential to Save the Planet?”
For more information, and to see our ad and flyer and some of my related writings, please visit www.VegClimateAlliance.org and www.CopenVegan.com.
As of now, for a number orf reasons, including my feeling that I might be more helpful through email messages, writing articles and press releases and helping with strategy ideas, it looks like I will noit be going to Copenhagen. But I am spending many hours daily planning events there.
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3. Hazon and Jewish Climate Initiative Call for 50% Decrease in Meat Consumption by Jews by 2015
http://www.jewishclimatecampaign.org/education.php
This is a very significant development and I plan to write a JVNA press release supporting it. I hope that will be in the next JVNA newsletter. Suggestions welcome.
Thanks.
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4. Many Recent Activities Point to Building Momentum Toward Plant-Based Diets
[Below are just a few recent indications of the growing momentum of interest in plant-based diets.]
Forwarded message:
1) With her huge following, Martha Stewart exposes the animal industry on Thanksgiving! And promotes the movie "Food Inc." and Vegetarian cooking. Good job Martha - Vegetarianism continues to rise!
http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/vegetarian-thanksgiving
[She also had a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, since a daughter is a vegetarian.]
2) Very recently, 60 Minutes Australia did a Primetime feature on the horrors of the pig industry. Excellent show... video and transcripts
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=973831 13 minutes.
3) India's Environmental Minister promoting Veg to his whole country and the world, {He urged that all meals at the Copenhagen climate conference be vegetarian.] Obama putting on an almost complete vegetarian meal to welcome the Indian PM.
4) The Stanford University biochemist (featured in Forbes magazine) has a new mission: "Eliminate animal farming on planet Earth." http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1130/thought-leaders-mcdonalds-global-warming-drop-that-burger.html
5).Plus all the amazing news from the UK recently such as
The Windsor Castle going vegan hosted by Prince Philip and UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon in attendance:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8337000/8337997.stm
6) UK Climate change chief Lord Stern of Brentford echoed the call. He said: "Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world's resources. A vegetarian diet is better."
7) AL Gore supporting veg by eating less meat in his diet, [and admitting that meat production is a significant contributor to climate change.]
and more, including much positive publicity and reviews around Jonathan Safran Foer’s new book “Eating Animals” and his interviews and talks.
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5. Recent Review of “A Sacred Duty”
Judaism Site
Lisa Pinkus, BellaOnline's Judaism Editor
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61632.asp/zzz
A Sacred Duty - A Documentary Review
Conversations around the topics of environmental concerns, health and sustainability, and the ecological future of our world often lead me to a deeper contemplation of our purpose here on Earth.
It is time – no matter who you are or what you believe in – to begin to consider the bigger picture. In a world focused on immediate gratification, accumulation and thinking of only the present moment, we are neglecting the far greater responsibility to the future survival of our world and all those in it. It is time we become accountable for the actions we take and how our actions make their impact on the world around us.
Lately, I’ve trained my children to use only one paper towel when drying their hands in public restrooms; we wrap birthday presents in recycled bags from the grocery store; and we are trying to purchase more locally grown foods. Little steps can make a huge difference – the primary one being the effect they have on our children’s view of the world and how they care for it.
The more you learn, the more frightening it can become. However, increasing our knowledge is critical from this point forward. The field of ecological sustainability is not something new. The Torah is rampant with mandates on how to care for the Earth, our bodies and the animals in it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to view a documentary called A Sacred Duty, produced by multi-award-winning producer/director, writer and cinematographer, Lionel Friedberg and edited by professional editor, Diana Friedberg. The documentary is an hour long and can be viewed on the website of The Jewish Vegetarians of North America. Whether you are an environmentalist, a vegetarian, or neither – this documentary is a worthwhile view that will educate, inform and raise questions in your mind.
Ethics, morality and Torah Law. These are three of the explanations given for the imperative to take better care of our world and ourselves as demonstrated by A Sacred Duty.
What more can I be doing? What are our Torah responsibilities in regard to caring for the Earth? Is it truly G-d’s plan that we should all be vegetarians? How does the way I carry out my life impact the rest of the world? Am I really that important in the grand scheme of things?
A Sacred Duty begins in Israel, a tiny piece of land, which is – amazingly – a reflection of ecosystems found throughout the world. Pairing scientific evidence with Judaism’s ancient law, this documentary reveals how we are failing our G-d given responsibility to protect the Earth and all that is in it.
The concrete facts tell us that 18% of greenhouse gases come from livestock agriculture. Less land is needed to feed millions on a soy/vegetarian- based diet than is used to raise the cattle that feed far fewer people. With a world population where 15% of people are undernourished, one begins to wonder how we ended up here in the first place.
Was it because of Noah and Jews who said they needed more than fruits and vegetables to sustain them? How did the Jewish people – especially traditionally observant Jewish people – arrive at a place where we are disregarding G-d’s requests to care for the land, the people and the animals? Is this not the basis for ecological sustainability and “green” living that has become so popular in our culture today?
A Sacred Duty makes the insinuation that we are disregarding essential Jewish tenets to satisfy our own selfish desires. And, from what I gathered while watching this movie, there are several reasons to at least explore the concept of vegetarianism, the notion of ecological sustainability and the Torah Laws connected to caring for ourselves, for animals, and for the world.
The first being that these principles are mandates from G-d. They are just as important as any other mitzvahs we are asked to observe. The documentary covers several of them such as Bal Taschit, a prohibition against waste; Tzaar Ba’alei Hayyim, a prohibition against causing animals unnecessary pain; and, of course, implied throughout, is tikkun olam, protecting and repairing our world.
Further, the future of our world is at stake if we do not contemplate the consequences of our current way of life – each and every one of us. Whether you are religiously observant or not, future generations cannot exist if we destroy and use up all that we have.
Let the humanitarian in everyone arise. If we are able to take simple steps to ensure that most people in this world receive the proper nutrition and to significantly reduce greenhouse gases and other “bad effects” that are destroying our planet, why wouldn't we do it?
A Sacred Duty is a great – and frightening – place to start. This film is filled with hard facts and religious principles to convince the viewer of his or her responsible stewardship required as a caretaker in this world. From Israel to a global view of the world, you will be provoked, concerned and motivated to make some change – even if it is a small one.
The end of the documentary is a bit horrific with repulsive images that may just convince some of you to contemplate vegetarianism. While it is difficult to watch the inhumane treatment of some of these animals, I understand the need to show it. What we don’t ask, we don’t know. If we don’t know – how are we able to make informed decisions?
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6. Argument for More Passion in Promoting Vegetarianism
Forwarded article:
Dispassion As the World Ends: The Absent Heart of the Great Climate Affair
Stop Being So $@%!ing Polite ?By Adam D. Sacks ?Grist, October 14, 2009 ?Straight to the Source?
http://www.grassrootsnetroots.org/articles/article_19490.cfm
In “The Fallacy of Climate Activism,” I suggest that we as climate activists are not telling the unadulterated truth—which seems to worsen daily—to the public. This is one critically important reason we’re making so little progress in changing behavior and politics commensurate with the drastic acceleration of global warming. We have hurled ourselves far beyond the point where simply reducing greenhouse-gas emissions will make a difference that makes a difference.
Having examined some of the what of our missteps in “Fallacy,” in this piece I take a look at some of the how: the timid, tentative, emotionally impoverished voice of our communications, the feelings unexpressed in the face of the premature and squalid end of so much of what we love, the unfathomable reluctance to speak to the depth of the grief we are bringing upon ourselves.
Global climate disruption—having graduated in short order from a spectre a century away to a battering present-day reality—foreshadows the demise of civilization, the failure of our life-support systems, and even, perhaps, the end of most life on earth. Yet most industrialized humans, to date, remain largely unaware and only marginally concerned. This is a remarkable puzzle, and were we to solve it perhaps we would take a major step toward addressing the climate catastrophe.
I offer you a key puzzle piece: The end of all that we have known is an unthinkable thought, as are so many unprecedented abrupt and catastrophic events. When a thought is unthinkable, it is invisible even when writ large—we simply can’t see it, even when we have reason to try. If we do see it, it quickly falls from awareness. If, finally, we accept it, perhaps after months or years of getting used to the idea, we find that we’re alone, mostly talking to ourselves.
Then, when the reality strikes us all irrefutably, undeniably, without mercy, we are completely unprepared, asking incredulously, “Why didn’t somebody tell us?”
And what hasn’t been told?
To date, most of our arguments about the reality of global warming have been data-driven, psychically tepid litanies of climate science and industrial “solutions,” peppered with the heartstring-tugging of cute polar bears and sad stories of /i>, but we don’t know them and there’s nothing we can do to help anyway, except perhaps changing lightbulbs). Coastal insalination rendering vast swaths of farmland useless, houses plunging into the sea as permafrost melts, even wildfires threatening the City of the Angels, to name just a very few—these are far, far away and don’t really affect us. Or we don’t see it. (Yet.)
We climate activists are the ones who aren’t saying what needs to be said.[4] Our silence is not the lack of words, it is the absence of an essence in urgent human relationships, an essence with power to break the bonds of unthinkable thoughts:
Passion.
To illustrate, I would like to reproduce for you an excerpt from one of my favorite speeches of the 19th century. It is entitled “What to a Slave Is the Fourth of July,” and was delivered by Frederick Douglass before the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society on July 5, 1852 (he refused to speak on July 4, for reasons that will quickly become apparent). Douglass, as you may remember, was one of the great political thinkers and orators of that horrific era, an escaped slave who taught himself to read and went on to become an erudite, articulate, and passionate abolitionist, a writer, a sought-after speaker, and a guest of President Lincoln.
Here are his words:
... What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong?
... What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine, that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine!! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument has passed. At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire, it is not a gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.
What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. ...
Well ...
Today we are addressing the end of the world we know, quite possibly the extinction of homo sapiens and most other species on earth, and we can do little more than cite statistics?[5] Surely an unravelled web of life, miserable ends for countless creatures great and small, and mass death of billions of human beings, mostly innocent, should call for “scorching irony,” at the very least.
Where are our fire, thunder, ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, stern rebuke? Why are we so polite?[6] Why are we so obedient? What are we thinking? What aren’t we thinking? What are we doing? What aren’t we doing? When do we start? [7]
I have a proposition for you. Try your hand at a letter—to an editor, or to a friend, or to a lover, or to a child—availing yourself of all the passion you can muster as we hasten blindly toward world’s end. Post it here for all to ponder—then we’ll send the collection to everyone we know, far and wide.
When do we start? Now’s the time.
Quill and ink (or keyboard) in hand, summon your muse and write for our lives!
SNIP
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7. Letter From Dr. Rajendra Pachauri and Sir Paul McCartney Re Reducing Meat Consumption to Help Address Global Warming
Brussels, 3rd December 2009
Dear Sir/Madam,
As you are certainly aware, the world – and especially the developed countries – has to take significant and urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have no doubt that you have already taken concrete steps to mitigate climate change. However, we would like to bring to your attention an option that you may have not yet considered.
Worldwide, meat production is responsible for no less than 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions through meat production and associated land-use changes are one of the most important causes of climate change. Yet people, especially in high-income societies, continue to eat large amounts of meat. This high meat intake not only has negative effects on the climate and biodiversity, it is also harmful for our health because it increases the risk of cardio-vascular disease, obesity, diabetes and other diseases of affluence. Hence, it is very important to limit our meat consumption.
Because our food, and especially meat consumption, is such a significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions, the most powerful resource we have in the fight against climate change may very well be… our forks. Each time you eat a vegetarian meal instead of a meat-based meal, you contribute to mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases. So skipping the meat now and then is a good recipe against climate change.
Local governments can certainly play a role in helping citizens to reduce their intake of meat and other animal products. We would like to bring to your attention the campaigns for weekly meatless days that are appearing in different parts of the world. Notably in the case of the city of Ghent, Belgium, such a campaign was carried out in partnership between an NGO and the city government. Together they have distributed maps of the city highlighting vegetarian eateries, how-to brochures for
restaurants and changed the menu in city restaurants. Ghent has also introduced a weekly vegetarian day in all 35 city schools, an initiative which has also been enacted in schools in the city of Baltimore, USA. Similar programmes have recently started in São Paulo, Brazil and Hasselt, Belgium and other cities are considering following suit. In the UK, the Meat Free Monday campaign is encouraging people to discover the
benefits of eating less meat. The Swedish government has also produced guidelines on healthy and climate-friendly eating which include a recommendation for meat reduction.
Individuals can only do so much. It is also the responsibility of governments and industries to ensure that sustainable alternatives like plant-based products are widely available and affordable. Several alternative policies and options could lead to lower consumption of meat and climate-friendly lifestyles. Cities like Ghent, São Paulo or Baltimore have provided a menu of actions that could be more widely adopted, and it is for communities and governments to decide how to implement them. We both are appealing to leaders at the national and local levels to ensure that concrete steps are taken in this direction.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Sir Paul McCartney
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8. New Group Promotes World Watch Article Conclusion That Animal Sector Is Responsible For at Least 51% of GHGs
Forwarded message:
Von: Stephen Ma <stephen_ma_tw@yahoo.com
The Most Important Solution To Global Warming
Datum: Dienstag, 1. Dezember 2009, 7:38
Dear Friends,
In the run up to the Copenhagen climate change summit, it is vital that the following information be disseminated to the public as well as to our political leaders.
A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, Livestock’s Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to livestock….however recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang co-authors of “Livestock and Climate Change” in the latest issue of World Watch magazine found that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions!
http://www.51percent.org
The main sources of GHGs from animal agriculture are: (1)
Deforestation of the rainforests to grow feed for livestock. (2)
Methane from manure waste. – Methane is 72 times more potent as a global warming gas than CO2 (3) Refrigeration and transport of meat around the world. (4) Raising, processing and slaughtering of the animal.
Meat production also uses a massive amount of water and other resources which would be better used to feed the world’s hungry and provide water to those in need.
Based on their research, Goodland and Anhang conclude that replacing livestock products with soy-based and other alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change. They say “This approach would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentrations- and thus on the rate the climate is warming-than actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.” The fact is that we are being informed of the dangerous path we are on by depending greatly on animal flesh for human consumption. We still have the opportunity to make the most effective steps in saving ourselves and this planet. By simply choosing a plant based diet we can reduce our carbon foot print by a huge amount. We are gambling with our lives and with those of our future generations to come. It’s madness to know we are fully aware of the possible consequences but yet are failing to act. Please make a truly environmental, healthy and compassionate choice, choose to drastically reduce your meat intake or simply go vegetarian or vegan. This is the single most powerful action for preventing climate change as it is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Take action now by visiting http://www.51percent.org
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours Sincerely
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9. Canfei Nesharim’s Statement on Global Warming
Learning and Resources / Environmental Issues
Statement on Climate Change (by CN's Science & Tech Advisory Board)
Approved by Canfei Nesharim Board of Directors, May 2009
http://canfeinesharim.org/learning/environmental.php?page=22256
Summary: What is Happening
The Earth’s climate has warmed significantly over the last 50 years, and unless human activities change dramatically, will continue to warm throughout this century.
1. Fossil fuels are burned as a result of things we do every day to eat, travel, and live in our homes.
2. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, are released by the burning of fossil fuels (such as oil, coal, and natural gas).
3. These “greenhouse gases” remain in the atmosphere for a long time and are causing our atmosphere to become warmer.
4. In addition, destruction of forests and other changes in the way we use our land have increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
5. The rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases parallels the rapid rise in the Earth’s surface temperature during the same period of time.
It has been predicted by sophisticated computer models, demonstrated by carefully designed experiments, and confirmed by countless direct observations that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have profound effects on the Earth’s temperature, sea level, and the abundance and distribution of precipitation.
Why Climate Change is Important
Global warming affects the health and welfare of humans and other living organisms on this planet. To date, the earth’s surface has warmed an average of 0.7oC and according to IPCC scientists, if no corrective action takes place, carbon dioxide concentrations will double by the latter half of this century, causing a rise of from 2.0 to 5.5oC (3.6 to 10oF) in the earth’s average surface temperature.[1]
While these temperature changes may seem small, it is important to understand that even these slight changes in the average surface temperature can have profound effects on the global systems that regulate our planet. One way to help put these temperature changes into perspective, one must understand what climate change means in terms of human health and welfare[2].
While climate change might allow those in northern latitudes to enjoy warmer winters, warmer winters generally reduce the snow pack that provides the drinking water resources for a region. Snow and ice from mountain glaciers and snow pack are primary sources of water for both surface water (lakes and rivers) and ground water (the water source for wells). For example, scientists have shown that glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and may disappear within 30-50 years[3], with serious impacts on the water availability in those regions. Additionally, in many subtropical and tropical regions, increased heat will cause drying, expanding arid conditions.
Our water resources are used for agricultural, commercial, and domestic purposes. As population numbers increase and the demands for water rise, decreasing levels of available, usable water could create severe socio-political crises and economic disruptions.
Beyond the need for water, a warmer planet can have significant impacts on agriculture. Warmer winters, earlier snowmelts and later frosts have been shown to cause greater insect infestations for agricultural crops. That is because many insects die during extended winter periods of subzero temperatures.[4] Additionally, while some species of crops grow better with increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, the warmer, drier weather in some regions that are associated with increased carbon dioxide reduces overall productivity for many other key agricultural species.[5]
There is also a risk of warmer weather to human health. Aside from the very real risks posed by drought and heat stress (particularly to vulnerable populations such as babies and the elderly), there is also a potential for increased disease. Because changes in rainfall patterns and temperature regimens, may extend the range of mosquitoes that can spread malaria, yellow and dengue fever, populations that had not experienced waterborne diseases may now be susceptible.[6]
While many of us have heard predictions of sea level rise as a consequence of climate change, we do not realize that ocean islands may be completely submerged by this increase. This reality may create millions of environmental refugees as people flood into areas in search on potable water and arable land. A recent report from the United Nations projects that the sea level could rise as much as two meters by the end of the century. Sea level rise could have devastating impacts on the hundreds of millions of people currently living in densely populated coastal regions or mega-deltas of Asia and India. The United Nations estimates that a sea level rise of only one meter will cause some areas to be uninhabitable, such as the oceanic island nation, Maldives, where about 80 percent of the 1,192 coral islets are one meter or less above sea level [7].
The displacement of entire societies, most of whom have had no share in the causes of climate change, pose startling issues for human justice.
Scientific Evidence
Largely as a result of increased human activities, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has reached 385 parts per million, a 40% increase over levels in the pre-industrialized world [8] and the highest values known for the last 1 million years. [9] Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide continue to increase at a rapid rate [10] with 75% of the increase in carbon dioxide emission occurring in the last half century.[11]
Because of the long lead-time between emissions and consequent atmospheric temperature change, the atmosphere is expected to warm another 0.6°C (1.1°F) due to emissions that have already taken place even if no additional greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.[12]
There is a strong scientific consensus that rising carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has caused temperatures to rise above pre-industrial times by about 0.7oC (1.3oF) and has brought the hottest weather on record for several years within the last decade. [13] Damage from climate change is predicted to be most severe for changes above 2°C (3.6°F) and a carbon dioxide concentration of 450 parts per million.[14] Combining these data, it is clear that the system has already experienced or is committed to some 65% of the warming we can safely afford.
Without any corrective action, carbon dioxide concentrations will double by the latter half of this century, resulting in a rise of from 2.0 to 5.5oC (3.6 to 10oF) in the earth’s average surface temperature.[15] Therefore, it is highly likely that significant changes in agriculture, health, and socioeconomic parameters will occur.
Some of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, thereby increasing its acidity. Ocean acidification and related worldwide changes in ocean chemistry have been shown to be detrimental to marine organisms such as reef-building corals and a host of economically important fish species.[16]
Current research cannot prove with 100% certainty that existing climate change does not have a natural component along with the human industrial influence. However, predictions climate scientists made 20 years ago as to the Earth’s response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are entirely consistent with the actual changes that have occurred.[17] This powerful finding is matched by retrospective computer modeling that has demonstrated that the single most accurate predictor of current changes in land and ocean temperatures is the human-driven emissions of carbon dioxide.[18]
While there are uncertainties in the science of climate change, they are not about whether the Earth has already warmed or whether human emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for a large part of this warming. Rather, they concern the magnitude of future changes if civilization does not take corrective action.
What Can Be Done to Help
Given that human activities are a critical cause of global climate change, Canfei Nesharim recognizes that people can also become motivated to act to reduce or even reverse the rate at which these changes are occurring. Specifically, as an organization we appeal to the full range of societal stakeholders to promote policies and practices that reduce carbon footprints at the individual, corporate, national, and international levels.
This appeal is consistent with the Biblical (d’araiso) injunction, Bal Tashchit—from the book of Deuteronomy (Chap. 20: 19-20). This injunction not to waste or destroy trees in times of war has been interpreted by the rabbinic authorities of the Talmud and later generations to encompass a larger proscription against wasteful destruction of resources.
“When you lay siege and battle against a city for a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding an ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down – for is a tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you? Only the trees which you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down, and you shall build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you until it is subdued.”
Over the centuries, the instruction not to waste became extended well beyond fruit trees to become a general philosophy of prudence and protection, consistent with our stewardship over the earth. We are obliged not to use more than what we need, not to destroy things needlessly, not to use something of greater value when something of lesser value will suffice and not to use something in a way it was not meant to be used (which increases the likelihood the item will be broken or destroyed). This injunction points us in the direction of proper, sustainable use of natural resources, and certainly is consistent with preventing significant damage to natural systems upon which life depends, such as our climate.
Our actions are causing destructive harm to the resources on our planet, upon which all life depends. Our Jewish tradition obligates us to take action.
Acting locally to limit our energy use and reduce our environmental impact can change a mindset of disbelief and inaction that, in turn, will move corporations and governments to greater action. Examples of these small-scale actions include but are not limited to:
a. If you can walk to shul on Shabbat, walk there for daily minyanim whenever it is convenient.
b. Get an energy audit for your congregation and, within the ability of your community to do so, implement an energy savings plan for the building.
c. Consider the energy used in simple activities such as water usage in your home and synagogue; lighting, heating and cooling buildings; and growing, transporting, and buying food.
d. Buy local to reduce fuel requirements in merchandise transportation both for your home and shul.
e. Even more effective than buying local is shifting to less than one day per week’s worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more greenhouse reduction than buying all locally sourced food. [19]
f. “Green” your home and shul as best as you can in terms of its physical structure, e.g., where appropriate, install a green roof or solar panels and compact fluorescent bulbs (taking care to buy those with lower mercury).
g. Use carpools, bicycle, or take advantage of public transportation to get to work. When buying a new car, consider the models with the highest gas efficiency.
h. Minimize home and synagogue energy usages, e.g., if you are not in a room, then turn the light off; use setback thermostats to control air temperatures; and insulate your house.
i. Work with organizations that encourage greater tree plantings or roof gardens in urban areas, especially pollution-tolerant species. This will help reduce the urban heat island effect, which is associated with increased heat-related illnesses and mortalities.[20]
To sign a pledge advocating for a Jewish response to climate change, click here.
Footnotes:
1
An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, approved in detail at IPCC Plenary XXVII (Valencia, Spain, 12-17 November 2007. These data are detailed in the Synthesis Report of over 2,500 scientists who gathered at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Plenary XXVII (Valencia, Spain, 12-17 November 2007)
2
For additional information refer to the US Climate Change Science Program Report Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems
3
WGMS Glacier Mass Balance Bulletin 2002-2003, No. 8.World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, 2005.
4
Cynthia Rosenzweig, Ana Iglesias, X.B. Yang, Paul R. Epstein, Eric Chivian. 2000. Climate Change and US Agriculture: The Impacts of Warming and Extreme Weather Events on Productivity, Plant Diseases, and Pests. Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard University.
5
ibid.
6
W J Martens, L W Niessen, J Rotmans, T H Jetten, and A J McMichael. Potential impact of global climate change on malaria risk. Environ Health Perspect. 1995 10:458–464.
7
Shriner DS, Street RB. North America. In: Watson RT, Zinyowera MC, Moss RH, editors. The Regional Impacts of Climate Change. An Assessment of Vulnerability. [A special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group 2.] Cambridge (MA): Cambridge University Press; 1998. p. 253-330.
8
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center.
9
D. King. Climate change: the science and the policy. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:779-783, 2005.
10
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Committee on Global Change, National Research Council, Chapter 3 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Global Processes, Ozone Depletion, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate Change, National Academic Press, Washington, DC, 1989, pp. 10-18.
11
Hansen, J., et al. Dangerous human-made interference with climate: A GISS model study. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7:2287-2312, 2007
12
IPCC op. cit.
13
ibid.
14
ibid.
15
ibid.
16
2004 UNESCO report, Priorities for Research on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World
17
ibid.
18
F. Joos and R. Spahni. Rates of change in natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing over the past 22,000 years. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci USA 105:1425-1430, 2008.
19
CL Weber and HS Matthews, Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42:3508-3513, 2008.
20
Gamble, J.L., K.L. Ebi, F.G. Sussman, T.J. Wilbanks. 2008. Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA.
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10. Paul McCartney Calls For Meat-Free-Day
Subject: [WVW] McCartney calls for meat-free day to cut CO2
Reply-To: list@vegetarianweek.org
McCartney calls for meat-free day to cut CO2
(AFP) – 2 hours ago
BRUSSELS — Paul McCartney is urging consumers to fight global warming by going vegetarian at least once a week, ahead of an address he will deliver on Thursday to the European Parliament.
"By making a simple change in the way you eat, you are taking part in a world changing campaign where what's good for you is also good for the planet," the former Beatle told the Parliament Magazine.
"Having one designated meat-free day a week is a meaningful change that everyone can make," he said. "Above all, remember that the future begins with the actions we take now."
McCartney is fitting his campaign in Brussels for a "Meat-free Monday" into a European concert tour which starts Wednesday in the German city of Hamburg, where the Beatles began building their fame in the early 1960s.
McCartney, a longtime environmental campaigner, told the EU magazine that there is "clear" evidence that meat production is "major contributor" to climate change.
World leaders at the upcoming Copenhagen summit on climate change should regard a sustainable food policy as a key part of the fight to curb CO2 emissions, he said.
"A lower-meat diet could see greenhouse gases reduced by as much as 80 per cent," he said.
"Western countries currently eat meat at least seven times a week, but using a series of projected world diets, latest reports recommend reducing that to twice or three times a week."
Joining McCartney in Brussels will be Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN intergovernmental panel on climate change, and Olivier de Schutter, UN special rapporteur for the right to food.
None of the three eat meat, the Parliament Magazine said.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jzc3oulh3mmDKPGEEZKrSXK08gBA
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11. NY Times Article Promotes Healthier Eating
November 29, 2009
Health Care Savings Could Start in the Cafeteria
By MELANIE WARNER
New York Times
Thanks to author and JVNA advisor Dan Brook for forwarding this article to us:
Ms. Totten contends that overeating doesn't result from a nationwide failure to count calories, but from the fact that so many people consume a diet of processed, refined foods. "People overeat Doritos because those foods are designed to trick the body's beautiful ability to be able to self-regulate," she said. "When you eat primarily health-supporting foods you will recover those protective mechanisms."
A study in the January-February 2009 issue of the journal Health Affairs concluded that 75 percent of the country's $2.5 trillion in health care spending has to do with four increasingly prevalent chronic diseases: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Most cases of these diseases, the report stated, are preventable because they are caused by behaviors like poor diets, inadequate exercise and smoking.
Obesity alone threatens to overwhelm the system. In a recent study, Kenneth Thorpe, chairman of the department of health policy and management at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, found that if trends continued, annual health care costs related to obesity would total $344 billion by 2018, or more than 20 percent of total health care spending. (It now accounts for 9 percent.)
Dr. Thorpe also said that if the incidence of obesity fell to its 1987 level, it would free enough money to cover the nation's uninsured population.
Complete article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/health/policy/29diet.html
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12. Chief Rabbi of the UK Urges Jews to Respond to Global Warming
Article by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the UK:
Essentially the Sabbath is about recognising that we are not just creators but also creation
http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1572
As the Copenhagen conference on climate change approaches, it’s worth remembering a call made independently by two of the world’s most distinguished scientists. One was E. O. Wilson, pioneer of socio-biology and consilience. The other was Lord May, former President of the Royal Society. Though neither is religious, both called for an alliance of science and religion to combat global warming and the destruction of biodiversity.
They were right to do so for three reasons. First is that care for the environment is a fundamental religious imperative. In the second chapter of genesis, God places Adam in the garden to “serve and protect” it – the overarching principle of ecological responsibility. Leviticus and Deuteronomy contain the world’s first environmental legislation. The land should lie fallow every seventh and fiftieth year. There should be no needless destruction at a time of war. Jewish tradition ruled that the same applies at times of peace.
Many otherwise puzzling laws were intended, according to thirteenth century commentator Nachmanides, to inculcate respect for the integrity of nature. According to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in the nineteenth century, humanity was only created on condition that we honour the earth and its non-human life. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” says the Psalm. We are merely “strangers and temporary residents” says Leviticus. Every major scientific discovery since Copernicus has added depth and pathos to this idea. We know how small we are. We are the earth’s guardians, not its owners.
The second reason is that the pioneering work of Darwin (evolution), Mendel (genes), Crick and Watson (DNA) and the mapping of the genome add up to a momentous discovery, of consequence to science and religion alike. All life, from the most primitive bacterium to you and me, comes from a single source. It is all written in the same genetic code, what Francis Collins, head of the genome project, called “the language of God”.
The prophet Hosea spoke of a covenant with “the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground.” All life is interconnected. The miracle at the heart of monotheism is that unity up there creates diversity down here. That is an idea capable of bringing scientists and religious believers together in a shared sense of awe and responsibility.
The third is that religion has unparalleled power to change lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Jewish Sabbath, which we should now see as one of the great environmental-awareness days. On the Sabbath Jews are forbidden to use a car, travel by plane, shop or operate a business. If everyone did this one day in seven, we would solve the energy crisis and end global warming.
Essentially the Sabbath is about limits. It is about recognising that we are not just creators but also creations, something we share with every living and non-living thing. Once a week we relinquish our mastery over nature to remind us of the larger truth that with power comes responsibility. Not everything we can do, should we do. The Sabbath is our defence against the heedlessness and hubris that has led human beings time and again to leave in their wake a trail of ecological destruction.
The current crisis should remind us of an ancient truth. Isaiah foresaw the day when the wolf would lie down with the lamb. This is a utopian vision – though there is an apocryphal story of a zoo in Los Angeles where, in one cage, a wolf did lie down with a lamb. “How do you manage that?” one visitor asked the zoo-keeper. “Easy,” he replied, “You just need a new lamb every day.”
There was however one non-utopian moment when, according to the Bible, predator and prey did live together, namely in Noah’s ark. How did this happen? a Jewish commentator asked. He answered: because otherwise they would drown. The improbable may happen when there is no other choice.
Not everyone is convinced of global warming, but the risk is simply too great. So let us join together, scientists and religious believers, to make a commitment to living within limits. An old rabbinic teaching says that God told Adam: “All I have made, I have made for you. Be careful, therefore, not to destroy my world, for if you do, there will be no one after you to mend what you have broken.” Never was this more true than now.
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13. Update on Meat Grown in Labs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6680989/Meat-grown-in-laboratory-in-world-first.html
Researchers in the Netherlands created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it.
No one has yet tasted their produce, but it is believed the artificial meat could be on sale within five years.
Vegetarian groups welcomed the news, saying there was “no ethical objection” if meat was not a piece of a dead animal.
Mark Post, professor of physiology at Eindhoven University, told The Sunday Times: “What we have at the moment is rather like wasted muscle tissue. We need to find ways of improving it by training it and stretching it, but we will get there.
“This product will be good for the environment and will reduce animal suffering. If it feels and tastes like meat, people will buy it.
“You could take the meat from one animal and create the volume of meat previously provided by a million animals.”
The scientists extracted cells from the muscle of a live pig and then put them in a broth of other animal products. The cells then multiplied and created muscle tissue. They believe that it can be turned into something like steak if they can find a way to artificially "exercise" the muscle.
The project is backed by the Dutch government and a sausage maker and comes following the creation of artificial fish fillets from goldfish muscle cells.
Meat produced in a laboratory could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with real animals.
Meat and dairy consumption is predicted to double by 2050 and methane from livestock is said to currently produce about 18 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
Animal rights group Peta said: “As far as we’re concerned, if meat is no longer a piece of a dead animal there’s no ethical objection.”
However the Vegetarian Society said: “The big question is how could you guarantee you were eating artificial flesh rather than flesh from an animal that had been slaughtered.
“It would be very difficult to label and identify in a way that people would trust.”
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14. Hazon Food Conference Scheduled/Special Rate Offered
Forwarded message from Nigel Savage, director of Hazon:
. . . it’s December, and I’m looking forward to the 2009 Hazon Food Conference in three weeks’ time on the Monterey Coast of California, December 24-27. In three years this conference has grown from 158 people (in 2006) to 560 (in 2008). This year we’re expecting 650 people – but we have room for 700, so if you’d like to join us, I’m writing now to invite you.
It really is the perfect event for anyone interested in food, Jews and contemporary issues. Or if you just want to escape Christmas by going to a beautiful retreat center, right on the Pacific Ocean, with local kosher organic food, various flavors of davening, and round-the-clock childcare and kids’ programming. (OK: not completely round-the-clock – but pretty nearly.) I can promise a joyful Shabbat celebration, amazing speakers, workshops, lectures, demonstrations and opportunities for networking throughout the weekend.
The conference has had a significant impact on the Jewish food movement in the United States, and we were delighted that two weeks’ ago more than 500 people went to a first-ever Israel Sustainable Food Conference – inspired by, and modeled on, the Hazon Food Conference.
If you would like more information about the conference, visit hazon.org/foodconference. Please feel free to pass this email along to family and friends! I hope you will consider joining me.
Kol tuv,
Nigel Savage
PS – If you type in the code “Nigel” you’ll get a $75 discount. FYI.
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