Energy requirements for food production are as obvious as the rise in oil itself.
We know all to well about soaring oil prices reaching all-time highs affecting the cost of doing business as well as impacting the quality of living for the average consumer. With depleting reserves and new resources becoming harder and harder to find, it may become necessary to not only find alternative fuels but also change those behaviors that contribute to the wasting of our precious resources. The days of the profligate consumer must come to an end if we are to pass along these rich energy sources to our children as opposed to consuming, in just a couple hundred years, what took millions of years to form. With the “green” movement gaining momentum with anything from hemp clothes to biofuels, it's time we as individuals must make conscious choices that will lessen the load on our environment. Each of us as individuals can become a conservationist at heart.
The energy requirements for food production are as obvious as the rise in oil itself. A trip to the supermarket is all the proof we need. Grocery bills are going through the roof in this highly inflationary environment. Approximately 60% of the total energy produced in North America is used for producing and distributing food. Simple choices can make a major impact on consumption and can in the process help us lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The solution? Stop eating meat! Yes, taking up a vegetarian diet will have a profound effect on the world as we know it in more ways than many of us can possibly imagine (not going to get into the health benefits here).
Food production is thought to burn more energy than it returns; one report suggests only one calorie of food energy is produced for every 10 calories of fossil fuel burned. The study is based on standard agriculture, including the raising of animals for food. Plant-based crops are considered to be 30% more efficient than the above-referenced standard agricultural model. In effect, a meat-eating diet consumes more resources than a plant-based one. Oil can be saved en mass by simply giving up meat and switching to a veggie diet. While even the plant-based diet will consume considerable resources, the burden will be less significant. In addition, the more processed the food we eat, the more energy that would have gone into production.
Protein-rich animal foods such as meat and milk have traditionally taken the most resources to produce, including land, water, and energy. Land, for instance, is required to not only be available for the animals to be raised (which could be used for more plant-based crops) but is also required to grow the food to be feed to the animals as well. Numerous energy-intensive steps such as the processing and distribution of animal products are also labor (and therefore energy) intensive. If you have no plans of giving up meat entirely anytime soon, consider at least decreasing the amount you eat. Next time you are ready to take a bite into that thick juicy steak, remember the process that was required to get it to your plate. It is conscious decision making that defines us as human beings and separates us from the very animals many of us eat. It is these choices that will either positively or negatively affect generations to come and it's up to us collectively to choose the legacy we intend to leave for our children and our children's children.
