Go Vegan, feel less guilty about driving a car.

[jbailey]

A Business Week Article points out that Ethanol fuels in the US face opposition because of rising corn prices. Since 25% of the US' corn supply winds up going to Ethanol, that apparently leaves less for livestock.

Last year at Opus, someone had brought along signs that said "Support Your Soybean Farmers", followed by a URL http://thankachicken.com/. While it was funny, it was an interesting reminder that vegans really *aren't* the target of North American soybean producers.

According to a the Wikipedia article on Environment Vegetarianism, "the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 4:1 energy input to protein output ratio up to 54:1". Perhaps the solution to driving our cars as much as we want on clean fuel is to go vegan? What do you suppose would give first, our car addiction, or our meat addiction?

Comments

[wlach.livejournal.com]

From what I've heard, Ethanol has an extremely poor (possibly even negative) energy return on investment. It's only taking off in a big way because of enormous government subsidies. For example, see here: http://www.financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/rapier/2006/0623.html (a google search of "ethanol site:theoildrum.com" will turn up plenty more).

Get the word out: ethanol is stupid and no solution to any problem.

[7wrc.livejournal.com]

Yes, all need to realize, that its not a solution.

Biofuels aren't the answer

[(Anonymous)]

If you have any time left from reading baby instruction manuals,
can I recommend George Monbiot's book Heat?
My copy's out on loan right now, but you might want to consider reading
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2004/11/23/feeding-cars-not-people/
(yes, 2004, but you can find more recent articles that quote similar figures,
eg http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/01/30/another-species-of-denial/)

[csext.livejournal.com]

ethanol is silly, it takes almost as much energy to make it as it supposedly saves.

and, a minor note, that sign at opus was a found item, it was stashed in the kitchen when we got there.

and if you want to make a north american's head explode i think telling them they have to choose between meat and cars would be a good way. heehee

Feed them grass instead?

[(Anonymous)]

Why is it necessary to feed the cows corn or grain? Wouldn't it be easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly to put the cows out to pasture to eat grass? We've been doing that in New Zealand for the last 100 years or so. Seems to work quite well.

[angorian.livejournal.com]

I don't think that you can make a "trade" like that as the effects on the environment are different. The two actions are not opposite sides of the same coin. To boot, there are even questions about the sustainability and effect of massive amounts of soy farming. On a semi-related note, I am finding this blog interesting and you probably will too: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

[angorian.livejournal.com]

These two links in particular.

The project philosophy:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/the_no_impact_m.html

The year-long plan:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/the_no_impact_p.html

[(Anonymous)]

or......

go vegan and car-free! not to mention individualistic nuclear family housing arrangements are wasteful -- communal is much better.

that might be too much hippie though ^_^

[als-luise.livejournal.com]

I started my new journal, and here I am. :) btw I scored 96% UU on that quiz you sent me. Do I get an A?

[jbailey.livejournal.com]

*lol* Depends if being marked for a religion with no answers, no firm idea of a god/gods/goddesses/spirits was the goal. =)

I became suspicious after a while of the quiz because of the number of people who were showing up as UU. Then I asked a few other people to try it, and it turns out that I'm just more likely to be friends with UUs!

Was that one your highest %age?

[als-luise.livejournal.com]

100% secular humanism heh