I will keep this brief, as I am just getting back into updating this blog.....after many adventures abroad. But my blog is a link to this J. Morris Hicks blog
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2016
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Food Choices and Climate Change
...... or why eating plant based can significantly help save our World.
The following links were my primary sources of information for my Oct 28 presentation on Food Choices and Climate Change at Dorothy Greets’ class for Osher Lifelong Learning.
National Academy of Sciences report:
Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/33/11996.abstract
The Environmental Working Groups, Meat Eater’s Guide:
http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/reducing-your-footprint/
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet:
http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
J. Morris Hicks web site: Tearing Down the Single Biggest Road Block to Sustainability
http://hpjmh.com/2014/10/23/tearing-down-the-single-biggest-roadblock-to-sustainability/?utm
The following links were my primary sources of information for my Oct 28 presentation on Food Choices and Climate Change at Dorothy Greets’ class for Osher Lifelong Learning.
National Academy of Sciences report:
Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/33/11996.abstract
The Environmental Working Groups, Meat Eater’s Guide:
http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/reducing-your-footprint/
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet:
http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
J. Morris Hicks web site: Tearing Down the Single Biggest Road Block to Sustainability
http://hpjmh.com/2014/10/23/tearing-down-the-single-biggest-roadblock-to-sustainability/?utm
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Plant-based Eating, World Health, and Climate Change
Following is a superb link about why plant-based eating is so good for your health. It is from a major health insurance company, Kaiser Permante, so they have a major axe to grind in keeping you healthy...
.....unlike many doctors who have a major stake in making a living having you tested and treated more and more.
.....unlike many doctors who have a major stake in making a living having you tested and treated more and more.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Ugly Side of Raising Meat to Eat
I am mostly a vegan, who also eats a bit of fish, mostly what I catch. I also strongly believe that eating a lot of meat is bad for you, and bad for our World.
Why? For starters, you can get the same nutrition from plants that you get from meat, at a cost of 1/10 of the water, energy, land area, and nutrients that eating animals costs.
Add to that all the studies (like the China Study) which show for us humans, eating only plants is far more healthy, than eating meat plus plants.
For a nice review by Marc Guenther, see Yet Another Reason to Eat Less Meat.
Why? For starters, you can get the same nutrition from plants that you get from meat, at a cost of 1/10 of the water, energy, land area, and nutrients that eating animals costs.
Add to that all the studies (like the China Study) which show for us humans, eating only plants is far more healthy, than eating meat plus plants.
For a nice review by Marc Guenther, see Yet Another Reason to Eat Less Meat.
Friday, February 14, 2014
World Sustainability and Plant-based Eating
On Dec 31, I put up a post about J. Morris Hicks' efforts to convey the value of plant-based eating... value to both the eater, and more importantly to the World's population, because it can so greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and hence improve sustainability of our World
What we are faced with as a species trying to survive long term on Earth, is living in a sustainable manner. Very simply, that means not running out of fresh water and food, not flooding ourselves out of coastal cities and towns, not causing major extinctions of plants and wildlife, not creating huge ocean dead zones..........
When we look at building enough renewable energy capacity, like wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, biomass, etc., to make a significant contribution, lets say a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the task is very daunting. But if we switch to plant based eating, we can achieve that same 50%, and while the task is still very daunting, it is daunting in a behavioral sense, BUT VERY DOABLE in a physical sense.
So how is your today's diet? Take the 4 Leaf Test (link to test is near bottom of Hick's post). How am I doing? I am in the 4-leaf category by a parsley leaf, but I am there. And I am enjoying my food more than ever, probably because it both tastes good, and makes me feel good, too.
My lunch from the buffet line at McDougall's Hawaii Plant-based Eating program, Jan 2014.
What we are faced with as a species trying to survive long term on Earth, is living in a sustainable manner. Very simply, that means not running out of fresh water and food, not flooding ourselves out of coastal cities and towns, not causing major extinctions of plants and wildlife, not creating huge ocean dead zones..........
When we look at building enough renewable energy capacity, like wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, biomass, etc., to make a significant contribution, lets say a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the task is very daunting. But if we switch to plant based eating, we can achieve that same 50%, and while the task is still very daunting, it is daunting in a behavioral sense, BUT VERY DOABLE in a physical sense.
So how is your today's diet? Take the 4 Leaf Test (link to test is near bottom of Hick's post). How am I doing? I am in the 4-leaf category by a parsley leaf, but I am there. And I am enjoying my food more than ever, probably because it both tastes good, and makes me feel good, too.
My lunch from the buffet line at McDougall's Hawaii Plant-based Eating program, Jan 2014.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Meat is the new tobacco!!!
Sound weird?
It is solid science, if and when you get through the Industry filters.
Trust me, and MANY doctors whom I will provide links to soon, but in the meantime:
http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/meat_new_tobacco_chart.pdf
Off to a vegan stir fry dinner,
Herbivore Bill
It is solid science, if and when you get through the Industry filters.
Trust me, and MANY doctors whom I will provide links to soon, but in the meantime:
http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/meat_new_tobacco_chart.pdf
Off to a vegan stir fry dinner,
Herbivore Bill
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
The Beef about McDonald's Beef
Marc Guenther says HERE what I firmly believe: Eating much less beef (and other meat), will greatly help our World survive, and will also greatly benefit your health.
My apology for a recent absence of posts, but I have been away learning how to become a better vegan-with-no-added-oil, thanks to a great Dr. McDougall program.
My apology for a recent absence of posts, but I have been away learning how to become a better vegan-with-no-added-oil, thanks to a great Dr. McDougall program.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Crops, Livestock, and Sustainability
Happy New Year to All, and to all less beef. Less beef is better for you, and for our Earth.
The following links are very detailed, but I think also very worthwhile, thought provoking, and good references for future study.
First from Dr. McDougall re what we eat, and why Al Gore just made a huge statement with his change to becoming a vegan.
So then I checked out the detailed link from the UN about the Livestock's Long Shadow. (This is a big link, but do try to read the executive summary).
Now since the UN paper was from 2006, I did some additional research of my own, and found a very recent and thorough study by the International Livestock Institute and 2 others titled "......hoofprints".
In a nutshell, if you care about our Earth and still want to eat animal protein, eat chickens.......or go fishing.
The following links are very detailed, but I think also very worthwhile, thought provoking, and good references for future study.
First from Dr. McDougall re what we eat, and why Al Gore just made a huge statement with his change to becoming a vegan.
So then I checked out the detailed link from the UN about the Livestock's Long Shadow. (This is a big link, but do try to read the executive summary).
Now since the UN paper was from 2006, I did some additional research of my own, and found a very recent and thorough study by the International Livestock Institute and 2 others titled "......hoofprints".
In a nutshell, if you care about our Earth and still want to eat animal protein, eat chickens.......or go fishing.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Vegan Diet Significantly Minimizes Climate Change
You may wonder, where is the link? But I am sure most of you know the connection. Raising beef, pork and chicken...and even farm raised fish, is a very inefficient use of our limited resources, and the waste involved ultimately generates a LOT of greenhouse gases, like CO2 and methane.
And probably good numbers of you are vegan, or almost vegan (like me). Now for those that are not, maybe Dr. McDougall can give you some added inspiration through his long term relationship with Al Gore, who after 7 years of consideration, has just now declared himself a vegan.
A partial believer? but want a bit more convincing, try McDougall on potatoes.
And probably good numbers of you are vegan, or almost vegan (like me). Now for those that are not, maybe Dr. McDougall can give you some added inspiration through his long term relationship with Al Gore, who after 7 years of consideration, has just now declared himself a vegan.
A partial believer? but want a bit more convincing, try McDougall on potatoes.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Worse than Climate Change? Increasingly rampant use of pesticides could be!
Yes! It could bring catastrophes right to our door steps, as opposed to a century away, as with global warming.
This NY Times article was sent to me by class member and Sussex Bird Cub President, John Hoyt. It is very alarming, but very hard to dispute.
From my perspective - Yes, I have seen far fewer Monarchs this fall. I have also seen far fewer wild bees at our flowers. And I have read very troubling articles about Lowes and Home Depot selling flower plants so heavily dosed with pesticides that bees are dying by the thousands in their parking lots, not to mention your backyard.
And at the Rehoboth Film Festival, Sally and I watched More Than Honey about the bee decline, in a large part due to pesticides, and about how so many of our food crops are dependent on bee pollination. From the film, an Einstein quote, "If bees ever die out, mankind will die out 4 years later".
So where is Obama on this issue? Well, he does not look to be well positioned. But then if I lived in China or Russia, right now my future would probably look bleak as well. Hope you all can swim.
This NY Times article was sent to me by class member and Sussex Bird Cub President, John Hoyt. It is very alarming, but very hard to dispute.
From my perspective - Yes, I have seen far fewer Monarchs this fall. I have also seen far fewer wild bees at our flowers. And I have read very troubling articles about Lowes and Home Depot selling flower plants so heavily dosed with pesticides that bees are dying by the thousands in their parking lots, not to mention your backyard.
And at the Rehoboth Film Festival, Sally and I watched More Than Honey about the bee decline, in a large part due to pesticides, and about how so many of our food crops are dependent on bee pollination. From the film, an Einstein quote, "If bees ever die out, mankind will die out 4 years later".
So where is Obama on this issue? Well, he does not look to be well positioned. But then if I lived in China or Russia, right now my future would probably look bleak as well. Hope you all can swim.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Food Waste Greenhouse Gas Emmissions - 3rd Largest Emitter behind China and US
I am only posting this NBC link because the reported magnitude of the problem is so large. From what I have read, the emissions include all energy used to grow and process the wasted food, as well as the CO2 and methane emitted by the disposal of the wasted food. That seems fair, but also a complicated series of calculations.
What also seems so very unfortunate and unnecessary, is wasting this vast quantity of food with so many people on Earth needy and starving.
Bill
PS - Our class agenda for "Predicting Climate Change", Oct 23 through Nov 20 at Osher Lifelong Learning in Lewes DE, will be posted very soon. I am looking forward to an educationally stimulating and interesting fall.
What also seems so very unfortunate and unnecessary, is wasting this vast quantity of food with so many people on Earth needy and starving.
Bill
PS - Our class agenda for "Predicting Climate Change", Oct 23 through Nov 20 at Osher Lifelong Learning in Lewes DE, will be posted very soon. I am looking forward to an educationally stimulating and interesting fall.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Energy for Development - References from Curt Davis
Following is the list of books, web site links, and Youtube videos that Curt promised in his OLLI presentation on Nov 5, 2012. Many thanks again to Curt for a fascinating and informative presentation of his hands-on experiences helping provide clean, renewable energy to low income people in remote regions around the world. Bill
OLLI Energy for Development presentation by
Curt Davis, November 5, 2012
-Here are the names of the books mentioned in class:
Kamal, Sajed (2011). The
Renewable Revolution: How We Can Fight
Climate Change, Prevent Energy Wars, Revitalize the Economy and Transition to a
Sustainable Future. London:
Routledge (Earthscan)
Owen, David (2012). The Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation,
Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate
Problems Worse. Short Books
-Here is a link to how to build the solar cooker
demonstrated in class:
-Organizations that I work with:
Flexera Solar and
Wind
The Pan Himalayan
Grassroots Development Foundation
Grupo Fenix
ICSEE / Maasai Solar
Project
-Here is a list of interesting videos of small-scale
renewable energy or small-scale that has been scaled up to meet larger demands.
Solar Cooker in
the snow: (2:45)
(posted from http://www.youtube.com/user/solarwindmama)
Grassroots India
household biogas overview. (8:03)
(posted by https://www.youtube.com/user/GrassrootsIndia)
Micro Hydro Power
Animation
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenpeaceUK)
Micro hydro Archimedian
screw animation
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/bigbrother1970E)
Turning Green in
Oxford, England
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/alunhill)
Micro hydro in
Indonesia
(poster by http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
ARTI India: Biogas
from food waste. (5:26)
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
China; domestic
biogas for cooking and light. (4:47)
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
Industrial-scale
liquefied biogas in Sweden. (4:07)
(posted by: https://www.youtube.com/user/Goteborgenergi )
Husk Power
Systems: Bihar (5:53)
(posted from http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
Grupo Fenix.
(6:35)
(posted by https://www.youtube.com/user/elgrupofenix)
Tanzanian sawdust
stoves. (5:53)
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
Aprovecho Rocket
Stove; Malawi (5:15)
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/AshdenAwards)
Rice husk gasifier
in Bihar (2:56)
(posted by http://www.youtube.com/user/acumenfund)
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Eating to help save the world
I am jumping ahead on this class topic, but I thought you would like to be updated now, and in a very clear way, on how the foods we eat are grown AND LABELLED.
My view? Accurate labeling is only being honest. Why would an honest business not want to be truthful about what is in its products?
PS - I also believe eating more plants, plus animals low on the food chain, is a key ingredient to our Earth being able to sustain the population here now and on the way.
My view? Accurate labeling is only being honest. Why would an honest business not want to be truthful about what is in its products?
PS - I also believe eating more plants, plus animals low on the food chain, is a key ingredient to our Earth being able to sustain the population here now and on the way.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Drought - a first hand perspective
Much of the US is presently in a record breaking drought, and I am guessing that many of us don't have a real good perspective of how bad this can be, so from Steve Lyons at the Dickinson Press:
"Of all the ways nature has to kill you, drought may be the cruelest. The desiccation proceeds day after punishing day. The afternoon sun pounds the Earth like a brazen hammer. As I write, the temperature here in Perry County, Arkansas, has reached 108 degrees."
For the full article: Climate change real - ask the cows
"Of all the ways nature has to kill you, drought may be the cruelest. The desiccation proceeds day after punishing day. The afternoon sun pounds the Earth like a brazen hammer. As I write, the temperature here in Perry County, Arkansas, has reached 108 degrees."
For the full article: Climate change real - ask the cows
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Sustainable Seafood
Sustainability has become a very popular term, hopefully because it makes so much sense, and because it is very needed in so many ways. Sustainable food production, which includes aquaculture and commercial fishing, in the long run is really the only means of feeding the world in a healthy manner, without degrading our environment. Sustainable energy production is ultimately the only way to meet the world's energy needs, without catastrophically altering the world's climate.
So, should you eat farmed fish? Marc Guenther addresses this complicated question and provides some optimistic insights into what the aquaculture industry is doing to become more sustainable. New to me was the size of the aquaculture industry. "Already, roughly half the world’s supply of fish is farmed."
“Aquaculture’s big,” said Jose Villalon, a fisheries biologist who leads the aquaculture program at the World Wildlife Fund. “It’s the fastest growing food industry in the world. It’s not a trend. It’s here to stay.” He said that aquaculture has been growing about 9% a year for at least a decade, and that fish farming can become one of the most sustainable sources of healthy food.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a leading non-profit working to promote sustainable seafood through their Seafood Watch program. They offer free pocket seafood guides which clarify which fish species are harvested in a sustainable manner. Monterey Bay also offers an app with their Sea Watch program. One key criteria for sustainability is that the fishing technique does not have a large bycatch, and that it does not seriously harm the marine environment.
Another approach to sustainable seafood which gaining in popularity is voluntary certification. There are two organizations involved in a world-wide effort: the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
So if you refuse to become a vegan, you can still switch the cattle, dairy, poultry portion of your diet to healthy, sustainable seafood, as I have done.
So, should you eat farmed fish? Marc Guenther addresses this complicated question and provides some optimistic insights into what the aquaculture industry is doing to become more sustainable. New to me was the size of the aquaculture industry. "Already, roughly half the world’s supply of fish is farmed."
“Aquaculture’s big,” said Jose Villalon, a fisheries biologist who leads the aquaculture program at the World Wildlife Fund. “It’s the fastest growing food industry in the world. It’s not a trend. It’s here to stay.” He said that aquaculture has been growing about 9% a year for at least a decade, and that fish farming can become one of the most sustainable sources of healthy food.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a leading non-profit working to promote sustainable seafood through their Seafood Watch program. They offer free pocket seafood guides which clarify which fish species are harvested in a sustainable manner. Monterey Bay also offers an app with their Sea Watch program. One key criteria for sustainability is that the fishing technique does not have a large bycatch, and that it does not seriously harm the marine environment.
Another approach to sustainable seafood which gaining in popularity is voluntary certification. There are two organizations involved in a world-wide effort: the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
So if you refuse to become a vegan, you can still switch the cattle, dairy, poultry portion of your diet to healthy, sustainable seafood, as I have done.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Meatless Monday and Meat the Truth
Meatless Monday is a global movement to help our climate be healthier......and to help YOU be healthier!!!
From the title link:
"If everyone in the US went meatless one day a week: The carbon savings would be the same as taking 19.2 million cars off U.S. roads for a year."
Meatless Monday is a big web site, so explore the other pages as well as the linked page.
What have I done? I have gone from a weekly average of eating meat 2x per day to eating meat less than 1x per day, or more than a 50% reduction in meat consumption.......and the meat I eat is 99% fish. What has Sally done? She is 100% meatless....a vegan.
From the title link:
"If everyone in the US went meatless one day a week: The carbon savings would be the same as taking 19.2 million cars off U.S. roads for a year."
Meatless Monday is a big web site, so explore the other pages as well as the linked page.
What have I done? I have gone from a weekly average of eating meat 2x per day to eating meat less than 1x per day, or more than a 50% reduction in meat consumption.......and the meat I eat is 99% fish. What has Sally done? She is 100% meatless....a vegan.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Where's the Beef?
It would be good for Earth and all life on it, if this was a current valid question. But it is not. Anyway, some tidbits from the linked Washington Post article by Ezra Klein from July 2009:
• "livestock accounts for 18% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions."
• "switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading in your gas guzzler for a Prius."
And from me, more vegetables and less livestock is also a much healthier way to eat. Thanks to Dorothy Greet for providing this article and her great class on Plant Based Nutrition at Osher Lifelong Learning, Lewes, DE.
• "livestock accounts for 18% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions."
• "switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading in your gas guzzler for a Prius."
And from me, more vegetables and less livestock is also a much healthier way to eat. Thanks to Dorothy Greet for providing this article and her great class on Plant Based Nutrition at Osher Lifelong Learning, Lewes, DE.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sustainable Agriculture
The title link is to the NY Times Blog by Andrew Revkin which contains a link to the excellent video, "The Other Inconvenient Truth", featuring Jonathan Foley.
Some other links used in today's class are:
Skeptic Talking Points Melt Away
NASA On-line Videos
Agriculture and population maps of the world
Nationmaster map and statistics source for countries of the world
Some other links used in today's class are:
Skeptic Talking Points Melt Away
NASA On-line Videos
Agriculture and population maps of the world
Nationmaster map and statistics source for countries of the world
Monday, May 16, 2011
Shrimp Farming and the Environment
My daughter never eats shrimp because of the negative impact so many shrimp operations have on the environment. These negative impacts range from cutting down mangrove forests, to the effluent pollution from poorly operated shrimp farms. In the title link you can learn that these negative impacts are not inevitable, and that shrimp can be farmed in an environmentally sound manner. The link includes a 16 minute video about Linda Thornton, a major pioneer in these efforts. This video also covers some details about the shrimp farming techniques developed and employed on three shrimp farms in Belize.
There is still a lot of work ahead to get these techniques learned and practiced around the world, but organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are helping make this happen, and are also developing certification techniques for shrimp raised on environmentally sustainable shrimp farms.
There is still a lot of work ahead to get these techniques learned and practiced around the world, but organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are helping make this happen, and are also developing certification techniques for shrimp raised on environmentally sustainable shrimp farms.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Can the Barramundi help feed 7+ Billion People?
As has been proven time and time again, hungry people are not peaceful subjects of any country. Hungry people create unrest anywhere in the world. So averting hunger is certainly a number one priority of mankind.........if we are to live together in any sort of harmony, and care about our neighbors.
Swim forward the Baramundi, aka Asian sea bass. A fish selected as preferred for fish farming out of over 40 candidate species. Why did it come out on top? Because it is healthy with high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, it reportedly tastes good, it does not need a lot of other seafood as its food, and its waste waters are unlikely to cause environmental problems.
Read the title link for details. I will report on it again after I have eaten some. For more about its life cycle, food preferences, a recipe...and why it makes sense to aquaculture, click Eating Jellyfish.
Swim forward the Baramundi, aka Asian sea bass. A fish selected as preferred for fish farming out of over 40 candidate species. Why did it come out on top? Because it is healthy with high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, it reportedly tastes good, it does not need a lot of other seafood as its food, and its waste waters are unlikely to cause environmental problems.
Read the title link for details. I will report on it again after I have eaten some. For more about its life cycle, food preferences, a recipe...and why it makes sense to aquaculture, click Eating Jellyfish.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)