May 2nd, 1928:

Did I say makes sense? I meant it makes sense for our future, our health and if you are serious about reducing carbon emissions. Because, it doesn’t make sense economically, as local produce is very often more expensive than stuff delivered from 4,000 miles away.  In part, that’s because the distribution system we use today was basically set up decades ago when gas was $3 a barrel. Weird, huh?

The larger reason, however, to use locally grown vegetables at your dinner table is to avoid meat. The big ugly elephant in the room that no one talks about is this: are you serious about cutting CO2? Stop eating meat. It takes ten to 20 times the amount of fossil fuel to produce a pound of meat than it does a pound of vegetables, according to a vegetarian organization called Dawnwatch.

Further, animal agriculture takes up 70% of agricultural land use and 30% of the worlds land use in total. And according to the World Health Organization, animal agriculture accounts for two-thirds of the world’s acid rain, the majority of the world’s fresh water pollution (yep – it’s not industry), and consumes more water in the U.S. than any other single cause (remember, not agriculture, animal agriculture).

If animal agricultural land was instead producing plant food, we could feed 20 billion people on this planet.

So, as much of life offers us, we have a choice. If you don’t believe that CO2 effects the planet, you’re going to do what you’re going to do. If you do believe it, and you want to correct your behavior to save the planet, then stop eating meat. Because, whining about global warming over your Prime Rib dinner, or being proud you drive a Pruis on the way to Makawao Steak House, is just a lot of hot air, and as we know, hot air isn’t good for Mother Earth either.

– Maui Curmudgeon, somewhere on Maui

• 1517: Leonardo da Vinci dies at Cloux France 
• 1670: The Hudson Bay Company is chartered by England’s King Charles II 
• 1776: France and Spain agree to provide 1 million in livres to the American Revolutionaries 
• 1972: After serving 48 years as head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover dies in Washington at age 77 
• 1985: E F Hutton the nation’s largest stock brokerage, found guilty of account manipulation. They agree to pay $2 million in fines, and to pay back the $8 million they “stole” 
• 1990: South Africa & the African National Congress open talks to end apartheid 
• 1994: Nelson Mandela claims victory in South Africa’s first democratic elections 
• 1997: Tony Blair becomes Britain’s youngest prime minister in 185 years (at 44 years of age)  

BORN ON THIS DAY — May 2nd