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I just watched a Dirty Jobs episode about a dairy farm. They collect all of the cow poo and use it to create methane, which they then use to power the entire 16,000 acre farm. After the methane has been taken, the remaining solids are used to fertilize the crops that are used to feed the cows.
This is the farm they visited on the show: Fair Oaks Farms: From Grass-to-Glass (broken link)
The page on how they use and protect the land is particularly relevant to this thread: Fair Oaks Farms: From Grass-to-Glass (broken link)
Using manure for power generation sounds like a great idea.
Someone may choose to eat meat 3 days a week instead of 6 days a week, someone else may decide to go all the way and go vegan, any effort is better than no effort IF it's agreed that consuming meat is harmful to the environment.
And that's how I understood the original point of this thread to be - is it harmful to the environment and if so, what can we as individuals do about it?
My point is that you among others on the thread are putting all meat in a black and white world and won't open your eyes to the various shades of gray. Not all meat is factory farmed, and some meats have less of an impact on the environment than others. People can be educated about the difference, just as they have been educated to spend more money for CFC bulbs instead of incandescent.
People may not be willing to cut back on meat consumption, but many are willing to pay a little more for something that is better for them and/or the environment.
IF it's agreed that consuming meat is harmful to the environment.
If you look at what rabbits did to Australia, you'll see that sometimes killing and eating meat is a good thing for the environment. The same thing is true for deer and other vermin in North America.
If you look at what rabbits did to Australia, you'll see that sometimes killing and eating meat is a good thing for the environment. The same thing is true for deer and other vermin in North America.
Maybe. Maybe not!
For many years it appeared to be a good thing that the forest service was doing by snuffing out all forest fires. In reality however, mans intervention allowed the underbrush to grow, which now serves as fuel for todays super fires.
Perhaps, the interference of man as hunter will pan out to have similar consequences. The outcome of our seemingly wise intervention often takes many years to become fully apparent.
Just to be clear, I'm just throwing this out there as food for thought. The animals who lose their lives in the process are the big losers with hunting. In the grand scheme of things, it may or may not be a beneficial practice.
Perhaps, the interference of man as hunter will pan out to have similar consequences. The outcome of our seemingly wise intervention often takes many years to become fully apparent.
There's no perhaps about it. We already interfere by killing the 'dangerous' predators that naturally regulate populations. Since the prey animals don't have something to control their numbers, we need to do the job of the predators we've displaced.
Unless you're willing to live with coyotes and lions eating your poodle and the occasional hiker, there isn't much choice in the matter.
For the record, I want to state that I have no problem with cougars eating poodles. Especially poodles in sweaters.
Very cute!!! I'll settle this argument - meat consumption is bad for the animals. And if something is bad for the animals, we'll end up paying the price. Everyone should be a vegetarian. Who needs meat? That would be nobody, no how, no way.
Some people hate wolves because they are more efficient predators than man. I truly think that attitude has a lot to do with why people "hunt." It's kind of an inferiority complex that rabid hunters have. Now, since hunting wolves is legal again, we will see them hunted to extinction. And then, we will be over run by those "wascally" Australian rabbits - we're in big trouble!!!
Wait a minute, what was this thread about? I got lost in the last several posts...
My point is that you among others on the thread are putting all meat in a black and white world and won't open your eyes to the various shades of gray. Not all meat is factory farmed, and some meats have less of an impact on the environment than others. People can be educated about the difference, just as they have been educated to spend more money for CFC bulbs instead of incandescent.
People may not be willing to cut back on meat consumption, but many are willing to pay a little more for something that is better for them and/or the environment.
I think one of the reasons why this thread became soooo long is because of this gray area.
I advocate avoiding factory farm meat, others advocate avoiding meat completely, and some deny that there's any problem with meat at all. It's all relative.
It's not about what someone prefers to eat, or believes they have to eat. It's not about raising your own pets/food, it's not about what you see when you look out your window (talk about a microcosm ). It's not about whether you don't like one particular link cited (so you write them all off? ).
It's about what factory farmed meat does to the environment. If we are all open to the possibility that we might be contributing to some significant environmental damage each time we purchase meat, then maybe we can make a better choice.
Ahhh, riveree... I can see why you have so many reps...
So you're willing to write it off as that? Factory farmed meat is hard on the environment, and people can't be educated to buy responsibly produced products, so we need to make choices other than meat?
.
I must of missed something...
I think people can/should be educated about where it comes from and consider the environment when they buy anything... including meat (or even tofu for that matter).
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Maybe. Maybe not!
I'll settle this argument - meat consumption is bad for the animals. And if something is bad for the animals, we'll end up paying the price. Everyone should be a vegetarian. Who needs meat? That would be nobody, no how, no way. 
.