Eco-Friendly Animal Products?

In the meat and dairy section of many grocery stores you can now find packages marked with labels such as “humanely-raised“, “free-range”, “grass-fed”, “organic” or “cruelty-free.” Each label is designed in its own way to give the consumer a sense that the products that they are purchasing are eco and animal friendly.

You can read more elsewhere about the misleading nature of these labels with regard to animal welfare, but for now let’s take a look at what they mean in terms of land use, water, greenhouse gases and protecting native species.

Are you in favor of:

- Shutting down factory farms?
- Protecting our forest, rainforest and wild spaces?
- Protecting native species, both on land and in the sea?
- Reducing greenhouse gases?
- Protecting our rivers and streams from pollution?
- Taking real steps towards ending world hunger?

If you said yes to all of the questions above, then bravo! But here is the next question, and it might be a bit tougher. Do you think eating grass-fed beef, “cruelty-free” dairy, free-range chicken, turkey and eggs, organic pork and farmed or wild seafood* align with these beliefs?

Once you finish reading this article, the answer may surprise you.

*The environmental impact of eating animals from the sea is not covered in this article. Look for more information on the ecological impact of “seafood” coming soon.

Next: Numbers

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Dale O.

8:22AM PDT on Jul 31, 2012

There are many practices where things can be done more effectively without factory farming and the like but do not forget even if we all switched to a vegan diet there will greenhouse gases produced whenever that lettuce et al is tossed into the land filled after it spoils. Some people waste food by buying too much or sometimes with all good intentions things just spoil and some is going to get tossed, multiply that by billions of people...sorry, not everyone composts.

If one wishes to be vegan, go right ahead. The rest of us will eat meat, use honey and eggs and are tired of being lectured to. Follow your desires and leave the rest of us alone. If Mother Nature erred and disappointed the world of vegans-take it up with her-too bad she did not have all of us organic creatures on the planet designed to consume rock and stone for our survival. All those snakes gobbling up mice, cats being obligate carnivores, Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants sucking the life out of insects-toss in spiders to that group...Mother Nature really screwed up bad in Vegan Land. We should have all evolved to eat rocks.

Yes, Nature created a cruel world where we all exist on the death of something. Not everyone on the planet eats a huge amount of meat at one serving, people can cut down but do not expect everyone to live a vegan lifestyle. Sorry that Mother Nature designed the world that way but that is what happened. And please, do not lecture me about if meat was natural then why do we h

July 31
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Oh, my comment did not take, will try it again.

Wonderful, it took this time-no point cutting and pasting the whole article into the comment section over and over and over again like some people who do it 14 times if it does not work the first time....

shelby m.

12:49AM PDT on May 23, 2012

Our only real solution is to get a handle on the human population, but, thanks to the sudden resurgence of religion, and particular the catholic church, chances of that happening are few and far between.

May 23
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Florence E.

5:55PM PDT on May 22, 2012

Thanks great article

May 22
send a green star

5:54PM PDT on May 22, 2012

Im a vegetarian thank goodness but isnt eco friendly animal products an oxymoron? Thanks for the article

Past Member .

3:22AM PDT on May 15, 2012

Lisa C. asks how much impact 160,000,000 dogs and cats have on the environment ? A lot less impact than the same number of humans , Lisa C.
And unlike humans they do not kill for sexual perversions, greed religion jealousy fun etc etc etc, they just follow their survival instincts.
Humans are the only problem to this planet and all that lives on it.