Week 6

Ways to Care for God’s Creation

Throughout the summer we’re going to give you some suggestions for ways that you can better help to take care of the beautiful world that God gave us.

Week 6 – Eat Less Meat

Summer can make us think about having a BBQ and putting some nice burgers on the grill, but what we may not think about is how eating meat can affect the planet. The climate impact of meat is enormous – roughly equivalent to all the driving and flying of every car, truck and plane in the world. This is because the things that are done to raise and process the   animals, we eat contributes to climate change. Here are just two of the reasons.

• The industrial meat industry requires a great land to grow the food that is fed to animals Over a quarter of the world’s entire land area is used to graze or grow food for farm animals, which often leads to forests being cut down, which increases CO2 levels, and is harmful to wildlife.
• The animals, especially cows, release methane into the environment, which also increase CO2 levels.

Giving up meat can be difficult, but it is good for your health, and can make your grocery bill less expensive. Here are some suggestions:

• Try Meatless Monday. Instead of giving up meat completely – try going one day a week without. Even this little bit can make a difference. The Meatless Monday website includes recipes you can try. https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/meatless-monday
• Go to your local Farmers Market. This time of year you can find so many good fresh fruits and vegetables – it can remind you of just how delicious all of these things are!
• Try veggie burgers or other plant-based meat alternatives. There are so many good options now – so you can feel like you’re eating meat even when you’re not.