Earthwatch Lecture: Animals & their Ecosystems
Thursday 13 September 2007, 7.00pm, at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore,
Sue van Rensburg & Dr. Tigga Kingston
Two
talks on the complicated business of reconciling the needs of species
with the delicate balance of their habitats, from zebras, giraffes and
rhinos in
Entrance free, but by ticket only.
For tickets and further information, please ring (01865) 318856; e-mailevents@earthwatch.org.uk
www.earthwatch.org/europe/events/lecture3_2007.html
Tags: energy, environment, Events
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:31 am
I had no idea there was a UN report called “Livestock’s Long Shadow”, so I googled it and there is – free to download.
I’m sending out stock with copies of “Eating the Earth” from the vegan society to spread the word, and have even read it to the end myself today.
If anyone has a list of low-cost airline press offices, I might even send each of them the UN version: they could be unlikely allies.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:48 am
I really cannot explain. I think if everyone read ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’
they’d be in a bit of shock. With numbers like the ones you’ve given, and
my personal favorite for most shocking… “Livestock production requires
70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the earth.”
——Yikes. Something’s gotta give.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
If anyone in the York area is reading this, your local MP Hugh Bayley is going to be giving a speech to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in New Delhi between 20th and 30th September.
He is having a meeting in York at the Council Chamber in the Guildhall, York on 11th September at 7.00p.m.
If you e-mail him on bayleyh@parliament.uk you will be sent a copy of his bulletin fore August with details of what he does.
We cannot attend this meeting, but I imagine Paul Blanchard will be there to put questions on behalf of vegans.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Various charities, notably Oxfam are very publicly encouraging supporters to send farm animals, including goats (!) to the Third World. This is completely irresponsible, and has been much criticised, but they still do it.
So far as upsetting supporters go – the trouble is that this, especially middle class supporters, looses donations. All out and shame the devil, and risk going broke? Those which are more radical anyway, like Viva, haven`t got much support to loose in these areas.
3AM
September 6th, 2007 at 10:33 am
obvious, I would have thought. No one in their right mind can expect to convert the world to vegetarianism at best, let alone veganism. It just isn’t going to happen, guys. Use your energies on achievable goals.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:04 am
I quite agree Aidan – the world will not become vegetarian or vegan. But then again the world will not become car or aeroplane free either. The point is that people need to know the damage that various actions are causing and respond accordingly. Just eating less meat/dairy eould be a start and is a perfectly achievable goal don’t you think? Where else would you put your energies?
September 6th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
My husband had a letter published in the Soil Association magazine Living Earth about exactly this point.
The Soil Association does not promote vegetarianism, but does support CWF’s campaign to eat less meat. The comment from their editor was
“We believe that eating meat is a treat and making sure it is organic is better for our health and that of the planet.”
We maintain that if you are concerned about the planet, you should become vegetarian at the least and vegan is the most planet-friendly diet there is.
I have a vegetarian guest house in York, and have run it for 8 years.
At first, there were about two vegans a month. Now we have at least 50 per cent vegans among the veg*ans that come.
So what people do and how you talk to meat-eaters does make a difference.
Thirty years ago we became vegetarian because eating meat was not necessary, and using up more of the energy than we needed to. I learnt this as part of my environmental science degree.
Now the world is catching up on science, and about time.
What we have to do is stop developing countries from believing that meat is best. We can only do that by example.