In my daily life, I am constantly faced with important questions about what to do. Some of this questions are very simple for me to answer while others are not. For example: Should I report a lost wallet, or keep the money? It’s not even a question for me. The answer is very simple - report the lost wallet!  I was raised in a way that strictly forbid me to keep something that did not belong to me without the permission of the person who owns it. So I adopted this value from my parents and it became one that guides me and helps in making decisions.

Unfortunately, we are living in a world where some of our daily activities are simply impossible without compromising our values and beliefs. For example, I agree that pollution causes problems for others, has a negative impact on our health, contributes to global warming and the death of our planet. I feel extremely guilty, yet I still own a car and drive on a regular basis simply because I don’t have other suitable alternatives.

I will not be able to provide for my family without driving. My work requires that I am mobile and can move from one place to another in a very short time in order to be effective. As a mother of a 12 year old boy that is involved in after school activities, I need to be able to move quickly around the city. It would be easy to ask why I don’t change my job? Why I don’t choose my son’s activities closer to my home. The answer is very simple - it is not possible; I don’t have any other alternatives. Of course saying that, I opened myself up for the criticism of being selfish and putting my personal well being or my son’s future (competitive swimmer) in front of others. So, how do I deal with it?

I educate myself on a regular basis about what other things, aside from driving, I could do to reduce our pollution footprint. I am an obsessive recycle; I recycle everything and make sure that if there is a way of saving energy, I am doing it. All my house appliances are low energy and every light switch I turn on has a reasonable purpose. I am saving water as much as I can. Although I love taking showers (I shower every day), I try to reduce the time of this activity to a minimum. It was not easy for me to break my habit, but I have.

Feeling guilty about driving, I was constantly looking for other ways to reduce my contribution to killing Mother Earth and I came across the documentary called “Cowspiracy,” that changed my perspective on environmental issues we face in today’s world.

I would like to share some of the shocking facts the I have learned and how this is helping me with my ethical dilemmas in regards to driving. Please forgive me for the lengthy post, but I think it is very important that I share this information with you.

The followings is just a little sample of the shocking facts about animal agriculture that I retrieved from http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/:

• Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation
• Transportation exhaust is responsible for 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions primarily involve fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air, and marine transportation.
• Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emission
• Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years
• Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day
• Reducing methane emissions would create tangible benefits almost immediately
• Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption
• 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef 
• Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land
• Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction; responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction
• In the U.S. livestock produce 116,000 lbs of waste per second
• The average American consumes 209 pounds of meat per year
• We are currently growing enough plant-based food to feed 10 billion people
• 1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food
• 1.5 acres can produce 375 pounds of meat.

This is what I have learned from watching just one documentary film.

Unfortunately, we are living in a world where some of our daily activities are simply impossible without compromising our values and beliefs. i.e. driving is not ‘right’ in the sense of right and wrong that I learned during childhood. When I was young, nobody told me that eating meat will kill our planet. I have learned about it through my continued moral development and now I have to make an ethical decision. If I follow a vegan diet, I will produce the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for my food. Each day, I will save 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life. The choice is mine.

I am not saying that changing habits is easy; however, in the diet department, it is definitely realistic. I can see that I can make a difference and in this case,  it is all up to me. I am able to go to work like I need to, I am able to drive my son to his swimming practice and am still able to feel good about decreasing our environmental footprint. I also try to use my car as least as possible.

In addition, I feel morally obligated to share this information with you not just for the purpose of this course but also to take the opportunity to get your attention to the issue which is far more important. I really hope that you will reflect on it. Please watch the movie. Visit www.cowspiracy.com

Please share your thoughts.

References:

1. What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important? by David B. Resnik, J.D., Ph.D.

2. Goodland, R Anhang, J. “Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change were pigs, chickens and cows?”

3. Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2006.

4. Ross, Philip. “Cow farts have ‘larger greenhouse gas impact’ than previously thought; methane pushes climate change.” International Business Times. 2013.

5. Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. . Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.

6. Draft Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources.” EPA Office of Research and Development. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011.

7. Pimentel, David, et al. “Water Resources: Agricultural And Environmental Issues.” BioScience 54, no. 10 (2004): 909-18.”

8. Jacobson, Michael F. “More and Cleaner Water.” In Six Arguments for a Greener Diet: How a More Plant-based Diet Could save Your Health and the Environment. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2006.

9. “Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK.” Climatic change, 2014

10. A Mood and P Brooke, July 2010, "Estimating the Number of Fish Caught in Global Fishing Each Year".