“Earth has lost half of its wildlife in the past 40 years, says WWF”
~The Guardian
This shocking truth has been sinking in over recent months!
“Creatures across land, rivers and the seas are being decimated as humans kill them for food in unsustainable numbers, while polluting or destroying their habitats, the research by scientists at WWF and the Zoological Society of London found.” ~ The Guardian
Half of the animal life on the planet has been lost to human consumption.
Greed, gluttony and sheer arrogance have brought the world we inhabit to the brink of destruction.
Any time I mention the fact that I am now a Vegan, I get pounced upon by people who denounce my choice of diet and insist upon telling me that it is unnatural to live without meat, fish and dairy!
The correlation between what we eat, and the ecological disaster that is our Earthly home, is there for all to see…there is no more denying the fact that we have plundered to the brink of mass extinction!
“Currently, the global population is cutting down trees faster than they regrow, catching fish faster than the oceans can restock, pumping water from rivers and aquifers faster than rainfall can replenish them and emitting more climate-warming carbon dioxide than oceans and forests can absorb.” ~ The Guardian
“The report concludes that today’s average global rate of consumption would need 1.5 planet Earths to sustain it. But four planets would be required to sustain US levels of consumption, or 2.5 Earths to match UK consumption levels.” ~ The Guardian
Most people associate being Vegan with ending cruelty to animals, but even adopting part of one’s diet to being Vegan achieves much more.
For example, in adopting a diet without meat and dairy, even a couple of days per week, and thinking more about what we eat, personal and planetary health improves.
Each one of us is either part of the problem or part of the solution.
At the moment I am on a 60 Day Juice fast, so over 60% of my food intake is picked fresh and juiced…this has brought my cholesterol and blood pressure down to normal and have more energy than ever before! Outside of this, the system is more complex as I barter, sell and swop!
Blessings X Colette
Not vegan or vegetarian here but we do our best to raise our own meat (chickens) as low carbon and as ethically as possible. We also plan to breed one of our goats soon for local and ethical dairy. 🙂
Thanks for another great post.
You really speak the truth. I know first hand how it feels to be looked at like I’m crazy or treated adversely because I choose to be vegetarian but I plug on. I just wish more of my family and friends would wake up.
I think sometimes people think that a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet is terriblly limited and can’t even imagine the wonderful gourmet possiblities that come with serving such foods. As a gourmet vegan/vegetarian personal chef I can very much reassure the doubters, that all that Colette has said about a change in diet can be maintained with style and sumputousness…
I am also an herbalist and a wild harvester for my herbals, and for eating. Ecologically I am aware of maintaining the balance by only taking what is needed and never over harvesting, making sure that the plants are plentiful, not endangered.
My health has improved 100% since my transition to veganism. I am gulten, soy and corn free because of intolerances most likely caused by chemical treatments of the grains. Although I do eat gluten free oatmeal. I have lost 120 lbs since I changed my diet!
While some poopoo my veganism/vegetarianism, there are those who rave enough about my cooking abilities to hire me to cook…There is hope for many who keep trying to transition. I think they are afraid it will be too much work to really cook from scratch!
So glad we have such a strong advocate like you!
xx, BJ
I do not comment on blogs usually, but I read (and re-read) your posts on a daily basis. You are an inspiration to so many looking to live closer to and in balance with the earth. I am constantly in awe of your strength and persistence. Please know that for each negative commenter or unsubscriber there are dozens of admirers like me in the internet mists.
Try to have compassion for those who react less skillfully to the state of the world, and know that it is not you personally they are reacting to when they lash out. It is easier said than done, I know.
The world is a much better place with you and your blog in it. Regardless of what the future holds for the planet and humanity, you are living your life the best way you know how and shining a light on the path for others to follow. Keep going!
Dear Colette, Your posts are always insightful and thought provoking. Although I am not a Vegan it is something I would like to strive to be. The one thing that has become very apparent to me through you blog and others thoughts and beliefs, is how interconnected we are with the Earth and its creatures (including humans). Diversity in Nature and even our DNA is what makes us thrive. I also think that diversity in what we believe and in encouraging others to voice their opinions is what leads us to wisdom. I feel sorry for those who have chosen to unsubscribe to your blog, I have personally enjoyed the fact you have shared your journey with us. I look forward to its many twists and turns.
So sorry Aggie but what animals are you talking about. Of course we should allow wild animals to roam, but when you see grazing cattle or sheep, pigs, hens, whatever, they are all supplemented with grain. I get your point about wild animals grazing and moving on, but there is nowhere for them to move onto. Nearly every piece of land is controlled and owned by someone. Even the Eagles and Buzzards are not allowed to roam. They are killed by gamekeepers because they may take a few birds away from the shoot, the shoot that kills thousands of birds which are often left where they fall from the sky.
Farm animals are far removed from their wild counterparts and are very weak specimens by comparison. I feel they wouldn’t cope at all well. You say they needn’t be eaten, but then go on to say they are adept at turning inedible plants into food we can digest.
In an ideal world, any farm animals would be looked after until they die, wild animals would be given the respect and environment they deserve and we humans would live on a plant based diet, but I won’t hold my breath. Being Vegan is by far the best way of supporting the Planet.
Predators were wiped out many years ago. When the Swedes introduced Wolves a few years ago, they were tolerated by farmers for a few years, but were shot if they ventured into Norway. Same with Yellowstone, hunters wait for the Wolves to cross the boundary to shoot them. Over the years, in the UK, animals have been hunted to extinction, including bears and Wolves. The animals hunted to near extinction were Red Squirrels (yes the very same that are so in favour now), and Otters. Foxes have long been hunted and now our ignorant government are trying to eradicate Badgers.
All of this is difficult to take, but you can only do what you can, and take heart from the fact that there are many people who do care.
My Dearest Blogger Colette, thank you for all you write. I woke up this morning and the quiet voice said to go read your blog – that you had a message for me (and the world). Strange this place we live in…so much like an Eden…and very much a sentient being. It appears this new species, having ingested cooked protein about 60,000 years ago (the last evolutionary leap in brain power) and equipped with an opposable thumb has figured out how to create complex societies, pull black energy from the ground and manufacture multiple technologies. This tool making Homonid Homo sapiens sapiens is so enamored with its ability to “change stuff” and “make stuff” and “discover stuff” it lives day to day in a hall of mirrors. Trapped in a mammalian neurological system of base behaviors within this hall of mirrors doesn’t appear to be going well for this species towards the next leap in evolution.
Awareness is only for the courageous, because it unfolds – cognitive dissonance by cognitive dissonance – to an understanding that although there may be Individuals that evolve, Individual evolution does not = Species evolution. Formerly, where sticks were used we now have the A Bomb, Liberal Capitalism, GDP, and pseudo science of Economics…resulting in a near total disconnect between daily western lives and all of Earth’s natural processes.
Out here in the desert, we watch these events continue, do what we can to act in concert with the Universe, respect all life, allow our chickens to die of old age. Please continue to blog. I need your beautiful pictures and aware thoughts. Ironically the internet is what the Arch Druid has pointed out as being an “externality” (but that’s a whole other subject) so as long as we have it – keep going! When and if it’s gone in our lifetime we’ll sign up for your newsletter.
Sheila
I love your blog and I won’t quit my subscription to it just because some aspects of my life are different from yours or just because our beliefs, choices etc.etc. are not exactly the same.
You cannot and need not to write in your blog things that would only please each and every person.
Keep on writing the way you already do, everyone can choose what they take or learn from it and what they do differently, each one according to where they are at the moment in this beautiful journey we call life.
Even if you are already environmentally conscious, becoming vegan is life changing, because it opens your eyes even further to what is happening in the world, your compassion deepens and leads you on a deeper spiritual journey into understanding and partnership with all life (at least it does for me). People will question you, argue with you, think you’re a bit crazy, but I remember that once, years ago, I was one of those people. So all you can do is be the change you want to see in the world, an example, a light and to walk cheerfully over the world, which you do Colette, in spades. Xx
I’m sorry people have left the Blog. I suspect it is the word “vegan”. It is an inconvenient truth to many that being vegan is the greatest way to help the Planet, our own health, and saving the tortious lives endured by millions of so called farm animals, not to mention the rape of the oceans. Please don’t feel sad. You are doing so much to help and inform people, but it is a hard path to take. I know the rejection from others at a vegan way of life. People can become very aggressive, but the discomfort they feel stems from questioning their own path. I feel that where you part from some, you will find new friends and a new beginning.
Love to you Colette.
Hi I was vegan for many years eating tofu and tempeh and beans as my protein I now have the occasional piece of fish and organic chicken but I still eat mostly a vegetarian diet. People are plesantly surprised when they eat my meat free dinners they dont usually think to make up a meal using only vegetables. It is ignorance on their part having believed in the meat veg and potato meal. I make a lovely tart with Elemental cheese and squash layered over pastry that has roasted tomatoes cut up finely on. Over the layers I put oregano oil (olive oil and oregano ground in pestle and mortar) Yummmy. Also I have some Common Ground Magazines in an envelope for you, they used to be called the North West Newsletter. This is the first time I have commented here and I have been reading it for months now. Do not be disheartened you are doing Trojan work. Blessings Annbell
We eat some meat we raise ourselves, mostly poultry and an occasional pig, all free ranging, fed from our land where possible (some additional grain is used) and killed at home. Keeping grazing animals on marginal land which is not rich enough to support anything else makes sense but we must eat much less of it and value it more.
Small scale organic/permaculture farming must be the way forward to supply food for the worlds population.
Sixty-four year old vegan here. Your blog is lovely, comprehensive, and often, may I say, from the poet’s heart. I look forward to your installments each week. When in college, I ate no meat, ate dairy and eggs. One would have thought I might fall dead any minute, according to nutrition instructors. Slowly, the number of vegetarians ( no meat,dairy and eggs acceptable.) began to increase, one statistic is five percent in America at present. Thirteen years ago, I became vegan and again, overriding feedback was that I couldn’t last long without, at least dairy and eggs. Still going strong, stronger in fact than many of the younger folk who help me in my quarter acre garden and small orchard each year. I am inspired to impart that experience has taught me to eat what keeps me vivaciously healthy, hopeful, curious and ready to learn during each new day. Sustainable practices as we know them to be and as we intuit them to be, understanding that we are doing our best in loving mother earth, thus ourselves, despite perceived shortcomings, goes a long way in perpetuating sustainable practices through teaching by example, compassion for and protection of the earth and remaining animal populations. Blessings Collette, to you, for your ongoing love and effort toward all who enter your precious permaculture small holding and the planet in general.
Thanks Jude, for I have been quite depressed at reading this latest news on the devastation we have caused to Mother Earth. I have even wondered at the point of writing this blog, for since I posted this particular one, many of my subscribers have left. I do feel quite hopeless at times!
“for since I posted this particular one, many of my subscribers have left”
They’ve left? What? Not because you’re vegan, surely? What is wrong with people? I despair sometimes. But then I think, carry on, be happy, set as good an example as you can.
Sigh.
Do not give up this blog! You are an essential part of the fabric of goodness.
American food giant Hersheys, are beginning to remove GMO’s from some of it’s chocolate bars, due to public pressure. This is great news and hopefully we are seeing Monsanto on the run.
I just recently found your beautiful blog and love every inch of it. I resonate so much with this post. We are a vegan family as well, trying our best to live lightly and in balance with our earthspace. Thank you for your lovely example. Blessings.
If people would only ignore the governments on this world owned and run by he same folks who own and run the globalising corporations and turn a fraction of the agricultural desert land to permaculture then there would a profound improvement for all life on this planet in very short order…
However I felt compelled to comment after noticing that you have Quaker Oats in your pantry. You are of course free to purchase whatever you like but I wondered if you are aware that Quaker Oats is owned by PepsiCo, who have strong links to Monsanto and were a large financial contributor to the lobby to restrict labeling of GMOs in the US. I bring this up not to criticise but to raise awareness and I hope you take no offence.
I am aware of the link. They were left over from my mother’s kitchen cupboards, as well as other foodstuffs, when I helped clear her home when she passed. I use Organic oats grown in Ireland…Flanagans.
~I pray one day Organic Oats will become the norm love, Its so expensive over here. I have given it up. I scrutinize all labels on food now..Love seeing pics of your garden …its looking good. We still have snow over here hugs Susan~
I agree with your comment – be part of the problem or be part of the solution. I try to carefully consider every choice I make at the checkout in any shop. Do I really need it? Has it been produced sustainably? Will I use it fully or can I use something I already have? All these questions and more I try to keep in mind but I am not always successful in remembering to do this inner check. I know it will become automatic with practice and I won’t be doing it at the check out, I’ll be doing it before I leave home. Unfortunately we as a society have learned so many bad habits that it really does take effort to learn a new and better way of being. Blogs like this one are a great resource for reminding people to remember to make the right choice. Thanks Colette.
Unfortunately, the grazing animals also eat grain which has to be grown by farmers. The conversion rate of the grain eaten by animals is poor compared to humans eating the food direct. There isn’t a case I’m afraid for meat eating, and certainly not for the quantity that people demand. To produce 1lb of beef equates to driving two hundred miles in a large car, in CO2 emissions. In fact the production of meat is more polluting than all the traffic put together. A staggering thought!
I look forward to your blog, and respect your opinion. I was vegan for many years. I hope you will not be offended if I share my opinion that the impact of grazing animals is an important part of restoring the health of our soils, particularly in our arid lands. For the health of our planet, it makes sense to eat some animal products.
Aggie, I’ve been hearing about Savory’s work on this, but it’s possible that we don’t yet know all the questions to pose. For example, if grazing antelope are good for soil in arid lands, is it automatically true that the grazing of behemoth cattle elsewhere will also be restorative — or might it be damaging? I fear there are still too many potential unintended consequences with this idea, especially given Savory’s regrets the last time he came up with a “great” idea.
Thank you for responding! I have just finished an all women course with Holistic Management International, a group started by Savory. This blog post has a link to a video which has helped my husband and even some classmates understand the process. http://aggiesfarm.com/2015/02/07/grazing-animals-save-us-and-wildlife/
I have seen the before and after photos of my mentors’ land, after just a year or two of managed grazing. The photos are convincing. The grazing practices have been in use for decades. The process is understood, and I learned how to do it.
What Savory says is that, in the old days, herd animals were subject to predation. This changed their behavior so that they stayed bunched together tightly, took one bite from the plants in an area, and moved on. Often, they moved quickly, and their hooves trampled the soil, helping seed to germinate.
In our day, with few predators, fencing, etc., neither domestic nor wild animals travel in herds. Rather than eat, move on, and let the area recover, they stay in an area, choosing their favorite plants over and over, so that the favorites get destroyed. The ones they don’t favor get old and fibrous, and eventually die. (Grasses actually benefit from and need to be eaten.)
We can’t recreate the massive herds, but we can simulate them. With managed grazing, we bunch our animals together, with electric fence, herd dogs, and/or shepherds, and move them regularly. We choose the time to move by looking at our grasses and forage. We want one bite only, and everything bitten once.
I hope that this helps explain the concept and how it may be useful. By the way, the animals needn’t be cattle. Chickens and rabbits can do this work.
I have attempted to explain in my reply to GreenHearted why wild animals, who once maintained habitat, have been prevented by us from doing their job. We have taken away their predators and their freedom to roam. I have tried to explain also how farm animals can be used to simulate wild herd populations rather than destroy land.
It isn’t necessary to eat the animals. However, they are adept at turning inedible plants into foods we can digest.
Hi,
Loving your blog!
Im wondering how much (approx. percent) of your food intake is supplied by your farm?
Have a wonderful day!
At the moment I am on a 60 Day Juice fast, so over 60% of my food intake is picked fresh and juiced…this has brought my cholesterol and blood pressure down to normal and have more energy than ever before! Outside of this, the system is more complex as I barter, sell and swop!
Blessings X Colette
Not vegan or vegetarian here but we do our best to raise our own meat (chickens) as low carbon and as ethically as possible. We also plan to breed one of our goats soon for local and ethical dairy. 🙂
Thanks for another great post.
You really speak the truth. I know first hand how it feels to be looked at like I’m crazy or treated adversely because I choose to be vegetarian but I plug on. I just wish more of my family and friends would wake up.
I think sometimes people think that a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet is terriblly limited and can’t even imagine the wonderful gourmet possiblities that come with serving such foods. As a gourmet vegan/vegetarian personal chef I can very much reassure the doubters, that all that Colette has said about a change in diet can be maintained with style and sumputousness…
I am also an herbalist and a wild harvester for my herbals, and for eating. Ecologically I am aware of maintaining the balance by only taking what is needed and never over harvesting, making sure that the plants are plentiful, not endangered.
My health has improved 100% since my transition to veganism. I am gulten, soy and corn free because of intolerances most likely caused by chemical treatments of the grains. Although I do eat gluten free oatmeal. I have lost 120 lbs since I changed my diet!
While some poopoo my veganism/vegetarianism, there are those who rave enough about my cooking abilities to hire me to cook…There is hope for many who keep trying to transition. I think they are afraid it will be too much work to really cook from scratch!
So glad we have such a strong advocate like you!
xx, BJ
Lovely to read this…thanks and blessings XXX
Wow! A sobering read, and definitely food-for-thought. I’m saving this blog to re-read and reflect on further. Thank you. 🙂
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:13:30 +0000 To: chris.keady@hotmail.co.uk
Dearest Collette,
I do not comment on blogs usually, but I read (and re-read) your posts on a daily basis. You are an inspiration to so many looking to live closer to and in balance with the earth. I am constantly in awe of your strength and persistence. Please know that for each negative commenter or unsubscriber there are dozens of admirers like me in the internet mists.
Try to have compassion for those who react less skillfully to the state of the world, and know that it is not you personally they are reacting to when they lash out. It is easier said than done, I know.
The world is a much better place with you and your blog in it. Regardless of what the future holds for the planet and humanity, you are living your life the best way you know how and shining a light on the path for others to follow. Keep going!
Hugs,
-Kiwi
Bless you for that…and I shall! XXX
Dear Colette, Your posts are always insightful and thought provoking. Although I am not a Vegan it is something I would like to strive to be. The one thing that has become very apparent to me through you blog and others thoughts and beliefs, is how interconnected we are with the Earth and its creatures (including humans). Diversity in Nature and even our DNA is what makes us thrive. I also think that diversity in what we believe and in encouraging others to voice their opinions is what leads us to wisdom. I feel sorry for those who have chosen to unsubscribe to your blog, I have personally enjoyed the fact you have shared your journey with us. I look forward to its many twists and turns.
So sorry Aggie but what animals are you talking about. Of course we should allow wild animals to roam, but when you see grazing cattle or sheep, pigs, hens, whatever, they are all supplemented with grain. I get your point about wild animals grazing and moving on, but there is nowhere for them to move onto. Nearly every piece of land is controlled and owned by someone. Even the Eagles and Buzzards are not allowed to roam. They are killed by gamekeepers because they may take a few birds away from the shoot, the shoot that kills thousands of birds which are often left where they fall from the sky.
Farm animals are far removed from their wild counterparts and are very weak specimens by comparison. I feel they wouldn’t cope at all well. You say they needn’t be eaten, but then go on to say they are adept at turning inedible plants into food we can digest.
In an ideal world, any farm animals would be looked after until they die, wild animals would be given the respect and environment they deserve and we humans would live on a plant based diet, but I won’t hold my breath. Being Vegan is by far the best way of supporting the Planet.
Predators were wiped out many years ago. When the Swedes introduced Wolves a few years ago, they were tolerated by farmers for a few years, but were shot if they ventured into Norway. Same with Yellowstone, hunters wait for the Wolves to cross the boundary to shoot them. Over the years, in the UK, animals have been hunted to extinction, including bears and Wolves. The animals hunted to near extinction were Red Squirrels (yes the very same that are so in favour now), and Otters. Foxes have long been hunted and now our ignorant government are trying to eradicate Badgers.
All of this is difficult to take, but you can only do what you can, and take heart from the fact that there are many people who do care.
My Dearest Blogger Colette, thank you for all you write. I woke up this morning and the quiet voice said to go read your blog – that you had a message for me (and the world). Strange this place we live in…so much like an Eden…and very much a sentient being. It appears this new species, having ingested cooked protein about 60,000 years ago (the last evolutionary leap in brain power) and equipped with an opposable thumb has figured out how to create complex societies, pull black energy from the ground and manufacture multiple technologies. This tool making Homonid Homo sapiens sapiens is so enamored with its ability to “change stuff” and “make stuff” and “discover stuff” it lives day to day in a hall of mirrors. Trapped in a mammalian neurological system of base behaviors within this hall of mirrors doesn’t appear to be going well for this species towards the next leap in evolution.
Awareness is only for the courageous, because it unfolds – cognitive dissonance by cognitive dissonance – to an understanding that although there may be Individuals that evolve, Individual evolution does not = Species evolution. Formerly, where sticks were used we now have the A Bomb, Liberal Capitalism, GDP, and pseudo science of Economics…resulting in a near total disconnect between daily western lives and all of Earth’s natural processes.
Out here in the desert, we watch these events continue, do what we can to act in concert with the Universe, respect all life, allow our chickens to die of old age. Please continue to blog. I need your beautiful pictures and aware thoughts. Ironically the internet is what the Arch Druid has pointed out as being an “externality” (but that’s a whole other subject) so as long as we have it – keep going! When and if it’s gone in our lifetime we’ll sign up for your newsletter.
Sheila
I love your blog and I won’t quit my subscription to it just because some aspects of my life are different from yours or just because our beliefs, choices etc.etc. are not exactly the same.
You cannot and need not to write in your blog things that would only please each and every person.
Keep on writing the way you already do, everyone can choose what they take or learn from it and what they do differently, each one according to where they are at the moment in this beautiful journey we call life.
Even if you are already environmentally conscious, becoming vegan is life changing, because it opens your eyes even further to what is happening in the world, your compassion deepens and leads you on a deeper spiritual journey into understanding and partnership with all life (at least it does for me). People will question you, argue with you, think you’re a bit crazy, but I remember that once, years ago, I was one of those people. So all you can do is be the change you want to see in the world, an example, a light and to walk cheerfully over the world, which you do Colette, in spades. Xx
I’m sorry people have left the Blog. I suspect it is the word “vegan”. It is an inconvenient truth to many that being vegan is the greatest way to help the Planet, our own health, and saving the tortious lives endured by millions of so called farm animals, not to mention the rape of the oceans. Please don’t feel sad. You are doing so much to help and inform people, but it is a hard path to take. I know the rejection from others at a vegan way of life. People can become very aggressive, but the discomfort they feel stems from questioning their own path. I feel that where you part from some, you will find new friends and a new beginning.
Love to you Colette.
Hi I was vegan for many years eating tofu and tempeh and beans as my protein I now have the occasional piece of fish and organic chicken but I still eat mostly a vegetarian diet. People are plesantly surprised when they eat my meat free dinners they dont usually think to make up a meal using only vegetables. It is ignorance on their part having believed in the meat veg and potato meal. I make a lovely tart with Elemental cheese and squash layered over pastry that has roasted tomatoes cut up finely on. Over the layers I put oregano oil (olive oil and oregano ground in pestle and mortar) Yummmy. Also I have some Common Ground Magazines in an envelope for you, they used to be called the North West Newsletter. This is the first time I have commented here and I have been reading it for months now. Do not be disheartened you are doing Trojan work. Blessings Annbell
We eat some meat we raise ourselves, mostly poultry and an occasional pig, all free ranging, fed from our land where possible (some additional grain is used) and killed at home. Keeping grazing animals on marginal land which is not rich enough to support anything else makes sense but we must eat much less of it and value it more.
Small scale organic/permaculture farming must be the way forward to supply food for the worlds population.
Sixty-four year old vegan here. Your blog is lovely, comprehensive, and often, may I say, from the poet’s heart. I look forward to your installments each week. When in college, I ate no meat, ate dairy and eggs. One would have thought I might fall dead any minute, according to nutrition instructors. Slowly, the number of vegetarians ( no meat,dairy and eggs acceptable.) began to increase, one statistic is five percent in America at present. Thirteen years ago, I became vegan and again, overriding feedback was that I couldn’t last long without, at least dairy and eggs. Still going strong, stronger in fact than many of the younger folk who help me in my quarter acre garden and small orchard each year. I am inspired to impart that experience has taught me to eat what keeps me vivaciously healthy, hopeful, curious and ready to learn during each new day. Sustainable practices as we know them to be and as we intuit them to be, understanding that we are doing our best in loving mother earth, thus ourselves, despite perceived shortcomings, goes a long way in perpetuating sustainable practices through teaching by example, compassion for and protection of the earth and remaining animal populations. Blessings Collette, to you, for your ongoing love and effort toward all who enter your precious permaculture small holding and the planet in general.
Thanks Jude, for I have been quite depressed at reading this latest news on the devastation we have caused to Mother Earth. I have even wondered at the point of writing this blog, for since I posted this particular one, many of my subscribers have left. I do feel quite hopeless at times!
Colette
“for since I posted this particular one, many of my subscribers have left”
They’ve left? What? Not because you’re vegan, surely? What is wrong with people? I despair sometimes. But then I think, carry on, be happy, set as good an example as you can.
Sigh.
Do not give up this blog! You are an essential part of the fabric of goodness.
David
American food giant Hersheys, are beginning to remove GMO’s from some of it’s chocolate bars, due to public pressure. This is great news and hopefully we are seeing Monsanto on the run.
I just recently found your beautiful blog and love every inch of it. I resonate so much with this post. We are a vegan family as well, trying our best to live lightly and in balance with our earthspace. Thank you for your lovely example. Blessings.
Blessings XXX
If people would only ignore the governments on this world owned and run by he same folks who own and run the globalising corporations and turn a fraction of the agricultural desert land to permaculture then there would a profound improvement for all life on this planet in very short order…
Hi Colette,
I love your blog and find you an inspiration.
However I felt compelled to comment after noticing that you have Quaker Oats in your pantry. You are of course free to purchase whatever you like but I wondered if you are aware that Quaker Oats is owned by PepsiCo, who have strong links to Monsanto and were a large financial contributor to the lobby to restrict labeling of GMOs in the US. I bring this up not to criticise but to raise awareness and I hope you take no offence.
I am aware of the link. They were left over from my mother’s kitchen cupboards, as well as other foodstuffs, when I helped clear her home when she passed. I use Organic oats grown in Ireland…Flanagans.
~I pray one day Organic Oats will become the norm love, Its so expensive over here. I have given it up. I scrutinize all labels on food now..Love seeing pics of your garden …its looking good. We still have snow over here hugs Susan~
I agree with your comment – be part of the problem or be part of the solution. I try to carefully consider every choice I make at the checkout in any shop. Do I really need it? Has it been produced sustainably? Will I use it fully or can I use something I already have? All these questions and more I try to keep in mind but I am not always successful in remembering to do this inner check. I know it will become automatic with practice and I won’t be doing it at the check out, I’ll be doing it before I leave home. Unfortunately we as a society have learned so many bad habits that it really does take effort to learn a new and better way of being. Blogs like this one are a great resource for reminding people to remember to make the right choice. Thanks Colette.
Unfortunately, the grazing animals also eat grain which has to be grown by farmers. The conversion rate of the grain eaten by animals is poor compared to humans eating the food direct. There isn’t a case I’m afraid for meat eating, and certainly not for the quantity that people demand. To produce 1lb of beef equates to driving two hundred miles in a large car, in CO2 emissions. In fact the production of meat is more polluting than all the traffic put together. A staggering thought!
I look forward to your blog, and respect your opinion. I was vegan for many years. I hope you will not be offended if I share my opinion that the impact of grazing animals is an important part of restoring the health of our soils, particularly in our arid lands. For the health of our planet, it makes sense to eat some animal products.
Aggie, I’ve been hearing about Savory’s work on this, but it’s possible that we don’t yet know all the questions to pose. For example, if grazing antelope are good for soil in arid lands, is it automatically true that the grazing of behemoth cattle elsewhere will also be restorative — or might it be damaging? I fear there are still too many potential unintended consequences with this idea, especially given Savory’s regrets the last time he came up with a “great” idea.
Thank you for responding! I have just finished an all women course with Holistic Management International, a group started by Savory. This blog post has a link to a video which has helped my husband and even some classmates understand the process. http://aggiesfarm.com/2015/02/07/grazing-animals-save-us-and-wildlife/
I have seen the before and after photos of my mentors’ land, after just a year or two of managed grazing. The photos are convincing. The grazing practices have been in use for decades. The process is understood, and I learned how to do it.
What Savory says is that, in the old days, herd animals were subject to predation. This changed their behavior so that they stayed bunched together tightly, took one bite from the plants in an area, and moved on. Often, they moved quickly, and their hooves trampled the soil, helping seed to germinate.
In our day, with few predators, fencing, etc., neither domestic nor wild animals travel in herds. Rather than eat, move on, and let the area recover, they stay in an area, choosing their favorite plants over and over, so that the favorites get destroyed. The ones they don’t favor get old and fibrous, and eventually die. (Grasses actually benefit from and need to be eaten.)
We can’t recreate the massive herds, but we can simulate them. With managed grazing, we bunch our animals together, with electric fence, herd dogs, and/or shepherds, and move them regularly. We choose the time to move by looking at our grasses and forage. We want one bite only, and everything bitten once.
I hope that this helps explain the concept and how it may be useful. By the way, the animals needn’t be cattle. Chickens and rabbits can do this work.
Aggie
You missed out one word – the word ‘wild’ before the word ‘grazing’. Wild animals maintain habitat. Farming animals destroy habitat.
But why would eating any animals help the planet? Our ancestors didn’t – couldn’t – eat them until they discovered cooking.
Regards
David
David, thank you for responding!
I have attempted to explain in my reply to GreenHearted why wild animals, who once maintained habitat, have been prevented by us from doing their job. We have taken away their predators and their freedom to roam. I have tried to explain also how farm animals can be used to simulate wild herd populations rather than destroy land.
It isn’t necessary to eat the animals. However, they are adept at turning inedible plants into foods we can digest.
Blessed be,
Aggie