The Power and Promise of Humane Education
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs
So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals
Mark Bittman, opinion columnist at the New York Times who writes about food, begins 2012 with a piece titled, “We’re Eating Less Meat. Why?” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat consumption is declining and is predicted to continue its decline. While the livestock industry blames, among other things, the federal government’s supposed “war on meat protein consumption,” which is truly bizarre given that the federal government subsidizes animal agriculture with our tax dollars and buys massive quantities of meat for the school lunch program, Bittman posits that the primary decline in meat consumption is due to a growing population of educated consumers who are choosing to reduce and often eliminate animal products from their diet for three primary reasons: their health, the environment, and concerns about animals. Read his essay here.For a humane world,
Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“
Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.
Filed under: consumerism, food and diet Tagged: | American diet, animal protection, compassion, global warming, health, livestock production, Mark Bittman, meat consumption, vegan, vegetarian
IHE offers online courses for educators, activists, parents & concerned citizens seeking the tools, knowledge & motivation to align their actions with their deepest values & to become more effective leaders and changemakers. Sign up now for an upcoming session. 
Unfortunately there is no cause for celebration, as worldwide meat production tripled in the last 40 years and continues to increase. Since 2000, global meat production has risen by 20 percent.
Vital Signs, October 11, 2011:
“Global meat production increased by 2.6 percent in 2010 to 290.6 million tons, an increase from the 0.8 percent growth rate of 2009.
Per capita meat consumption has increased from 41.3 to 41.9 kilograms.Consumption varies greatly between countries, however. In the developing world, individuals eat about 32 kilograms of meat a year. But consumers in the industrial world eat about 80 kilograms per person each year.
Pork is the most widely produced meat in the world, followed by poultry, beef, and sheep.Total pig meat production increased by about 3 percent in 2010, to 109 million tons.China, which holds nearly half of the world’s pig market, has been affected by an elimination of sow subsidies (the government funds paid farmers to increase hog production) as well as by outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and swine blue ear disease. Reduced supplies in Asia are expected to translate into record exports by the United States to feed rising demand in traditional Asian markets such as South Korea, China, and Japan.
http://vitalsigns.worldwatch.org/vs-trend/meat-production-and-consumption-continue-grow-0