In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote a gruesomely, memorable exposé which he entitled The Jungle. Readers cannot ignore what falls into the sausage vats, the rotting ham that is no longer sold as ham, or the rats. “Sinclair awakened a nation not just to the dangers in the food supply, but to the central role government has to play in keeping it safe” (Cohen). I read The Jungle as a freshman in high school and it took this horrifying book to open my eyes to industrial animal farming and where it stands in America today. While the Food and Drug Act has cleaned up the gory images of humans falling into meat grinders, is the picture any less grim for America, its resources, and its farmed animals?
Between watering the crops for farmed animals, providing drinking water for these animals, and cleaning away their waste that is found in factory farms, transportation trucks, and slaughterhouses, the farm-raised animal places an enormous strain on the water supply. Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for food (Meat Production). According to PETA, one would save more water by not eating a pound of meat than they would by not showering for six months. As seen Fig4. it takes many more thousands of gallons of water to produce meat, while growing the same amount of fruits and vegetables requires significantly less water. An article in the New York Times asserted that “by changing one’s diet to replace 50% of animal products with edible plants like legumes, nuts, and tubers results in a 30% reduction in an individual’s food-related water footprint. Going vegetarian reduces that water footprint by almost 60%” (McWilliams). Armed with this knowledge, one can clearly see that vegetarians save tremendous qu...
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...ation…. Beef also used the most land and had the highest acidification impacts.” Lamb did a bit better, followed by pigs, and chicken came out on top . This being said, chicken farming still has a major impact on the environment. Just because the most widely eaten meat in America is the “greenest” of the meats does not mean it is entirely green. As shocking as this is, remember, this statistic is minuscule when compared to cows.
Both a meat-based diet and a vegetarian diet require significant quantities of nonrenewable fossil fuels, water, and land, but a meat-based diet ultimately requires more . The average American gets 67% their dietary protein from animal sources (Fig.7 and Public Health), compared with a world-wide average of 34%. This quite is a significant difference and the US’s 67% is largely made up of store bought animal products (Public Health).
Emerson wrote, “Times of terror are times of eloquence.” Based on your reading of Bitzer’s article, what does this sentiment mean to you? Given your understanding, illustrate this concept by providing three illustrations, one each from the three different contexts indicated below, a(n):
Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” gave the most in-depth description of the horrid truths about the way America’s food companies, “the only source of food for people living in the city,” are preparing the food they sell. “The Jungle” describes the terrible
“I aimed for the public’s heart, and by accident I hit them in the stomach” (Sinclair). Upton Sinclair uses these words to describe the reaction his novel, The Jungle, received upon its first publication. Sinclair’s original purpose of The Jungle intends to illustrate the difficult challenges of immigrants in Chicago at the turn of the century, giving details and samples of abuses in the Chicago meatpacking industry to highlight their troubles. Instead, the public demands government intervention against the atrocities and this public outcry leads to the 1906 Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. Elements of Naturalism exist throughout most of the text.
In the early parts of the 20th century “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair shed some light on the terrifying conditions being held in the meat industry. With the help of Teddy Roosevelt, Strict government laws came into play to regulate the meat packing industry.
Discuss how Upton Sinclair portrays the economic tensions and historical processes at hand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
A vegetarian lifestyle contributes to saving the environment and even saving the world. First of all, by repudiating to eat meat could contribute to water conservation. Specifically, the amount of water used to raise animals is about half of the water used in the United States. For instance, it takes about 2,640 gallons of water to produce only one pound of beef. If one pe...
Before talking about how the production of animal products affects the environment, we should look into how much animal products Americans actually consume. An average American takes in 2,700 calories a day, which is one of the largest caloric intakes in the world (“What’s The”). 25% of these calories come from animal products, such as meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood (USDA). In fact, according to Figure 1.0, the average American eats around 200 pounds of meat a year. This includes 62 pounds of beef, 47 pounds of pork, 60 pounds of chicken, and 16 pounds of fish and shellfish. Additionally, Americans also eat around 630 pounds of dairy products a year, 181 of which are drinking milk and 31 of which are cheese (“What’s The”).
The question if humans should eat meat from animals has been argued over many years. Many people believe that it is wrong and many people believe that it is right. Two out of one hundred Americans are vegetarians (Langley 5). The number is even higher in other places, including India, where thirty-three out of one hundred people are vegetarians (Langley 5). All humans on the Earth should be consuming meat from animals.
With the recent California drought scare, we are left to wonder, where did our water go? Animal agriculture used 55% of the water in the U.S. while domestic use only uses 5%. Speaking of hamburgers, it takes 660 gallons of water to produce ¼ pound of hamburger meat. Animal agriculture also counts for 51% of the greenhouse gases in our environment. Just cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day yet environmentalists want us to drive hybrid cars and use solar panels? With a growing desire for meat around the world, it’s obvious that the 45% of Earth’s land dedicated to animal agriculture is going to increase rapidly. For example, 91% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed directly because of animal agriculture. (12 Reasons Why) Much of this information isn’t widely known and because of that, the effect of factory farming is given less importance. Does our dinner taste as good as the thought of an Earth left decaying and
The environment is a very relevant issue for every human, animal, and plant on this earth. Going vegan could help the environment in many ways. The factory farming industry has and is continuing to contribute to global warming. “The livestock sector is a major player [of global warming], responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent.” (Environmental) Greenhouse gas emissions are theorized to
58-59. 150-177. The. Reijnders, L & Soret, S 2003, ‘Quantification of the environmental impacts of different dietary protein choices, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol.
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
... $80 billion a year” (“Why”). An example more closely related to citizens is that people could save “an average of $4,000” a year if they eat “vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken, and fish” (“Why”). Vegetarianism is better for the planet and consumers’ wallets.
Everyday Americans are lectured on the importance of taking care of the environment. Teachers, parents, celebrities, and even the President frequently speak about how essential it is to take care of the planet. Americans believe that the best way to reduce environmental degradation is to recycle, drive fuel efficient cars, or take shorter showers. This, however, is not the case. The leading cause of deforestation, air pollution, water pollution, and waste is, believe it or not, animal agriculture. Dairy and animal farming and its by-products produce 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, while all forms of transportation accounts for only 13% (“The Facts”). In terms of waste and water pollution, livestock produce
...ming I will be willing to contribute in any way that I can, and becoming a vegetarian will help the environment a great deal. Becoming a vegetarian can also lead to becoming a healthier person and living a healthy lifestyle. And lastly, the way animals are killed and treated in factory farms are unethical and they should not be treated the way they are just to create a meal for the next person.Consider that the animal you are eating was a vegetarian and the meat contains all the minerals and vitamins of the plant foods it ate when you eat it. Along with fats yourbody needs in substantial amounts to stay healthy.....more on the fats later. Meat is as close to a complete meal as you can get because of this.