Water Waste? Think I Found Something Here.
Households only account for 5% of water use in the US, while the animal agriculture industry accounts for a whopping 55%! (Center for Science in the Public Interest, http://bit.ly/1w1o6L8) In California, where we are experiencing a severe drought, millions of cows are unnecessarily bred into existence, each one consuming massive amounts of water and irrigated crops that their output does't justify. While people are being encouraged to take shorter showers and report neighbors for over-watering their lawns, we are missing the much bigger picture. The number one thing we can do as individuals to save water, during the drought and always, is to encourage fewer cows and other food animals to be bred by switching from an animal-based to a plant-based diet. This means we stop unnecessarily basing our diets around animals and the things that come out of them (meat, dairy, and eggs). We can make unbelievably delicious and incredibly nutritious food out of plants alone (just Google "best vegan recipes" for ideas) and it's much better for our health and, of course, the animals. Would it impact the economy at first? Yes. So would curing cancer and ending crime and war. Going beyond water, the animal agriculture industry is now being called the leading cause of global warming, water depletion, deforestation, species extinction, and ocean dead zones. Watch the movie Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret as soon as you can! (Photo of a feedlot near Bakersfield, CA)