Save the Earth - One Bite at a Time
Press release: April 1998

This spring millions around the globe will turn their attention toward the environment in celebration of Earth Day. Phrases like "Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle" have become part of our vocabulary. But as we plant trees with our children and clean up river banks with neighbors, we risk overlooking one of our greatest tools for protecting our planet: the fork. That’s why EarthSave, a non-profit educational group, is launching its "Save the Earth - One Bite at a Time" campaign throughout North America.

While it's easy to imagine toxic wastes from manufacturing, few of us have stopped to consider the environmental impact of producing our food. But food production in this country, particularly the increase in factory farming, consumes vast amounts of natural resources and exacts a high environmental toll. And nowhere is the impact more destructive and far-reaching than in the production of animal products--from beef and poultry to fish and dairy.

Consider these Realities:

• All 17 of the world's major fishing areas reached and exceeded their natural limits early in this decade.

• One-third of the fish caught worldwide never make it to the dinner table; they're ground up and fed to livestock.

• Every year in South and Central America, 5 million acres of rainforest are felled to create cattle pasture.

• Fertilizers, manures, and agricultural chemicals washed from the Mississippi have created a 7,000 square mile lifeless expanse at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico called "The Dead Zone."

• Known as the "cell from hell", the dangerous microbe pfiesteria killed 30,000 fish in the Chesapeake Bay last year, when poultry manure spread on farmland leached into the water.

• Livestock farms now generate an estimated five tons of animal manure for every person in the US every year. Manure management is becoming a big problem. In 1995, for example, holding lagoons spilled more than 40 million gallons of hog manure into North Carolina state waterways, about double the amount of oil lost by the Exxon Valdez.

• Beef production results in the devastation of large amounts of land. 70% of the land in the western US is used to graze cattle (including 306 million acres of public land), resulting in erosion and the loss of native plants and animals.

What Can Be Done?

The good news is that we CAN make a difference. Shifting toward a diet centered around fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes improves our own health and heals the planet too. You can start by enjoying a delicious bean burrito, vegetable stir-fry, veggie burger, or pasta primavera. And each time you pick up your fork you can "Save the Earth - One Bite at a Time."

To Find Out More

For a free copy of our brochure "Heal the Environment at Every Meal," contact us at earthsave@aol.com.