I love the Live Earth event, and the raising of consciousness

[flvegan]

even to the little things.

However, I'd be remiss if I didn't also say that I wish that SOMEONE would mention the global benefit of going veg. Or, just limiting the intake of meat, specifically. I haven't seen one damn thing about how our diet plays into global warming.

It kinda pisses me off. Lots of the top draws today have veg* members, too. The Beasties, RHCP, Fall Out Boy, AFI, members of Dave Matthews Band...I could go on.

Oh, well. I wish Gore would address it, too.

[JudyM]

1. I was thinking the same thing. Especially after that UN report that pointed to meat consumption

as being more of a contributor to global warming than cars. I can only guess Al thought bringing this up would be too radical and turn people off? I just don't get it.

[flvegan]

3. I think that Gore is really picking his battles here.

I don't like it, but, it is what it is.

I'd rather have folks swap lightbulbs than be turned off altogether. However, I still hold Gore's feet to the fire. If you want to talk it, then you damn sure better walk it.

[JudyM]

6. sad to think that revealing the truth about meat eating would turn people off altogether.

[LeftyMom]

2. I don't get it either.

I was talking to my coworker and we were trying to figure out how telling people to switch to a more efficient car at a huge investment many families simply can't afford made more sense than saying to switch to a plant based diet, for similar carbon impact plus health benefits for similar or less money, makes any sense to anybody.

Like I keep saying, a Prius costs $20K+ and a bag of organic lentils is $0.99/lb.

[flvegan]

4. I think that it's sad

that so many folks see "going veg" as such a huge hurdle.

I admit...I expect more out of...well, us.

[LeftyMom]

5. I think we tend to overestimate who "us" is

I'm starting to think of it as more of a spectrum- and in this country it's one that's shifted far to the right- selfish mofos like libertarians and republicans on one side, but many of the people on our side politically are pretty damn selfish or willfully oblivious too, or simply unwilling to change, which amounts to the same thing. People who actually give a flying fuck and are willing to do something about it tend- the people who change their eating habits for unselfish reasons- to be huddled to the very far left of that spectrum, and of this forum.

[yewberry]

7. Glad to hear that you're not holding your breath for that.

I'd like to hear more voices talking about the environmental damage specifically related to 'meat culture,' too, but I don't expect to hear them any time soon.

There is a segment of the population (general and here on DU) that sees even objective discussions about veg*nism as sanctimony, judgment, or outright propaganda. You know that there are many people even here who dismiss the reality that meat production is bad for the planet, and there are even more who will assert that one person cannot have an impact. (Let's hope that belief doesn't carry over to their vote...)

It *would* be a step in the right direction if some of those carbon footprint calculators would include dietary choices in them, though. It'd be a pain to program, but people might be less likely to take offense.

[Critters2]

8. I thought this too

I waited and waited for some mention of the benefits of a plant-based diet, the IPCC report, SOMETHING!! BUt no, just lots of encouragement to switch to cfls, which have considerably less impact than giving up meat. I still can't get over how controversial veg*nism is.

I assume Gore isn't veg?

[flvegan]

9. It's my understanding

that Gore has been/was heavily involved in the cattle industry, and still has many friends in said industry. I think there might be something there. He's not veg that I know of, either, though PETA did their usual "send him a letter" thing. I'm really split on this, as I can certainly understand not wanting to toss something out there that will belittle a whole inspiration. Imaging the folks that, upon hearing Gore make a plea for vegetarianism, toss back, "uh, dude...aren't you a cattle rancher?" Sorta makes him sound uber-flaky.

[Duppers]

10. same here

seems as if there's a lot of us thinking the same thing.

Gore isn't veg? don't know.



I once hailed the advantages of going veg on one of the Anthony Bourdain (Travel Channel) forum. I had watched him trash Woody Harrelson to a bloody pulp and I was furious. Needless to say, I was stoned to death there!

[Beaverhausen]

11. The lead singer of AFI (?) mentioned that they are all vegetarian and he is vegan

and has been for over 10 years.

but yeah, that was about it.

[flvegan]

12. So many veg folks on that list

Vegan...Fall Out Boy, the Beasties...AFI...

But hell, forget veganism. How many vegetarians or wannabe veg* folks on that tour?

I give major props to AFI for stating "the obvious" here. Even my own dear Yauch didn't take that route.

Sucks.

[LeftyMom]

13. hmmm

http://www.gigwise.com/news?contentid=34439

"Moby has hit out at organisers of the Live Earth concerts for selling meat at the shows.

Speaking through his blog, the vegan dance veteran quoted the UN statistic that livestock breeding and the gases the animals emit is a huge contributor to worldwide the greenhouse gases in the environment.

He writes: “The one thing that still stuns me… is that almost no one in the 'stop global warming' camp talks about the environmental ramifications of animal production. To quote a UN article: ‘rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars.’

”Livestock production is responsible for the release of more greenhouse gases than every car or SUV or pickup-truck on the planet.” " (more at link)

[govegan]

14. And thanks to you for bringing it up.

Truly, I am very often really amazed and perplexed at how so many of my otherwise liberal and progressive friends just totally draw a blank, so to speak, on the spectrum of issues related to animal agriculture and the tremendous damage to the environment, the animals, human health and the human spirit.

People who grasp and understand readily the military-industrial complex, and the associated corporate greed and corruption, just seem to have great difficulty seeing the connection with big agriculture, big oil and big pharma.

I think that part of the problem lies in the incessant and never ending promotion and glorification of individual self interests.

Like Scott Nearing wrote in Freedom: Promise and Menace:

Capitalist demand freedom to advance their individual interests. Socialists are looking for means of promoting the interests of the community,--the general interests.
......
Capitalists want freedom to compete in the struggle for wealth and power. The highest form of competition is war. Throughout the entire course of Western civilization rival capitalists have waged cold wars and hot wars against each other. Recent experience has led to the inescapable conclusion that total war fought with presently available weapons will result in total destruction. Thus, freedom to compete means freedom to commit collective suicide.

The inescapable pollution and degradation of the natural environment inflicted by the insane struggle for domination of all life, for wealth and power, is leading down that path to collective suicide.

Sorry, didn't mean to get too far off topic, but I think that fellow veg-friendly folks can see that connection.

I didn't watch Live Earth and I am not generally hip to the artists that you mention, but I did learn about the event in posts at DU and elsewhere. I did enjoy Robert Kennedy Jr.'s comments, and I am glad for the consciousness raising of the events. It is interesting that so many veg* folks participated, but remarkable that the incredible benefits for the health of the planet that can be realized by curtailing the slaughter of its animal life was not raised prominently in a series of events that purport to be organized to raise human awareness of the dangers we all face.

I have learned not to expect much from these types of events, but the message that so many are interested in learning about and helping to put a halt to the degradation of our planet is definitely a worthy one. And the consumers of the message deserve solid information worthy of their interest in doing what they can.