Drive less, Eat fewer Hamburgers!!!

A recent issue of Scientific American revealed that beef consumption is a disproportionate way of contributing to the production of greenhouse gases.  And NO, it's not about the methane from flatulent grain-fed cows (though methane is a notably powerful greenhouse gas, with 23x the greenhouse effect of a CO2 molecule)...

The article describes the entire process of generating beef (clearing very large tracks of land, feed and 'care' of the animals, transportation, etc) and arrives at the following statistics.  Producing one pound (1 lb) of beef generates the same amount of greenhouse gases as producing (either):

*4 lb's of pork

*13 lb's of chicken

*36 lb's of asparagus, OR,

*57 lb's of potatoes!!!

So if you are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions (AND [formerly] high gas prices) you might already be cutting your annual mileage by a few hundred miles by using public transportation or walking/biking.  But remember this statistic: cutting out all the beef in the average American's diet is equivalent to *not* driving the average car 1,800 miles/year!!!

Now before you post some anti-vegetarian comment below, chillax a second... I'm not suggesting you go vegetarian (if I did, I'd be a hypocrite).  I'm not even suggesting you cut out beef all together, being an avid fan of the occasional In'n'Out burger and Korean BBQ!

But being engaged to a vegetarian HAS taught me a few things I never would have known as a carnivore: (1) When I have a vegetarian dinner, I DO NOT get hungry afterwards because of a 'lack of protein'; (2) When I eat meat that came from a small (local) farm I can TASTE the difference; and, (3) When I notice I haven't eaten meat in a few days it's such a pleasure to treat myself with it again!!!

So once again, DON'T go out and become a vegetarian right away (unless you really want to!); but DO think about how much beef you eat and where it comes from, and try to reduce your intake!!! Do we Americans really need to eat an average of almost 100lb's a year of beef?!?

[Note: I obtained the 92 lb/person/year statistics from 2007 statistics of the USDA, and the US Census Bureau.]

Cheetos(R): My new (old) favorite chips

From time to time I have blogged about big businesses with honorable and reputable social policies or protections.  Although this particular company is not tech-related, I'd like to take a moment to commend Frito-Lay for the info on the latest Cheeto's bag I bought at the store.

The back of the bag has (as usual) cartoons.  However, this one is titled "What's a serving?" And goes on to describe that 21 Cheetos(R), which reach ~3.5 ft when laid end to end, constitute one full serving.

At a time when child obesity is a growing problem, diabetes and heart disease run rampant across the country, and excess is encouraged by most big businesses to maximize profits, I find this incredibly responsible.  In fact, I once saw a local TV special where they gave children a giant bag of chips and asked them to pour out about one serving onto a plate for themselves. One (notably pudgy) kid of about 12 poured over 5 servings (as defined on the package) for himself and said that it was common for him to eat this amount in one seating!

Now it's possible that this is a recent legal enforcement, but I haven't heard anything about such a law (other than the one requiring that the serving size must be printed somewhere on the package... usually in the fine print in the Nutritional Facts).  But if it was the choice of Frito-Lay I must say I've a newfound respect for this snack food giant, and will certainly look to pick more Frito-Lay products when buying junk food!!! I encourage you all to do the same.

Remember: In capitalism, your greatest individual power is your choice of where to spend your money!!!