MICC at Leap for Green!

Meat production and global ecosystems

Naturalist Jane Goodall (2005), in her book Harvest for Hope: A Guide for Mindful Eating, details the cost of meat production.

"In the United States, 56% of all farmlands are dedicated to beef production. The demand for feedstock is so high that most countries are net importers of grain. Large multinational companies have cleared tens of millions of acres of rainforests around the world to grow food to feed the cattle we eat. When you think of the sheer size of an Angus bull, it is not difficult to understand why grain is in such demand. It takes 35 lb. (16 kg) of grain to produce 2.2 lb. (1 kg) of beef. Producing one 1 lb. (.45 kg) of edible chicken requires more than 3.5 lb. (1.6 kg) of feed. Also, producing 1 lb. of beef requires 26,420 gallons (100,000 liters) of water; 1 lb. of chicken meat requires 13,247 gallons (50,140 liters)."

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Photo credit; https://janegoodall.org/our-story/about-jane/