Reduce meat consumption

"God said [to Adam], 'Behold, I have given to you all herbage yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit; it shall be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth, within which there is a living soul, every green herb is for food.'" -Bereshit (Genesis) 1:29-30

"God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them,....'Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; like the green herbage I have given you everything.'" Bereshit 9:1-3

Reduce meat consumption!

Here's why:

• Over 90 percent of all agricultural land in the United States, more than half the total land area, is used to produce animal "crops."
• Producing meat consumes at least ten times more water than producing grain. Just one chicken slaughtering plant uses 100 million gallons of water each day-the equivalent of the amount of water used by a community of 25,000 people.
• According to the Greenhouse Crisis Foudnaton, if Americans were to reduce their meat intake by even 10 percent, the 12 million tons of grain saved annually would be enough to feed all people on earth who starve to death annually.

(source: Diane MacEachern, "Save Our Planet")

So we can see that eating less meat contains the potential to greatly reduce natural resource consumption, land exploitation, and also leads to a physically healthier individual becauses it reduces the chances of heart disease and other illnesses.

Many people have different answers to why Hashem gave Noah (and subsequently humanity) the permission to eat and not to Adam and those of his time. Some contend that it was in order to provide a way to satisfy man's desire to kill (a trait exemplified by those of Noah's time and thus leading to humanity's destruction by Hashem). Others believe it was a permission granted to Noah for having tended to all the needs of the animal while in the ark. However, the matter still stands as a puzzling one for many different reasons. It is also interesting to note that many believe that the Kosher dietary laws are designed to limit the amount of meat consumption because the laws concerning its production/preparation (as well as what types of meat are permitted to be eaten), are so complex and demanding.

Whatever be the case, reducing meat consumption is a great way to help repair our world!

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