My sister-in-law-to-be, Laurel called me over the weekend and said in an enthusiastic tone, “Laurie, my friend and I are spreading the word about eating vegan style one day a week to help the environment and we are calling it “One-Day”, this is something you may be interested in.” I replied, “Absolutely!”
I’ve been a vegetarian for a year and a half, and in that time I have learned a great deal about food and wellness. I became a vegetarian out of love and respect for animals and as I was evolving eating animal meat was not something I chose to do anymore. The idea of “One-Day” is to support our environment by reducing our carbon imprint.
The #1 way to make the biggest impact is by adopting a vegan lifestyle and purchasing food that is grown locally or at least in your own state. Local foods reduce the energy costs of getting the food from the farm to your mouth.
Paul McCartney says, “If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That’s the single most important thing you can do.”
”One-Day” is inviting you one day a week to adopt a local vegan food style, which means, consuming no meat, dairy (milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, mayo, cheese, and butter), fish or eggs-anything that comes from an animal, chicken or fish. (Helpful vegan menu choices are below)
You ask, “How is global warming connected to animal farming?”
Here are a few mind blowing facts: (from goveg.com PETA website)
• “A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined.2 Greenhouse gases cause global warming, which studies show will increasingly lead to catastrophic disasters—like droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and disease outbreaks—unless we drastically reduce the amounts emitted into the atmosphere.”
• The official handbook for the Live Earth concerts says that “refusing meat” is the “single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.”3
• According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.
• The University of Chicago reports that going vegan is 50% more effective than switching to a hybrid car in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gas consists of roughly 82% carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, HFC’s, PFC’s, and SF. (Source: Energy Information Administration, Emissions of Greenhouse.)
There are several other issues such as farm machinery burning diesel fuel, fossil fuels to keep the barns heated, to destroying large amounts of rainforests to plant and grow feed grains and to farm the animals and let’s not forget about the problems with disposing the animal feces and the excrement contaminating our waterways.
For the love of humanity, our environment, and for animals, I have dedicated every Friday to “One-Day”.
“One-Day” Intention: Say,
“I love our planet earth! I’m choosing to help heal the earth. One day a week, I will reduce my carbon imprint by eating less animal meat. I’m focused on supplying my body with healing foods! My body is so grateful, the earth is grateful, the animals are grateful.”
Thank you for your compassion and for helping our planet! You are welcome to forward this information to all of your facebook friends, blogs, and websites, please include my name and contact information. I want to hear from you, email me and let me know how One-Day is going for you.
Big Blessings!
Laurie Martin
Author, Smile Across Your Heart, The Process of Building Self-Love
Certified Life Coach
Speaker
Laurie’s role as a speaker and life coach is to help other’s unravel personal limitations and conflicts and find resolution with conflicts, fears, hurts and anything that takes you away from living in pure peace. A large part of my message is to help other’s awaken to their divine essence.
www.smileacrossyourheart.com
LaurieM@SmileAcrossYourHeart.com
(239) 398 – 5979
If you have any medical conerns or issues, please consult your doctor before changing your diet.
p.s. I’m not trying to convince you to be a vegetarian or vegan. My focus in this article is to provide you w/an effective way to help with global warming.
Here are some vegan food items that I enjoy eating: (Your city may offer vegetarian or vegan restaurants)
Breakfast: steel cut oatmeal, almond breeze with one fig, raisins, almonds and 1 apricot or two pieces of Ezekiel toast with an all fruit jelly. A glass of warm water and lemon. (I do have 1 cup of organic coffee beans with almond breeze.)
Morning snack: Green smoothie-1/2 cup blueberry’s , ½ banana, 1 piece of celery, 1 piece of kale, ½ cup of almond breeze, coconut milk or water with protein powder from rice, pea or hemp, vita mineral green powder, raw cacao nibs, and ground flax seeds.
Drink lots of water
Lunch: Hummus in a wrap with lettuce, basil, tomato with sweet potato baked fries with sea salt and cumin.
Snack: a few brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, or a few raw cashews or sliced apple with almond butter.
Dinner: Brown rice, roasted eggplant, zucchini, garlic, herbs, topped with a little marinara sauce.
Mixed Green salad with carrots, tomato, cucumber, onion, walnuts, oil and vinegar.
Raw Cacao Dessert: Blend ½ cup raw cacao, ½ avocado, a few dates, 1 tablespoon agave nectar. Put in the refrigerator for ½ hour. Dip sliced apple and strawberry into cacao.
After reading a lot of books, research and studies, I understand how each food choice we make undeniably has a consequence on our bodies and our earth. And, in addition, once I understood the nutritional value and the physical implications, I gained a whole new level of gratitude and love for healthier choices such as organic foods, super foods, green smoothies, juicing carrots and apples and learning about enzymes, probiotics, Vitamin D and the benefits of raw whole foods. These foods energize, revitalize, and heal.
In the book, 50 Secrets of the World’s Longest Living People, it affirms that when living and eating unified with nature, the earth and our bodies, we can live past a hundred healthy and active.
Our bodies are sacred, treasured vehicles that allow us to express ourselves in this life time, just as mother earth is our precious hostess allowing us to visit here, grow, create and play. Both deserve our utmost appreciation, love, reverence and sense of presence. And, both respond accordingly to our emotions, thoughts and actions. It takes a commitment and desire to make conscious choices. You have the ability to achieve wellness, and live a peaceful and healthy life. Be patient and loving with yourself.
“Have faith in your body, faith in mother earth, they will respond accordingly to your love, kindness and commitment!”
I wish you a long, happy, healthy and prosperous life!
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi
For questions or support, please email me: LaurieM@SmileAcrossYourHeart.com