The Full Spectrum Blog

Yesterday marked the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, the brain child of the late Senator Gaylord Nelson, a democrat from Wisconsin from the Kennedy through Carter administrations. People all over the world were seen biking to work, unplugging electronics, shopping for energy efficient gadgets and in Bogota, Columbia, helicopters even sprinkled thousands of tree seeds all over the city, giving new meaning to the phrase “urban jungle.”

“Going green” is our current 21^st century trend and millions are hopping on the bandwagon for fear of global warming or just because it’s “en vogue.” Whatever the reason, earth’s citizens are teaming up to reduce our carbon footprints and hoping to leave earth a better place for our grandchildren’s children.

When most think of “going green,” it is equated to reducing energy consumption by turning off the lights, heating and cooling systems, or just driving less often. What about saving energy by eating organic meat? Most consumers do not realize that our food system’s carbon footprint is HUGE and is second only to cars in its use of energy. For example, the current “factory farming” methods used in meat and dairy production, which include raising animals in confined indoor facilities, pollutes the air and water.  These “factory farms,” or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), produce millions of tons of waste, and the largest CAFOs can generate more raw waste per year than the populations of some U.S. cities. Many do not realize, however, that food animals raised using organic standards have a much lower impact on the environment. (more…)