Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 33: What you can do today Don't eat any meat today, and see if you can cut down on the amount of meat you eat each week.  Meat production has a large carbon footprint, with 2.2 pounds of beef producing the equivalent amount of CO2 as an average European car driving 155 miles.  It takes 2,500 gallons of water and many pounds of grain to make one pound of beef for your table.  It's been estimated that if Americans were to reduce our meat consumption by 20%, it would be the equivalent of all Americans switching from a standard sedan to a Prius.  (See "ReThinking the Meat Guzzler," by Mark Bittman, New York Times, 1/27/08.)  For hundreds of free vegetarian recipes, visit http://www.bestveg.com/.  Also, see Anna Lappé's Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It.