Action: Eat more vegetables, fruits, and grains

Yes, that also means, eat less meat and animal products (or none at all).

Most of the meat consumed in the United States is produced on factory farms. Aside from the horrendous living conditions for the livestock, factory farms are heavy polluters. Whether the waste leaks and overflows from concrete holding ponds or runs off of the fields it’s sprayed onto as fertilizer, the manure contaminates waterways and drinking water with E. coli, salmonella, and other pathogens. (If you live in the country and have well-water, I recommend getting your water tested.) Contaminated water also causes algae blooms which deprive aquatic wildlife and plants of oxygen, devastating ecosystems.

Also, for every pound of meat on the plate, the animal ate roughly 16 pounds of grain. Some of the grain that it took to produce that pound of meat could have gone to feed some of the world’s hungry.

Eating more produce and grains and less meat is also better for your health. I can speak from experience that from May through October, when there is so much fresh produce available and I eat much less meat, I feel much better. This time of year I might eat meat twice a week.

The best part is that you are not the only one who benefits from eating less meat. Eating less meat also means less demand for factory farms and less polution here; less demand for meat from overseas -- less clearing of the rainforests and other natural areas to create pasture for livestock.

Here are some resources:
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0603.asp
http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/chefs_web.html#diet Check out the Audubon Society's section on the vegetarian diet.
http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/action6.html Great, well-researched piece on eating less meat. The author even cites her/his sources. As a former English major, I love it when authors cite their sources!