Whenever I go out to eat and order a veggie sandwich (no cheese, please), I often get asked, are you a vegetarian? My favorite way to answer this question is by saying, no, but I eat like a vegetarian! This usually elicits a confused expression and I explain I do eat meat on occasion, but not on a daily basis. From there, the subject is dropped and we go on to enjoy our meal.
However, the conversation ends before I get to the important part: Why don’t I eat meat at every meal? As you may have guessed from the nature of this column, I have decided to cut back on meat for environmental reasons. This idea of adapting a partially vegetarian diet was inspired by a research paper I wrote on the world’s first hamburger grown in a test tube. Though I started to focus on how meat could be raised independently of an animal, I ended up intrigued at how such meat, called in vitro meat, could save our world.
Here are the hard facts according to Time Magazine: Worldwide, the livestock that will one day end up on your dinner table consume 1.3 billion tons of grain, drink one third of the earth’s fresh water supply, and occupy about 30 percent of habitable land. These are big numbers, so let me explain in more relatable terms. When you order a 12-ounce steak in a restaurant, you are consuming more than just a pound of beef. You are also consuming the 2,500 gallons of water and the 12 pounds of grain that it took to produce and process that 12-oz steak that now sits on your plate.
Now, I’m not trying to convince you to eat meat grown in a test-tube. In fact, I’m still a bit leery of it even after writing a report on the environmental benefits of in vitro meat. Neither am I telling you to adapt a completely vegetarian diet. All I’m encouraging is that you realize what you consume at every meal is more than just the food on your plate. With that being said, think about what you put on your plate. Some meat is fine, but do you really need it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? You might worry that you won’t be satisfied or have the energy you need if you leave out the sausage with your pancakes or the chicken on your salad. Here’s my challenge to you: next time you go out to eat with some friends, order a vegetarian entrée. You may be surprised at how satisfied you feel afterwards – both from being full and knowing you did your part to help conserve our planet’s valuable resources.

What’s Happening:
SFS Meetings Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in 2214 Centennial

Booting Up Humanity – Professor John Hawks
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Thursday, Feb. 19
Where: Valhalla, Cartwright

Outdoor Connection Trip: Snowshoeing in the Bluffs! (Sign up at OC)
When: 1 to 5 p.m. Sat., Feb. 21
Where: REC

Spring Career Fair
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25
Where: Cartwright

Peace Corps Information Session
When: 4 to 5 p.m. Wed., Feb. 25
Where: 1400 Centennial