The Council for Sustainability at SCAD

As many of you no doubt know, the raising of cattle accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than automobiles. This has led many greens to go vegan. However, as I detailed in a post on another blog, despite popular misconceptions, 100% veganism is likely to result in negative health effects. So, I decided to do some further investigating. I am well aware that most cows are corn fed their entire lives. Corn is an unnatural diet for cows and is the main reason commercial beef is so unhealthy (also discussed in my earlier post). Since one of the main reasons raising cattle leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions is their methane emissions, I immediately wondered if cows on their natural diet of grass would fare differently. According to the Institute for Environmental Research and Education, “Although an animal raised on pasture actually produces more methane…the pasture itself reduces the CO2 in the air through a process called ‘carbon sequestration.’” This sequestration is no small thing. According to a new study from Duke University: (more…)