To the editor,
Last week's feature by Lezlie Lowe on meat "Green meat," September 20, did cover a few good points, such as there being no way to avoid meat being transported out of Nova Scotia, then back in its stages of production.
Are vegetarians just going to have to deal with the fact that now meat eaters are going to feel even more justified they are being environmentally conscious after reading this article?
Not eating meat uses way less resources than eating meat. Maybe you didn't cover that part because you were interviewing meat and dairy farmers? Is that why you are telling the public "it is possible, it's advisable, even, to be a (locally raised, grain-fed) meat eater in Nova Scotia"? It's clear you were advised by farmers trying to make money.
What you didn't cover is that feeding food to your food wastes energy and resources. Organic cows shit and fart just as much as non-organic cows and therefore produce just as much polluted groundwater and greenhouse gasses. Raising animals for meat uses a lot of oil and water, which, if you cared about the environment, you would be trying to conserve.
Also, you said in your article that there are no co-op stores in Halifax. The Grainery Food Co-op is located on Agricola. There are many health food stores around the city that carry organic meat: Do you tell people to shop at Sobeys because you are trying to promote them as an environmentally conscious corporation?
If you are trying to promote local farmers why don't you promote small businesses? Have you noticed that most of the produce in Sobeys comes from the USA and beyond? If you are shopping at Sobeys, you are giving your money to a corporation that imports most of its food, which is not an environmentally conscious choice.
By Jocelyn Conway
