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Ethical
Consumption
Research Paper
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Table Of Contents

Title Page … Page 2

Table of contents … Page 3

History of the problem …. Page 4

Causes of problem … Pages 4-5

Consequences of the problem, both present and future … Pages 5-7

Proposed solution to the problem … Pages 7-8

The position of those who oppose you ... Page 8

Tables,charts, graphs, picture,diagrams, and maps … Pages 8-10

Works cited page … Page 11

Ally Marlow, Hazel McGregor, Gaby Cruz, Jeffrey Xiong

Mr. Kesterson
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Environmental Science

January 26, 2018

Consuming Less Meat

We want to educate people on how and why you should reduce your meat

consumption. It’s important that people are aware of how the food they’re consuming is

impacting our world and our health.

Modern industrialized livestock agriculture is an industry that’s been growing

since the early 1800’s. The first meat packing plant called, “Porkopolis” opened in

Cincinnati City, and it was only a matter of time until others caught on. Meat packing

flourished in the midwest and quickly spread from Ohio with new technology such as

refrigerated meat delivery trucks. Within just 60 years after the grand opening of

Porkopolis the value of livestock in the United States doubled within a decade, reaching

nearly 1 billion dollars. That was only the beginning of the huge industry that meat

packing and factories would become.

Controversy on the meat industry is a comparatively new topic so there were few

investigations of the meat Industry in the 20th century, with the exception of an author

by the name Upton Sinclair. He published his book titled “The Jungle” in 1906 to reveal

the horrifically gross conditions of the meat industry at the time. In doing so he let the

public in on unsanitary conditions in which their food was being packed. SInclair even

went as far to send President Theodore Roosevelt a letter: “I saw with my own eyes

hams, which had spoiled in pickle, being pumped full of chemicals to destroy the odor.

... I saw hogs which had died of cholera in shipment, being loaded into box cars to be

taken to a place called Globe, in Indiana, to be rendered into lard.” Thereafter Roosevelt
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received the letter and demanded immediate action. Thus the Federal Meat Inspection

Act of 1906 was put in place to put the public’s mind at ease. While federal laws were

able to somewhat protect the sanitation of the meat, it did little to protect the actual

animals who were suffering without any justification.

In the 21st century the world average meat consumption per person in a year is

roughly 102.5 pounds of meat, In America it’s over double that number. We’re eating

about 270.7 pounds of meat per year. As our demand for meat slowly increases,

farmers often come up with unsustainable practices to make the meat they’re selling

cheaper. Animals in factory farms are often overcrowded, leaving them little room to

move around and have barely if any contact with the outdoors. Animals often undergo

painful mutilations and are bred to grow unnaturally fast and large for the purpose of

maximizing meat, egg, and milk production for the food industry. Their bodies cannot

support this growth, which results in debilitating and painful conditions and deformities

(“Farm Sanctuary”).

There are also many issues with the meat that most consumers are eating.

Unless the meat is coming from an organic farm, the red meat that most people are

eating is full of synthetic chemicals and contains various drugs. Though there has been

much speculation on whether or not the chemicals are harmful to the body. According to

the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in New York “maternal beef consumption

is associated with lower sperm concentration and possible subfertility, associations that

may be related to the presence of anabolic steroids and other xenobiotics in beef”.

Another study done by Harvard’s team of researchers found that people who ate more

red meat tended to die younger, and to die more often from cardiovascular disease and
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cancer. In conclusion, while meat may have some good nutrients for our body, we could

be doing more harm than good if we’re consuming too much. Considering the American

diet, and the 270.7 pounds of meat we’re eating per year, our health as a whole is being

put in danger.

Factory farming has a huge impact on our environment, as it’s one of the top

causes for pollution. Huge facilities are often filled with waste, considering that animals

raised for food produce up to 130 more times of waste than the entire human

population, it’s hard to clean it all without a lot of water. To clean all the waste off the

floor it requires about 150 gallons for just one cow in one day. That’s a lot of water that

often can’t be reused because of all the waste and antibiotics. The National Water

Quality Inventory report of 2002 sad that agricultural runoff was “the leading cause of

river and stream impairment and the second leading cause of impairment in lakes,

ponds and reservoirs”. One pound of meat requires an estimated 1,581 gallons of

water. Additionally, various gases are often released from all the waste of the animals

and pollute the air. “The mountains of manure from factory farms can release around

400 different harmful gases into the atmosphere. Some of these gases include nitrous

oxide, methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide” (One Green Planet).

With all the animals that are been breeded over again we have more animals that

require more land. Agriculture pasture has been a huge contributor to deforestation.

Nearly 70 percent of land meant to originally support Amazon rainforests have been

turned over for animals to graze on. If all of that wasn’t enough, there’s more. “Since

most animals are unable to graze, factory farms require tremendous quantities of feed

produced by industrial crop farms using energy-intensive processes” (Grace

Communications Foundation). Some of these energy intensive processes include

agriculture machines that run off of diesel fuel and gasoline. To produce 2.2 pounds of

beef enough energy to to light a 100 watt bulb for twenty days is used.

Taking in mind all of the issues surrounding the meat industries, there’s an easy

fix. Keep the environment in mind when we consume our food. Consider, what did it

take for you to be able to eat the chicken breast on your plate? How much water and

energy was used? Just by being aware of our choices of the food we eat can help the

environment and our health. The biggest thing is also to consider reducing or giving up

the amount of meat we eat. If that sounds like a lot then start small, try going meatless

for just one day of the week. Starts small and then go from there.Maybe instead of

ordering a steak burrito, go for the veggie one. More and more restaurants are learning

how to cater to vegetarians. The only reason we have factory farms is to meet our

demands for meat. If people don’t support those meat packing plants then they will

inevitably have to either change their methods or shut down. When we switch to a more

plant based diet we’re not only helping ourselves, but the world by reducing our

ecological footprint. Educate others on the harm that the meat industry is doing to our

world. Talk to your friends and family about why it’s important for us to stop giving

money to harmful factories. Tell your classmates, write a five page essay for your

environmental class. Buy local organic free range meat. It’s likely to be more expensive,

but worth it when you think about the decreased torture or animals and your health. Talk

with local farmers, ask them about the conditions in which the animals live, most local

farms you can just visit and see for yourself so that you can see exactly what you’re

supporting. Don’t underestimate your power to change your habits.

Some people may argue that factory farms feeds our growing population. There

is no way to deny that if people continue to buy into the industry then yes, factory farms

are going to feed our population. However, as explored earlier the effects on the

environment are not, in my opinion, worth it. It’s unethical and there are better ways to

approach feeding our population than a huge industry that’s polluting our environment.

Others argue about the treatment of animals in factory farms. While the minimum of

their needs may be met, their wellbeing is certainly not good. Some animals aren’t even

able to turn around in their pins because they’re so small. They’re living earthlings no

different from your dog or cat at home, so why are they being mistreated? Of course for

lots of people who chose not to eat meat on a daily basis the question often pops up

“So where do you get your protein?”. It’s pretty simple, really. Lost of plants have

protein; beans, nuts, lentils, pumpkin seeds, spinach and so much more. For those who

do still eat animal by products; dairy and eggs also have lots of protein.
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Map of Factory Farms in US

Works Cited
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Barclay, Eliza. "A Nation Of Meat Eaters: See How It All Adds Up." NPR. NPR, 27 June 2012. Web. 16

Feb. 2018.

"Factory Farm Map -." Factory Farm Map. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018

"Factory Farming: The Industry Behind Meat and Dairy." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"Factory Farming." Farm Sanctuary. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"Farm Animal Welfare." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

Foundation, GRACE Communications. "Energy and Agriculture." GRACE Communications Foundation.

Genoways, Ted. "The Fight Over Transparency in the Meat Industry." The New York Times. The New
York Times, 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"Growth Hormones Fed to Beef Cattle Damage Human Health." Organic Consumers Association. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"How Factory Farming Creates Air Pollution." One Green Planet. N.p., 09 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"It's Time to Try Meatless Meals." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 26
July 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

Publishing, Harvard Health. "Cutting Red Meat-for a Longer Life." Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb.
2018

"These 10 Shocking Facts On Factory Farms and Water Pollution Will Make You Rethink That Burger."
One Green Planet. N.p., 22 June 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

Nicholasleither. "Posts about Featured on Tense Present." Tense Present. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2018.

"15 Reasons Why You May Want to Reconsider Eating Meat." Evolving Wellness. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb.
2018.