Sixteenth Birthday: A Car or a Steak?

Walking into the dining hall has taken on a whole new meaning. No longer can I happily stroll over to the sandwich station and get whatever variety of deli meat I want on a nicely toasted roll or simply grab one of the seasoned slabs of chicken that have always been my “go-to.” Instead, I am now faced with a challenge. While I like to look at it as a game, finding a lunch and dinner option that does not include meat does not have the fun or thrilling complex that usually fits into the category of a “game.”

My first response to not eating meat might seem a little dramatic, especially since I am only doing it for four days each week and it has only been one week. However, it is a large lifestyle change and therefore something that is going to be a challenge. I would have to say that the hardest part is eating meals with my friends and watching them eat the foods that I used to eat without second guessing. Ironically, I would have to say that this is also the most positive outcome I have experienced. While I watch my friends carelessly eating bite after bite of the juicy meat, I am thinking of each cow that is hurting and the environmental impacts they are creating.

After reading multiple articles about how significant my contribution is to carbon reduction, I found one statistic that I believe will draw the society’s view to the importance of cutting down on meat consumption. In Eco-friendly tips to help meat eaters cut down a report was referenced by the EWG titled “Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health,” in which they found that if each person did not eat meat for just one day a week throughout an entire year then it would benefit the environment the same as if 7.6 million cars were taken off the road.

Many studies have been performed and are already public knowledge of the negative effects that cars have on the environment. Therefore, I believe comparing meat and cars in terms of the environment will catch more peoples’ attention and bring more awareness. This experiment has so far increased my understand of the delicateness of the environment and how important it is to respect it. The next couple weeks will be challenging because I am forcing myself not to eat meat. However, I believe I will find myself shying away from constantly consuming meat as I discover more information supporting the negative side of meat production and consumption.