Director of Environmental environmental consciousness

ENVIRONMENT Moving on from meat As demand for vegetarian foods like tofu increases, Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut touts the environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet.

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The ReMarker Discoveries October 29, 2020

WATER WASTE According to the Wall Street Journal, it takes 1300 gallons of water to raise a cow to make a burger.

One thousand three hundred gallons of Burger are much more environmentally water. friendly. In addition, the taste is almost

That’s the number of gallons it indistinguishable from regular meat. costs to make one fast-food quarter-pounder “The flavor in an Impossible Burger according to the Wall Street Journal — 1300 is almost the same [as a regular burger],” gallons. Northcut said. “I hardly ever get burgers, since

It takes 1300 gallons of water to grow the 20 years ago, but when that Impossible Burger cow’s food, hydrate the cow and process its came out, I tried it, and I really liked it. Now, I carcass, per burger. probably eat an Impossible Burger maybe once Just how bad is meat production for the a month. Comparison-wise, it’s made almost environment? entirely of plant material, so it’s a lot better for People who eat meat often overlook the environmental impacts of their eating habits. Because everything moves in such Since plants take significantly less resources slow motion, people often don’t realize to cultivate than poultry or cattle, a vegetarian the impact [of their eating habits], since diet can benefit the environment, even in ways they get used to it as it happens. that may not be visible at first. Dan Northcut, Director of

“The general rule of thumb, Environmental Studies environmentally speaking, is: the lower on For people who want to go vegetarian but the food chain you can eat, the better it is for worry about the blandness of a vegetarian diet, the environment,” Director of Environmental it’s important to note that the flavor of a meal Studies Dan Northcut said. “People have to often depends on the method used to prepare keep in mind the energy and resources that it it. According to Northcut, a well-prepared takes to grow food for animals, and the energy vegetarian meal can taste just as good, if not and water that it takes to keep feeding the better, than one with meat. animals for months, as well as the pollution “A big part of eating vegetarian is thinking that comes from all of that.” about how to cook a meal with the spices and

Since the energy transfer when an animal methods that can make it tasty,” Northcut said. consumes food is not 100% efficient, the energy “My wife’s vegetarian, so we eat vegetarian consumption that comes from eating meat at home. Because she knows how to cook comes with many hidden costs. Pollution, vegetarian meals really well, I don’t miss water waste, and energy waste are just a few meat at home. I think people who don’t eat parts that make up the overall cost of eating vegetarian should know that there are plenty meat. of ways to make vegetarian food tasty and

“The cost, environmentally, is mostly in worthwhile.” all of that extra water usage, fertilizer and feed Although cutting down on meat usage: everything that goes into the agriculture consumption is one major way to reduce the of growing the food for the animals,” Northcut environmental impact of a person’s eating said. “Monetarily and environmentally, being habits, Northcut points out that it’s not the vegetarian is much better than eating meat.” only thing that environmentally-conscious

In fact, most of the farmland in the United consumers can do. States is used to contribute to the feeding and “One of the best things you can do is to try upkeep of livestock, as opposed to being used and find foods that are grown locally, whether for growing food for human consumption. plant- or animal-based,” Northcut said. “The

“The majority of crop space in the United more local your food is, the better, because States is used to grow animal feed,” Northcut there’s less transportation cost and fuel cost.” said. “If you converted all of that crop space In addition to the more immediate impacts to growing food that people could eat, you of eating meat that people might think of, such wouldn’t have a food shortage.” as water waste or air pollution, the effects of

Northcut stresses that people don’t ned to eating meat extend even further beyond in be completely vegetarian in order to cut down places that are not apparent at first glance. on the environmental impact of their eating “In terms of habitat for wildlife, whether habits. Although it may seem difficult at first it’s wild plants or wild animals that depend to stop eating meat, gradually cutting down on on those plants, the more land that we use to meat consumption is easier than it seems. grow food for the animals that we consume,

“I get it when people have that reaction of the less land there is for nature,” Northcut said. ‘you want me to be vegetarian?’ Northcut said. “That means we see less birds around, or less “I’m not completely vegetarian myself, I do eat butterflies, since we’re using up their habitat. meat sometimes, but I eat red meat maybe only Because everything moves in such slow once a month. What I would say to people that motion, people often don’t realize the impact, have that question is, just cut down on your since they get used to it as it happens. By the consumption. Cut down over time, and you’ll time it’s done, no one’s noticed the difference find over time that you don’t miss it as much as from before, but big changes have happened.” you thought you would.” the environment than a regular burger.”

In fact, for people who still want to eat STORY Jack Davis, Han Zhang meat, meat replacements like the Impossible GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin

By the numbers 320 million tons of meat produced in 2013 80 billion animals killed each year for meat 43 kilograms of meat consumed per person in 2014

Credit: Our World in Data by Nikhil Dattatreya, Ethan Borge

Over the summer, the school replaced many of the water fountains with water bottle fillers. While some of the benefits of these new water bottle fillers are clear, like reducing the spread of disease, some of the other benefits are less known, like reducing the amount of water wasted within the school.

However, reducing the use of single-use water bottles has never been more needed, as recent studies by EPA show that less than ten percent of the plastic in the last 40 years has been recycled.

Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut has always been a proponent of installing the water bottle fillers.

“The water bottle fillers are great for reducing the amount of plastic waste our school produces,” Northcut said. “Not only are they great for reducing the amount of plastic, but also ended up reducing the amount of water wasted as well.”

While it is unfortunate that it took a pandemic to promote these changes, it was a change that helps the school lower its total carbon footprint.

“By installing them at the school, we are lowing our carbon footprint,” Northcut said. “It also has the added bonus of lowering water costs, encouraging people to stay hydrated, and lower the total amount of germs on or near the fountains.”

Northcut has been keeping track of the water bottle count of in the new science building since it’s completion.

“Ever since we moved into the new science building, I’ve been watching the numbers of bottles saved go up very quickly,” Northcut said. “In fact, last year, even with the school closing early, we still managed to get to 10,000 plastic water bottles saved.

Northcut is also impressed by the number of water bottles that have been saved in the last few weeks in The Commons.

“I’m honestly impressed that the water bottle filler next to the locker rooms has already reached three thousand water bottles saved within a few weeks,” Northcut said. “That really speaks to the number of reusable water bottles that kids have been using within the campus.

Northcut believes that it is up to the younger generations to determine where the world is going and that St. Marks does an amazing job of teaching students about how to benefit the environment throughout our daily lives.

“It’s up to the younger generations to make the changes that will stop the downward spiral of overuse of resources within the world,” Northcut said. “Even with small changes like water bottle fillers, we are slowly helping the world through our own community.”

Jeffrey S. Genecov, ‘77, DDS, MSD Diplomate, American Board of Orthodonotics Member, AmericanAssociation of Orthodontists

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