Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

[99th_Monkey]

The film about climate change that most "environmental groups don't want you to see", that
exposes factory farming (think beef, pigs, dairy) as a bigger cause of destructive global climate
changes than fossil fuels; yet no one seems to even know about this, much less doing
anything about it.

http://www.cowspiracy.com

My gf and I watched this watched this recently on Netflix, and we were both pleasantly surprised
at the high quality of the production (Leonardo DiCaprio) and unpleasantly shocked at some of
it's contents, and how poorly it reflected on some environmental groups.

Has anyone else seen this? What did you think of it? I can't stop thinking about it, so would
like to converse a little with others who have seen it, and have an impression as to the accuracy
of some of it's shocking claims.

[restorefreedom]

1. this is the newest battleground in climate change

is not going to be popular because it shows the reality that animal agriculture is almost unparalleled in its destruction on the planet and in the formation of greenhouse gases. Not to mention the polluting the deforestation and of course the egregious animal welfare violations that occur on hourly basis.

One of the reasons the environmental groups are having a hard time with this is because they exist on donations like most nonprofits. Many of these donations come from wealthy donors. Most wealthy donors don't want to be told that their eating habits are going to have to change if they want to put their convictions with their dollars. environmental groups don't want to piss off wealthy donors who don't want to hear that to save the planet they're going to have to give up their precious ribeye steak or their burger. This makes for a very contentious discussion, but some of the environmental groups are eventually going to have to get on board because most of them know the truth, they're just afraid to say it.. unfortunately it's another example of how the 1% wield such formidable power over everyone else.

[99th_Monkey]

2. I already had heard something about cow farts being a "problem"

but hell, we've always had cows farting, right? <-- I kind of dismissed it out of hand without considering for a moment (or knowing about) how the whole factory farm & deforestation scales-up the issue to actually be such a big fucking deal.

Thanks for giving me your take on it.

[restorefreedom]

3. thanks for posting about it, its an important issue. and yes, cow farts have been around a while

but with the cumulative value of everything, i think its just too much.

[hifiguy]

7. There have been cows for a very long time,

lots of cows, and bison and water buffalo, not to mention other gassy herbivores.

Coal-fired power plants for not so long.

[99th_Monkey]

8. That's exactly what I used to think

before I gave this awesome film a look-see.

Are you choosing to look away? Hint: it's not ALL about cow-farts.

[MH1]

4. I don't know about "environmental groups" but most ENVIRONMENTALISTS

KNOW how destructive it is to eat high on the food chain.

I really don't think the climate change impact has much to do with whether your beef is factory-farmed or grass-fed free range. It's a matter of how much energy input is needed to get an equivalent output of protein, compared to other sources.

Diet For a Small Planet, anyone?

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Small-Planet-20th-Anniversary/dp/0345321200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446078177&sr=1-1&keywords=diet+for+a+small+planet

[99th_Monkey]

5. The documentary actually addresses the "grass-fed free range" factor as well ..

which I totally appreciated. I highly recommend this movie, as it does a great
job of exposing heretofore largely ignored adverse impacts impacts of the beef
industry, factory or not. It's NOT simply a rerun of diet for a small planed by
any stretch.

[MH1]

6. It does sound like a great, informative documentary.

Thank you for posting about it. I don't mean to be dismissive of it, and I'm sure it covers new ground.

It's just that I get a little frustrated when people who claim to be "green" ignore the simple facts that Frances Moore Lappe laid out so long ago.