Good Example Of Essay On Escape From The Western Diet

The article “Green” Eggs and Ham? The Myth of Sustainable Meat and the Danger of Local, critique’s author Michael Pollen’s idea of a “Locavore” movement as the preferable one over other diets that have emerged in support of the environment and health. The term “Locavore” refers to the idea that eating locally grown and raised plants and animals is more environmentally sustainable than vegetarianism, veganism, or any other diet method that may be adapted for a noble reason. Stanescu, is not suggesting that there is anything wrong with the buy and eat local movement, he is only providing evidence in the flaws that are present in this diet theory as much as other have been.
In part one, evidence is provided by author Stanescu on one of Pollen’s reason’s for supporting the movement to eat local. Pollen argues that vegetarianism or veganism are more damaging to the environment than eating meat because of the extra fossil fuel burning that accompanies the production and delivery of the fruits and vegetables. A large part of the excuse of eating meat as more ethical for the environment is based on the greenhouse gases that harm the environment when people decide to become vegetarian or vegan. Stanescu states that Pollen is not only overlooking the damage to the environment caused by the killing of animals and the extinction of many species throughout the world, but also that the facts about the excessive damage that the transportation of food causes, is inaccurate. According to Stanescu, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes has declared that the production of meat creates more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation industry combined. Another interesting point made states that even organic eggs cause increased in global warming than the less ethical process of caged chickens.
The next factor that makes the buy local movement irrational is that there simply is not enough land space to realistically produce enough food for a city or town of people. There is already too much land taken up to raise and animals for the food industry, and to go local would make it worse.
Along with the already faulty methods discussed, there is substantial hypocrisy in the behavior of the locavore advocates. Pollen mentions eating Belgian chocolate because there is no locally grown chocolate in his state, but why did he not just purchase from another state that is closer? The other philosophies that do not do their cause justice is the amount of traveling these locavores do in order to pick up their local foods, or the amount of traveling they do by cars and planes. The very argument that is used against the issues that food transportation causes on the environment is one they are guilty of partaking in themselves. Stanescu also highlights the charlatan attitude that the locavore advocates have when they continue to purchase all other good, such as clothing and technology gadgets that cause harm to the environment often more so than the food industry.
The other issues regarding problems that arise from the local movement include problems that do not even involve the environment. The superiority complex similar to the Nazi’s may become adopted by each city, county, or whatever local region one purchases from. The attitude of anything foreign or “not local” becomes bad. There is also an issue of anti-feminism that is supported when the locavores preach to buy local because many women are choosing not to cook, and a large part of eating local would require home cooked meals as part of the requirements of the locavarian lifestyle. Racial and homophobic attitudes are another serious concern because of Joel Salatin’s push for the “all American” looking individual that he would like to bring on as apprentices to learn his farming methods. Salatin has openly discussed his views on anti-gay marriage and anti-immigration beliefs, which shows that his belief system is extremely conservative and exclusive.
Bringing the discussion back to what Pollen’s argument was about the vegan and vegetarian movements as being selfish and unethical for the world, which is invalid. Enough evidence is provided in the article by Stanescu that shows the reader that the locavore movement is no nobler in thinking of the world than any of the other dietary ways that people adopt for their lives.