Environmental action groups like ESRAG support many solutions for Protecting the Environment. Among these solutions, reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) like CO2 has high priority, if not the highest priority. There are several ways to reduce emissions but the effort and the cost for implementing many of these are staggeringly high.
How can a commoner participate in Protecting the Environment while juggling the priorities of their daily life without much spare time to pursue technological innovations or inter-governmental policy initiatives? The answer might lie on their plates!
Our Plate Affects Our Planet
Adopting a Plant-Rich Diet (PRD) is a simple but powerful way by which every adult and child can lower their ecological footprints on the planet.
The rapid increase in population, coupled with rising income levels in most parts of the world, has led to greater consumption of meat, poultry and fish by humans. The growth in demand for meat and seafood is posing a grave threat to Earth’s land, atmosphere, and oceans.
Cattle and poultry industries are destroying pristine forests to grow feed crops for cattle or to create farm land for animal agriculture. This assault on forests threatens the Earth’s ability to sequester carbon in trees.
The digestive processes of cattle generate methane, a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than CO2.
Simultaneously, industrial scale seafood harvesting is depleting fish stocks to unsustainably low levels while damaging the ocean floor with drag nets. The reduction in sea life and plants reduces the ocean’s capacity to sequester ‘blue carbon’
Calorie for calorie, animal food products require more land, water and energy to produce than plant foods. The meat and dairy industries generate toxic animal effluents. The commercial fishing industry pollutes our oceans with discarded nets and gears that endanger marine animals. The loss of land and marine wildlife to the point of species extinction is yet another irreversible side effect of the meat, dairy, eggs and fishing industries.
According to Project Drawdown, the fourth most powerful action an individual can take to fight Climate Change is to adopt a plant-rich diet.
“Consumption of meat and dairy, as well as overall calories, often exceeds nutritional recommendations. Paring down and favoring plant-based foods reduces demand, thereby reducing land clearing, fertilizer use, burping cattle, and greenhouse gas emissions”, Project Drawdown.
Additionally, "Our Plate and the Planet" by Rotarian Ambaree Majumder provides a detailed analysis of the impact of our current dietary habits on the health of our planet.
The livestock industry and the marine harvesters will not cease operations overnight. But every environmentally conscious citizen of the world can consciously reduce the consumption of these products from their diets which can not just help the planet but also human health.
If our meals are rich in whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits then it sure would be possible to see a gradual shift in the global food and agriculture sector, which currently is one of the major players in aggravating the crisis of Climate Change.
Plant Rich Diets have tangible and intangible benefits
The tangible benefit is better health since consumption of animal products can accelerate the onset of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers. The intangible benefit is orienting the collective human spirit towards compassion and World Peace, one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus; PRD is inherently compassionate, it might help us value sentient life and to factor compassion into the cost-benefit calculations of all human ventures.
As Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has said, making the transition to a plant-based diet may be the most effective way an individual can stop climate change.
“By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The simple act of becoming a vegetarian will make a difference in the health of our planet.”
Here's How You Can Get Involved
Participate in the Global 30-day plant-rich diet challenge by ESRAG PRD Task Force in October
Rotary’s second virtual convention highlights accomplishment in polio, progress toward ending COVID-19
by Ryan Hyland
Thousands of people experienced friendship and fun at Rotary International’s second straight virtual convention. The event, held 12-16 June 2021, was conducted online after the convention originally planned for Taipei, Taiwan, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 10,000 people registered for the robust program that included more than 20 guest speakers, informational and inspiring breakout sessions, the interactive House of Friendship, and a variety of engaging virtual activities and entertainment.
During the opening general session, Rotary International President Holger Knaack acknowledged that he was worried about how successful his presidency would be, since he couldn’t visit clubs and projects and provide encouragement and support due to travel restrictions. “But what seemed like a problem turned out to be an advantage,” he said. “By visiting clubs online, I could be everywhere, every day.”
Knaack talked about how rewarding it was to be able to visit clubs and districts around the world in just one day. “In a virtual environment, I could visit a dozen Rotary clubs a week and participate in their projects. It was exciting and rewarding. And I was so proud of the work you did in such difficult times,” he said.
“The pandemic continues to bring great devastation and, for far too many, a very sad ending for people important to us,” Knaack said. “We must continue to honor those who have passed and do whatever we can to bring this devastation to an end as soon as possible.”
Despite the challenges of the past year, Knaack also highlighted successes, including the historic announcement that the World Health Organization’s African region had been declared free of the wild poliovirus. He encouraged Rotary to build on that positive news by staying focused on our commitment to ending polio worldwide. Until early May of this year, he said, just two cases of wild poliovirus were reported worldwide. Wild poliovirus is still circulating in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a video address to online attendees, crediting Rotary for continuing to focus on polio. “When COVID-19 struck, you didn’t abandon your vision of a polio-free world,” he said. “You redoubled your efforts.”
In a virtual environment, I could visit a dozen Rotary clubs a week and participate in their projects. It was exciting and rewarding.
— RI President Holger Knaack
“The pandemic has highlighted that unprepared and underserved communities anywhere are a threat to health everywhere. Rotarians know this,” Tedros added. “And I want you to know that your investment in public health will inspire future generations to live up to your motto of Service Above Self.”
Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, gave an update on COVID-19 vaccines and spoke about the importance of restoring access to routine vaccinations that were disrupted by the pandemic.
Berkley said 14 COVID-19 vaccines have been approved around the world and more than 1.4 billion people have been vaccinated in the “largest and most complex vaccine development deployment in history.” Gavi is co-leading COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at establishing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. By the beginning of next year, Berkley said, more than 1.8 billion doses of the vaccine should be available to people living in the 92 lowest-income countries that otherwise would have limited or no access to the vaccine.
But COVID-19 vaccines aren’t the end of the story.
“Now with COVID-19 vaccines flowing, it’s going to be critical to maintain hard-won gains in immunization,” Berkley said, “to recover from the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and achieve even more by leaving no one behind in any situation or at any stage of life.”
He added, “As a valued partner of Gavi, Rotary International will play a key role in all this.”
Other convention guests and speakers included:
Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the WHO director-general
Eliud Kipchoge, an Olympic gold medalist and marathon world-record holder
Vanessa Nakate, a climate activist and founder of the Rise Up Movement
Anna Rosling Rönnlund, vice president of the Gapminder foundation
Sanj Srikanthan, the CEO of ShelterBox
The general sessions were hosted by Mark Wright, a news anchor and Rotary member.
Entertainment included performances by The Filharmonic, an a cappella group featured in the hit movie Pitch Perfect 2; the Hiplet Ballerinas, a hip-hop and classical ballet fusion group; Idris Goodwin, a breakbeat poet and a United States Artists Fellow; and DDC Breakdance, a Germany-based dance group.
Convention attendees participated in virtual activities that included a cooking class, a trivia challenge, a dance party, a virtual photo booth, and a 5K walk to raise funds to end polio.
The 2021 Rotary Zone Institute brings together Rotarians and Rotaractors from paired Zones 25B and 29 for in-depth trainings, inspiring speakers, fresh entertainment, fellowship, and a pre-international convention exploration of Houston's best attractions. Meet, network, learn from experienced members, and share your talents with others. You never know who you'll see, or how you'll be inspired.
Any Rotary or Rotaract member can attend the Zone Institute, and your significant other is welcome to join. This is a celebration of the efforts of over 49,000 Rotary and Rotaract members in our Zone, how we lead ourselves, our communities, and to set a path for how we will continue to launch Rotary and Rotaract forward.
Missing in-person inspiration? Saturn that frown upside down because our speakers come to you live with motivating stories and impressive anecdotes. A Past President of the Rotary Club of Northwest Austin, Oliver Smith, Jr. served in the US Army Corps of Engineers, worked for Exxon Co, BASF, and the Frit-Lay co. to name a few. Or see Jenn Gillen who worked the COVID floor and serves as a medical surgical nurse. During the most challenging times of COVID she initiated morale boosting activities such as dinners and gift bags to encourage her fellow staff to persevere. Get to know these, and our other wonderful speakers when you attend this year's institute.
P.O. Box 283
Northbrook, IL 60065 United States of America
We are meeting by Zoom until July 6, at which point we will return to meeting at Allgauer's at the Hilton in Northbrook at 12:15 p.m. Join us! Contact webmaster@northbrookrotary.org for an invitation to be a guest at our next meeting.
