by !BAHA, 15 December 2009

Please click here for bloggers' bio

Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living a book by two sustainability professors presenting the results of their research as a logical argument that weighs and compares the "carbon footprint" of owning a pet like a cat, and different breeds of dog, to using equipment like cars and household appliances.

"If you have a German shepherd or similar-sized dog, for example, its impact every year is exactly the same as driving a large car around," co-author Brenda Vale said.

The authors present their argument as a way of alerting us to the impact of something we don't think of as harmful to "nature" or the environment, after all what could be more natural than caring for pets?! For many, it's almost a city-dweller's ONLY close contact with nature, with people understandably not considered as part of nature. What they are actually arguing is that pet owning "costs" the same as owning a car, therefore we should ban beef eating pets! Because, raising cattle is ecologically expensive. And right they are, and kudos to them for finding a way to engage readers and get attention for their research findings in a most creative way!

Those are a good things to think about!

BUT BUT ... does that make it acceptable for us to start eating our pets? Or trading "traditional" pets like dogs and cats for animals we are less averse to eating, like rabbits or chickens, so that we can serve our pet as the Main Course at a pot luck for friends or family after their usefulness as 'pets'?
.
.
.
What do YOU think? And, WHAT if anything SHOULD we do, does our current concept-of-pet-ownership need 'fixing' to make it more sustainable? Does it mean Fido should watch out as his keeper might just end up as his reeper? COMMENT BELOW, or email us at EDITOR[at]iCUBED.us

SOURCES and FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Article about Ethical Living and Carbon Emissions
The authors of a provocative new book have bad news for animal-lovers: pets are bad for the planet. They consume vast amounts of precious resources, produce mountains of noxious waste – and they can be a disaster for wildlife

Review of the book: Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living

Diversity of viewpoints in the comments area of this website

Tweet

ONE ACTION TO CHANGE THE WORLD, SLIM DOWN, SAVE MONEY, and FEEL GOOD... by Barbara Z. Dempsey and Margaret Chen WORLD ENVIRONMENT WEEK: Adopting a VEGAN lifestyle will SAVE THE WORLD from CLIMATE CHANGE, says a report issued by the U.N. SUSTAINABLE EATING: Top Ten Reasons Home Cooking is best GO MEATLESS THIS FRIDAY - in honor of EARTH DAY! EuniceN-21 on "SUSTAINABLE EATING: The Organic Label" From our editor... My days of Living THE GOOD LIFE ... iCUBED.us Cares! Global Warming Watch, Sustainable Eating and Environment, Pollution & Over-Population Check out all our blogs in - "MUSIC & PETS" - "SPORTS, FITNESS & HEALTH"