A week as a veggie....

First off, it's day seven and I've failed to be a veggie (twice) although both times the meal was cooked for me so it seemed rude to refuse.

But overall it's not been too difficult, there have been moments when I've wanted to cook one thing but instead had to cook something else, but overall substituting meat for other forms of protein has been relatively simple.

So, why did I?

As most people who have lived with me know, I don't eat that much meat - so why did I go veggie for a week. Partly, because I like a challenge but more importantly I read an article which made me realise the negatives to eating meat. To summerise it, the amount of meat we eat in the western world isn't sustainable. It's adding to climate change and whilst people are staving we're feeding animals only to slaughter them a few years down the line. Which, through a scientists eyes is a definite net loss of energy.

So, why does this bother me?

As a christian I believe that we (as human beings) have a responsibility to look after the earth, God calls us to be stewards of his creating.

"let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Genesis  1:26 

Therefore, if my actions are leading to climate change, how I can I claim that I am looking after God's creation? So, I need to change my lifestyle to properly care for God's creation.

It's now the 28th November, over a month since I went veggie, so what have I changed?

First things, I've cut down the amount of meat I eat, whilst that is partly due to the hectic lifestyle I have been living recently, it also has something to do with thinking about this. I managed to make a 2 meal amount of beef last 4 meals, just by cutting the meat really thinly. Whilst this is only a small action, if we all did it, we could easily reduce the amount of meat we eat. But, I will admit, I've not done half as well as I'd have liked to, so I'll re-consider my meals and try again!