How Green is Meat?

By Heifer International

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: June 17, 2010




To eat meat or not is a debate environmentalists have been hashing out for decades. Everyone agrees that no meat from a feedlot is good for the environment, but many believe that livestock play a crucial role in creating diverse forms of agriculture that imitate nature. The Huffington Post has a great interview with Nicollette Hahn Niman, a rancher and the author of Righteous Porkchop, on the role meat plays in a sustainable world.


Here are some of our favorite quotes:

"One thing I've become convinced of is that the best farming mimics nature. Natural ecosystems are all built on the relationships of sunshine, water, plants and animals. So, I would say that, actually, the most environmentally sound diet includes some meat, dairy and eggs."


"All food from animals -- meat, dairy, fish, eggs -- should be treated as something special. Anyone raising food animals in the traditional healthy way without relying on industrial methods, drugs and chemicals, is someone who will benefit from people embracing this approach.

We think Meatless Monday is part of a shift in attitude about meat. Towards something that is precious, not something consumed without thought, or in enormous quantities."

"If we really want a sustainable healthful food system, we need to take the dollars we're putting into agriculture and shift it towards good methods. I support the use of public funds for agriculture - but I don't understand why we're not putting it towards a food system that is environmentally benign and producing healthy food."

Read the full interview at The Huffington Post