Friday, May 23, 2014

Good morning,

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the severe drought in California could have a lasting effect on U.S. fruit, dairy and egg prices, while prices for meats, especially beef, look likely to continue climbing.

The agency said overall U.S. food price inflation for 2014, including food bought at grocery stores and food bought at restaurants, would rise by 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent in 2014.

You can't control the weather. So what can you do as an individual?

Thanks for reading,

Your Living Green editor

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I admit that I love a good steak every now and then, but it is true that even despite the rising costs, meat production has the worst environmental record. It requires 13 pounds of grain and a staggering 2,500 gallons of water (estimated, of course) to produce a 1-pound steak.

Then there is the land usage, the waste produced, not to mention health issues like the use of bovine growth hormones.

The good news is that cutting down on your consumption of meat is not only better for the environment, it is better for you! There are volumes of scientific evidence pointing to the health benefits of a heavily vegetarian diet.

I won't be hypocritical and suggest that you become a vegetarian, but if you substitute even some of your meals including meat for vegetarian meals you will not only reduce the demand (and therefore production) of meat, but you will be doing something great for your body.

And you can do even more for the environment, your body and you pocketbook by planting a vegetable garden. All of those delicious vegetables coming out of your own back yard and they don't have to be transported anywhere, they are not coated with pesticides and you get the satisfaction of eating food you grew yourself!