Brighter Green

Meat prices continue to rise

(Jessika Ava) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:03:49 CDT

Chinese meat display

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that food prices will continue to rise in 2013. Factors that led to this price increase are multifaceted and complex, with the 2012 United States drought and mass cattle culling, other weather events, biofuels, and a global increase in meat demand being major contributors. Sources are localized as well, for instance, in China rising prices are also due to the loss of farmland and farm labor to urbanization, and land degradation-caused grazing restrictions.

Fruit and vegetable prices are expected to rise. But meat and egg prices will experience the greatest increase. Rabobank, a global leader in agribusiness, asserts, "2012's scarcity will affect feed-intensive crops with serious repercussions for the animal protein and dairy industries."

Some have argued that increasing meat prices have contributed to the recent outbreaks of tainted meat, including the European Union horsemeat scandal and the Chinese fake mutton meat scandal . Lower quality meat such as horse's meat and rat's meat- as well as illegal chemical injections and use of diseased meat as was the case in China- is sold in efforts to keep prices low and purchases high.

Furthermore, government stockpiling or export bans employed as efforts to protect domestic consumers from increasing prices, could exacerbate the issue at a global level. Stockpiling may increase competition and further increase commodity and food prices. Those countries with the least capacity to stockpile will be most vulnerable to price inflation.

However, a vegetarian diet can offer an element of food security to offset these rising meat prices. Luke Chandler, the head of agri-commodity markets research of Rabobank, states that impacts on consumers, especially low income consumers of developing nations, can be reduced if animal-sourced proteins are replaced with traditional staple grains, legumes, and produce. Furthermore, price increases could potentially alter the world's growing appetite for meat, Chandler continues to state that the high animal protein prices are likely to stall the trend towards increased meat demand across Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Photo courtesy of Rogoyski

Meat and the Avian Flu

(Jessika Ava) — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:20:28 CDT

Woman working at China chicken farm

China's latest avian flu outbreak, H7N9, has led to at least 126 infections and 24 deaths, with one confirmed case crossing national borders to Taiwan. The World Health Organization has stated this flu strain is a "serious threat" and among the "most lethal so far." Some are questioning if we have the ability to develop an adequate vaccine before widespread person to person transmission occurs. Scientists are still determining the source of the original mutant strain, but assert intensive poultry factory farm operations are likely to blame.

As global demand for animal products increases, many developing nations are turning to industrialized factory farming operations. Public health experts have repeatedly warned of the flu risks associated with industrialized animal agriculture. And almost one decade ago a joint consultation between the World Health Organization, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Organization for Animal Health concluded that the increased demand of animal protein and intensification of animal agriculture is a major risk factor for emerging zoonotic diseases. But with the latest bird flu strain added to the growing list of zoonotic flu outbreaks in recent years ( Swine Flu, H5N1 Bird Flu, SARS), one can't help but wonder-has anyone been listening?

So why, exactly, do factory farms present a particular danger? To simplify the answer, unnaturally high concentrations of genetically similar animals within closely confined, stressful, and at times unhygienic, conditions create an environment that allows for rapid pathogenic mutation(1). Eventually a virus may arise that is capable of jumping species boundaries from farmed animals to humans, creating a potential zoonotic pandemic. To read more details of H7N9's emergence, visit Brighter Green's previous blog post.

To add to the risk, developing nation factory farms are increasingly being constructed near densely populated cities, exacerbating risk of animal to human transmission.

The risk of a pandemic flu outbreak is one more negative consequence that industrialized animal agriculture must be held accountable for. With each new rise in per capita animal protein consumption, with each new factory farm, and with each new animal- we are adding to that risk. To put into perspective, today China's poultry population sits at about 4.6 billion. Essentially that's 4.6 billion potential vectors for an emerging zoonotic disease. (And that's only Avian zoonotic disease -this figure doesn't include other species of farmed animals.) It seems world's growing taste for meat and eggs has created a very precarious epidemiological risk that we can no longer afford to ignore.

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(1) Greger, M. (2007). The Human/Animal Interface: Emergence and Resurgence of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Critical Reviews in Microbiology. 33:243-299.

Photo courtesy of Padmanaba01

Updates on the Avian Flu, and Will It Foster Changes in China's Animal Farming System?

wzhou@worldwatch.org (Wanqing Zhou) — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:47:17 CDT

Birds in China

It has been a month since the first case of the human-infected influenza A (H7N9) was reported. By May 1st, the virus had been diagnosed in 128 people and has killed 27 people since March. Recently, a booklet called Don't be Scared of Birds was published in China to inform the public about influenza A (H7N9) and how to protect themselves from it, although many details of the virus remain unknown.

The Virus, a Slippery One

It has been agreed that the virus has an avian origin, and that some of the patients have had direct contact with live poultry or have been exposed to bird feces, but the mechanism of transmission is not clear yet, nor is it confirmed whether the virus can spread directly from bird to human or between humans.

Phylogenetic studies revealed that the genome of the novel H7N9 virus is a combination of at least three virus strains from four different origins, instead of a direct mutant from the classical H7N9. The finding of an asymptomatic carrier in Beijing on April 14 might be evidence that the virus is still evolving to adapt to humans.

During the process of evolution, the virus may become more or less lethal; a human-to-human transmission pathway may also be established. In general, lower lethality favors the survival of the virus because the host, on which the virus relies to replicate, is not killed.

However, because the mutations that change the lethality and transmission pattern of the virus take place on a highly random basis, researchers call for an "extensive global surveillance" to spot any sign of a more virulent or more transmissible virus strain as early as possible.

Cross infection between birds (as well as other animals) can make it easier for the virus to evolve. To prevent this, farmers were asked to avoid raising different animals together and to mark birds in live poultry markets to allow source tracking. But one thing special about the novel H7N9 virus is that it does not cause severe symptoms in or massive death of birds. This renders it more difficult to monitor and to control the spread of the virus among possible host groups, even in a well-traceable system.

However, some residents are not aware of the risk if this "invisible" virus - in Maoming, Guangdong Province, the price of poultry plunged and led to a flash sale. Nearby villages saw trucks of live chicken sold cheaply. One customer said, "(I am) not scared (of the avian flu) at all. Feed the birds for several months...and it should be ok (to consume them)." It seems the booklet hasn't reached the areas where the necessary information is most needed.

To Industrialize or not to Industrialize

As there are calls for a ban on live poultry markets, some say that intensifying and industrializing the poultry farming system is a more effective way to ensure food safety. If the poultry comes from a few large farms rather than numerous small farms, the number of quarantine tests can be reduced. Standardized production may also control the use of antibiotics and antiviral drugs, where drug overuse on animals may increase drug resistance in the pathogen population.

An industrialized system might be more cost-effective and easier to regulate, but such a system is not as healthy as it sounds. In factory farms, tightly packed animals and the desire for faster growth give the farmers more reasons to use antibiotics and other chemicals.

In terms of preventing diseases, small-scale family farming possesses intrinsic advantages: more attention on each animal. Instead of merging small farms into larger ones, organizing the existing family farms and enhancing the education system in rural areas, with services to teach farmers about sustainable farming techniques, might be a more urgent task with long-term benefit.

The outbreak of influenza A (H7N9) has again drawn public attention to China's farming and food system, which is highly dispersed and loosely organized. How to better manage the country's family farming system, and equip it with quality control mechanisms such as health check and source tracking, remains a huge challenge.

Photo courtesy of Peter Li/Humane Society International/Compassion and World Farming

Rethinking Agriculture: National Climate Assessment Provides (Another) Reason

mia[at]brightergreen[dot]org (Mia MacDonald) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:25:57 CDT

Agriculture and Earth in the balance?

[Note: this blog was published originally on the Huffington Post.]

It's Earth Week, a good time to celebrate the natural environment and also examine some of the ways we use -- and abuse -- Earth's resources and climate. Food systems are an important area for scrutiny. New agricultural ideas and actions are essential amid rising climate stress, a growing human population, widespread degradation of ecosystems, and rampant food insecurity; nearly one billion people regularly don't get enough to eat.

Pastoralists in Kenya, rice farmers in India, and industrial feedlot operators in the U.S. are contending with increased frequency of drought and erratic weather. But agriculture isn't just affected by climate change. It's also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. agricultural sector was responsible in 2011 for 7.2 percent of U.S. GHGs. This doesn't include emissions from indirect agricultural activities, like clearing grasslands or forests to create farmland, or the fossil fuels burned when transporting agricultural products.

U.S. agriculture is heavily tilted toward large-scale, resource-intensive production of animals and the corn, soybeans, and hay (the U.S.'s three largest crops) that feed them. It might be hard to believe, but less than 2 percent of U.S. farm acres grow vegetables or pulses (beans and legumes) and less than 2 percent are planted with fruit or tree nuts.

The U.S. food system is also vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The draft National Climate Assessment, prepared by more than 200 scientists for the U.S. government and recently released for public comment, says this: "Production of all commodities will be vulnerable to direct impacts from changing climate conditions on crop and livestock development and yield."

And, it adds, "Climate change effects on agriculture will have consequences for food security both in the U.S. and globally. . . ." We've already seen this. When food prices rose because of the massive U.S. drought last year, increases weren't just seen domestically. Prices went up around the world. The most negative consequences -- putting some staple foods out of reach -- were felt in the poorer countries of the global South.

A re-visioning of U.S. agriculture could have vast global impacts. How the U.S. eats and produces its food has an enormous influence on other societies. In countries such as China, meat used to be a condiment or side dish. However, the Chinese increasingly are adopting U.S.-style (and U.S.-size) diets and methods of production, like factory farms, and searching for new sources of animal feed.

In the U.S. alone, nearly 10 billion land animals are consumed each year. Globally, it's well over 60 billion, and could double by 2050. Meat and dairy production already use 30 percent of Earth's land surface, 70 percent of agricultural land, and accounts for eight percent of the water humans use, mostly to irrigate feed crops. The global livestock industry is also, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations "probably the largest sectoral source of water pollution," and one of the key agents of deforestation.

Animal agriculture is also a major contributor to climate change. The FAO estimates that 18 percent of global GHGs can be attributed to the world's livestock sector. Current and former World Bank environmental specialists concluded that a more accurate accounting is 51 percent.

Increasing demand for grain and oil-meals to sustain the growing livestock population also means that more of the planet's surface will have to be converted to cropland to grow food for farmed animals, not people. (About 98 percent of soy meal, created by crushing soybeans, is used as feed.)

Notably, these kinds of "indirect" factors were not included in the EPA's accounting of U.S. agricultural GHGs. Nor were the ways agriculture contributes to global climate change covered in the National Climate Assessment report -- a rather puzzling omission.

Other blind spots exist. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organized a panel on the 2012 U.S. drought at last year's "COP18" climate summit in Qatar. When I asked the presenters whether the drought hadn't provided a strong rationale for reorienting U.S. agriculture to be more sustainable and climate-compatible, it was as if I was speaking Esperanto.

Nonetheless, the facts urge a course correction. The National Climate Assessment is straightforward: "Climate change poses a major challenge to U.S. agriculture, because of the critical dependence of the agricultural system on climate and because of the complex role agriculture plays in rural and national social and economic systems."

The U.S. has a real opportunity, and a responsibility, to cultivate a global shift away from its meat- and feed-heavy model of industrial agriculture and toward a more sustainable, equitable, and healthier food system. We're going to need public education, advocacy, technology, science, and individual action. The climate reality is that there's little time and even fewer resources to waste.

With thanks to Whitney Hoot, consultant to Brighter Green, for her assistance.

Photo courtesy of Donkey Hotey

East African Girls' Initiative: Exam Results and the Kenyan Election

(Lauren Berger) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:45:57 CDT

Kenyan girls attending the annual workshop

As American high school seniors around the United States are currently deciding where they are going to college, the Kenyan East African Girls’ Leadership Initiative students have been finding out about their end of year examinations. All five Kenyan girls, Ann, Hellen, Joyce, Sabina, and Elizabeth, sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) national exam, required for admission into university. Two girls, Elizabeth and Hellen received scores that qualify them to start university in the summer. Joyce, Sabina, and Ann will attend a one-year bridging certificate course before entering university the following year. Three of the Tanzanian girls finished their end of year exams and have been promoted to form four, their final year of secondary education. One girl, Rehema, finished her final year of studies and is waiting to enroll in an intermediary college.�

The Kenyan girls interned at local organizations between the end of their examinations and the start of a computer course. In addition to their internships, since they were living at home, they helped their families with household duties, including caring for livestock, farming, and other domestic chores. The Kenyan girls are now taking a computer course that will help them as they move to university and intermediary colleges.

The Kenyan girls also followed the recent Kenyan elections. Joyce was actively involved in the election. Although she was not a registered voter, she followed and actively advocated for specific candidates and parties. She is interested in politics and is considering running in future elections. Joyce’s interest in politics is a great accomplishment for the Initiative – hopefully she will run in the future and will be able to advocate for the Maasai community and for Maasai women as well.

It should also be noted that the recent Kenyan election marked a huge accomplishment for Maasai women. Peris Tobiko became the first Maasai woman to be elected to Kenya’s Parliament. She faced resistance from elders in the Maasai community who said they would “curse” those that voted for her. Her opponents also discouraged people from voting for her saying electing a Maasai woman as a leader defied their culture. Tobiko’s election is a huge accomplishment and she serves as a role model for the girls in our Initiative. 

We are extremely excited for what lies ahead for the Initiative participants – especially as they move towards higher education. Getting a college education is a huge accomplishment for Maasai women and we hope that Initiative participants will emerge as successful community leaders and effective advocates for indigenous peoples and the environment at the international level.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Salau

Healthful Fast Food: A Gateway to Sustainable Food Habits?

(Lauren Berger) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:58:40 CDT

People eating at a Veggie Grill

Adopting a meat-free diet has positive implications on the environment. We’ve seen how the increased consumption of meat around the world increases greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and is a major factor in climate change. But is adopting a vegan, vegetarian, or “sometimes” vegetarian diet a consumer trend to just “be healthy”? And can this trend be a gateway for more sustainable food habits?

New York Times food writer Mark Bittman recently wrote an article in the Times Magazine on healthful fast food. He proposes that there is an increasing consumer trend for healthy vegan/vegetarian fast food. And by “fast food” he means quick, tasteful, and cheap. As he explores restaurants like Veggie Grill (which is strictly vegan), Native Foods Caf� (vegan), and Lyfe Kitchen (not vegan, but beef that is grass-fed and humanely raised) he proposes that there is an increasing demand for healthy, sustainable, high quality, and tasteful fast food. And – that the consumers are not strict vegans or vegetarians.

Bittman proposes that there is a “niche group that you might call the health-aware sector of the population” - and that there is a market for fast food for this health-aware population. These people may not necessarily be strict vegans or vegetarians, they may just “like” to eat healthy and maybe “like” to know that their food is more sustainable than say, going to McDonalds. They are not, necessarily, strict in their practice and strict in their beliefs. They may eat a vegan meal for lunch but just as easily order a steak for dinner.

Bittman doesn’t propose that all healthy fast food restaurants be vegan or vegetarian. But he does seem to emphasize it. As more people begin to make more healthful restaurant choices and as these vegan and vegetarian fast food restaurants become more readily available, can we expect to see people maintaining or adopting sustainable food diets? Surely, the increased availability of vegan and vegetarian restaurants (and hopefully the affordability) can make maintaining a meatless diet easier. And, with more awareness on how these restaurants are sustainable in their practice – whether by being meat free or how they source their products, hopefully more people will begin to think more critically about their food habits and the environmental effects of meat consumption.

(While there is an increased trend in sustainable restaurants and a sustainable diet in the United States, meat consumption and the globalization of fast food is still an issue worldwide. Ironically, the American population seems to be moving towards more environmentally sustainable restaurants while American fast food chains continue to infiltrate other countries, introducing unsustainable and poor-quality food.)

Maintaining an environmentally sustainable diet often coincides with maintaining a healthy diet. But often, many people do not know the correlation. Hopefully, with an increase trend towards vegan and vegetarian fast food restaurants and a healthy diet, meat consumption will continue to decline and “sometimes” vegetarians/vegans will recognize the positive implications of their “sometimes” diet and fully adopt a more sustainable diet.

Photo courtesy of Ned Raggett

When Anti-Waste Becomes A Movement in China

wzhou@worldwatch.org (Wanqing Zhou) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:16:02 CDT

Leftovers at a restaurant in China

During an interview with Legal Weekly, Mr. Xu Zhijun, the initiator of the food waste campaign “Operation Empty Plate”, said he did not want the operation to become a movement. While the campaign received endorsement from Mr. Xi Jinping, the Communist Party’s new leader, and had been linked to Mr. Xi’s fight against corruption, the idea of a “social reform movement” (as embraced by the Global Times ) might have altered the original intention of the campaign in some ways.

Mr. Xi’s endorsement showed strong support and helped “Operation Empty Plate” achieve an unexpected influence. The food waste issue became part of people’s daily conversations, which is encouraging for every individual who cares about agricultural practices, natural resources, and climate change (Read also: Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard ).

The connection between anti-waste and anti-corruption is well justified too, because a large portion of food waste comes from government officials’ dining tables. According to Professor Zhou Xiaozheng, Director of the Institute of Law and Social Sciences at Renmin University of China, since the issuance of Mr. Xi’s eight-point guide for official conduct at the end of 2012, an average of 3,000 metric tons of kitchen waste per day had been reduced in Beijing (20-30% of total kitchen waste, depending on the data source), mainly due to reduced public consumption. It was indeed good news to officials who were not big fans of conspicuous consumption, for they could use the guide to avoid lavishing and not-always-enjoyable banquets.

However, as the operation against food waste develops into a movement of political importance, it may render the campaign short-lived, instead of making real changes in the institutional system.

This confusing contradiction could be explained by the inertia in the bureaucratic system. When there’s a guide from the central government, the first reaction of government officials is usually a default response – to “deal with it” and show support as quickly as possible – rather than thinking through the rationale behind it and the necessity of certain calls.

This time, because “cherishing food, reducing waste” is a concept so basic, familiar, and undoubtedly right, thinking is even less needed. As a result, responses from some officials and companies resemble a conditional reflex, lacking real understanding of the purpose of the guide.

A relatively extreme example was seen at a governmental agency: the annual banquet was urgently called off when the starters had already been served. Consequently, even more food was wasted, since the main dishes were likely prepared but never served, while the attendees dismissed their hunger and had to find their dinners elsewhere. This action was not only a potential reason for an acute version of “revenge consumption”, where individuals consume more food, but might also create antagonistic emotions against the campaign.

On the other hand, as the inertia in official circles has not been efficiently overcome by stringent regulations or enforcements, it is not hard to foresee the relapse of lavishness and pomp. While some academics are calling for legislation against food waste, especially in official occasions, it remains questionable how fast the process will be, as initiation has yet to be seen.

Meanwhile, the bureaucratic inertia is not restricted with in the bureaucracy. As the anti-waste movement entered schools with similar default responses to “deal with it” without thinking through the movement’s rationale or necessity, what could have been a perfect opportunity to educate the younger generation about food waste might also have resulted in counteraction.

Stressed by the necessity to clean their plate, some primary school students got too nervous about leftovers . In one case, a student forced himself to eat a veggie dish he didn’t like and the process was so painful that he eventually threw up; another student cried when meatballs were mistakenly put on his tray by the kitchen staff, fearing criticism for not finishing them.

These examples might sound extreme, but there is no doubt that schools need to rethink their approach and encourage waste reduction in a more flexible, creative, and well-designed way. The campaign still has the chance to shape a more interactive school lunch system, which emphasizes better communication between students, teachers, kitchen crews, and parents.

Many environmental activists agree that human society needs an urgent and broad change in people’s consumption style, which requires fighting against society’s resilience. With a better regulatory system, the relapse of conspicuous consumption could be prevented to a large extent, even if individuals' mind-sets are not completely ready for the transformation yet.

An ideal movement may effectively influence each individual and thus foster profound transformation; a successful movement can at least create and enforce regulations through an improved legal system; while an unsuccessful movement that fails to go deeper than the surface will only disappear with ripples. What this anti-waste movement is able to achieve still remains to be answered.

Photo courtesy of Katie L Masters

More Meat, More Dairy, More Egg--More Antibiotics

(Jessika Ava) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:04:35 CDT

Antibiotics are commonly used in animal feed

By 2050, global meat and dairy consumption are projected to double and quadruple, with most growth seen in the emerging markets of developing nations. This unprecedented rise in animal agriculture will also bring an unprecedented rise in the use of animal pharmaceuticals. Brighter Green recently reported on the dangers of antibiotic resistant bacteria resulting from agricultural practices. Yet, pharmaceutical industries are eagerly anticipating a spike of farmed animal antibiotics in the near future.

A global leader in animal pharmaceuticals, Zoetis, formerly Pfizer Animal Health, recently spoke of this growing demand. With limited arable land and water, future animal agriculture will rely on large-scale, intensive, factory farming operations. Factory farmed animals, living in unhealthy conditions, are fed antibiotics to increase their "productivity" and prevent disease outbreak, this being one factor driving Zoetis's growth. However, these are the exact sub-therapeutic agricultural practices that the World Health Organization states is a leading factor responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance bacteria.

Public outcries within the United States and across Europe are pushing for increased regulations of farmed animal antibiotic use. But regulations within the "emerging market" nations are severely lacking. This is particularly alarming given the developing world's current antibiotic resistance problem.

Photo courtesy of Kerben.

Antibiotics in Pig Farming: How We Poisoned Ourselves

wzhou@worldwatch.org (Wanqing Zhou) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:19:44 CDT

Pigs in China

On March 15, 2011, World Consumer Rights Day, the clenbuterol pork scandal was exposed in China and shocked meat-lovers with this health-threatening “lean meat powder” used to make animals grow muscle rather than fat. But in addition to being directly consumed, chemical residues from the livestock industry can affect our health via more diverse and complicated pathways.

We know that frequent use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections can lead to resistance, to such an extent that the drug is no longer effective. Recently, research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal revealed that, antibiotics and heavy metals fed to pigs have significantly raised the level of antibiotic resistant microbes in the animals’ manure, manure compost, and soil. Today, China is the largest producer and consumer of antibiotics, with major buyers from the livestock industry. In large- and middle-scale factory farms, antibiotics and metal feed additives are applied frequently and at high doses for growth promotion and disease control.

The study showed that with 149 unique antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) detected in sampled farms, the level of enriched ARGs can reach up to 28,000-fold for manure samples, and 1,000-fold for soil samples, compared with manure and pristine soil from animals not treated with antibiotics.

Furthermore, with both antibiotics and metals such as zinc, copper and arsenic present, ARGs can persist longer during manure treatment procedures, allowing the genes to be transferred among different bacterial communities. In other words, the environment, a reservoir already of a huge variety and amount of ARGs, may now face a higher probability of nurturing multi-resistant bacteria.

Drug resistance will return and has the potential to spurn a health crisis. Are we going to fight against it with more advanced medical weapons? We will certainly do so, if equipped with science and technology. But this war seems to be a vicious cycle. Rather than defending ourselves, we have been fighting against ourselves by ignoring the connection between our actions and the rest of the planet.

The unity of human and nature is at the core of traditional Chinese philosophy. Textbooks for high school students in China (and elsewhere) should include Mencius’ view of a harmonious society from more than 2,200 years ago, with an example of nature-conforming husbandry. Additionally, in the 14th century, Liu Ji explained his model of sustainability as “human, the thief of natural resources” – meaning, we must borrow from nature without disrupting its life cycle in order to live sustainably and to “master in such theft”(the Chinese pronunciation coincidently resembles the English pronunciation of ‘sustain’).

Philosophers have shared their wisdom, which was once overlooked by the belief in absolute human power. For decades, people applied the tools of science and technology to exploit nature for “our own benefit”, but forgot to examine these approaches with sufficient understanding of the whole natural system. Now, the same science and technology has revealed, or rather confirmed, the consequences of over-exploitation. “Our own benefit” does not exist if our food and the environment are contaminated with poisonous chemicals.

To reverse the situation, there are still many aspects we can work on. Implementing regulations regarding feed additives and drug use and manure management/disposal (especially for intensified factory farms) can help reduce the regeneration and spread of ARGs. More critically, reducing overall meat consumption, enhancing environmental education (in both urban and rural areas), as well as integrating sustainable thinking in policy-making can bring real hope for our future.

Photo courtesy of Xie Zheng

Biogas brings benefits - but also questions

(Jessika Ava) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:01:03 CST

Indian dairy farmer

Animal farms of all sizes are beginning to use biogas technology to create a form of non-fossil fuel energy. The use is controversial at the size of large-scale factory farms, where opponents argue that the technology perpetuates the factory farming problem as biogas revenue could encourage industry growth and is simply a means of greenwashing an inherently polluting and inhumane industry.

For smaller scale farms-namely village farmers of developing nations- controversy, thus far, remains unspoken. For small-scale village farmers, a biogas plant seems to bring nothing but benefits. But as with any newly implemented technology-questions remain.

In small village farms in India, manure from dairy operations is generating 24-hour electricity, powering the farmers' homes and crop irrigation systems. This is a much needed resource in regions where government electricity is only provided a few hours a day. The technology also creates a no-cost nutrient-rich fertilizer, lowering farmer overhead costs. Furthermore, by selling the excess power and fertilizer, biogas plants supplement farmers' income. And as an added advantage-biogas plants reduce the irritating smell of cow manure.

Potentially, animals could experience positive outcomes as well. Such as, will the revenue generated from biogas plants discourage abandonment of older dairy cows and male calves? An issue of major concern to countries such as India, where abandoned cows are left to wander the streets. Also, the technology could be used to provide much-needed revenue and support to sanctuaries and gosholas that provide homes for some of these aforementioned abandoned cows.

It seems like an all-around win-win situation. But questions remain that warrant answers.

Will biogas plant technology encourage inhumane cow confinement? As one farming advocate argues, "[biogas]...'solves' a manure problem that would not even exist if cows were allowed to graze on pasture rather than being confined indoors." And, does the same looming question that exists for factory farms need to be asked for small-scale plants as well--will the technology encourage industry growth? In other words, could biogas technology potentially encourage the growth of indoor, confined dairy operations at the village level, perhaps being an antecedent to the development of small-scale factory farms? -Factory farms that will ultimately introduce an entirely new set of environmental and animal welfare issues as is discussed in
Brighter Green's policy papers.

Village biogas plants introduce many positive opportunities for traditional farmers. But as with any technological advancement, long term outcomes must be considered as both benefits and costs are weighed and thoroughly analyzed.

Photo courtesy of ILRI.

Consumption Cities

(Sangamithra Iyer) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:12:30 CST

Urbanization: Crises and Opportunities

More than fifty percent of the world’s population currently lives in cities, and in the coming decades that percentage is projected to increase, particularly in Africa and Asia. Steward Pickett, a well renowned ecologist with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, is currently delivering a six part weekly lecture series at the Cooper Union on Cities in Crisis: Ecological Transformations.

The first installment kicked off earlier this month, when Pickett discussed the new global reality of cities and how rapidly cities are changing in form and function. He illustrated the diversity of those forms, from informal make shift settlements (like Annawadi), to peri-urban areas, to modern high rise developments. The primary mode of cities has also been changing from mercantile, to industrial, to sanitary to what is now most common in the global north- consumption cities. What these cities consume have ecological ramifications beyond their borders.

While globalization is not new phenomenon, it has intensified in recent decades, and there is an increasing interconnectedness between places. Pickett argued that our old definitions of what urban and rural are may no longer be useful in understanding the cities of today or tomorrow. As part of the Ernst Str�ngmann Forum, Pickett and his colleagues developed a new framework for analyzing cities called the “urban-rural continuum” or the “continuum of urbanity. ” This approach looks beyond parameters like percentage of impervious cover and instead describes cities by four dimensions:
1. Livelihood- how people support themselves, skill sets, opportunities
2. Lifestyle- social identity, consumption, recreation
3. Connectivity- how people and places are connected
4. Place-natural resources, resiliency, climate

An example he offered to illustrate the continuum was how diets in Asia are shifting toward more meat, and how Australia is supplying some of this demand. Australian forests are being cleared for livestock, and fruit bat habitats have been destroyed. As a result, the fruit bats have migrated to Australian cities, where they have established colonies and have transmitted a virus that has infected horses and can be transferred to humans. The urban-rural continuum, Steward showed, can span continents.

At Brighter Green we have been deeply interested in how changes in urbanization, migration and globalization have resulted in shifts in diet and what the resulting social and environmental implications are. (Read Brighter Green's Policy Papers to learn more.) It is great to see a framework for discussing urbanization and urban planning that recognizes the ecological implications of consumption and the global reach of these impacts.

The remainder of Pickett's lecture series will explore the idea of cities as ecosystems, their vulnerability to natural disturbances, and the need for an environmental ethic to promote an equitable distribution of resources. The series will conclude by asking “How do we facilitate the benefits of cities and incorporate them into ethical urban thinking? How can we transform crisis into opportunity?”

Photo by Wan Park

Delhi Sustainable Development Summit Overlooks Animal Agriculture

(Jessika Ava) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:21:26 CST

Waste lagoon near industrialized dairy

The annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), organized by The Energy and Resources Institute, provides an international platform for global leaders, Heads of States, policy makers, and academia to engage in dialogue on matters related to sustainable development and climate change.

Last week's 13th annual DSDS focused on the theme "The Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development," and set forth a goal to advance the Rio+20 Conference resolutions outlined in "The Future We Want." Sub-themes included adapting to climate change impacts and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, with one official side event being "International Conference on Agriculture and Climate Change."

These sub-themes and side event made much progress in opening dialogue regarding climate change's impact on agriculture and viable strategies to mitigate the effects. However, one significant element seemed to be left out of the discussion- agriculture's impact on climate change.

With many developing nation governments promoting large-scale industrialization of animal agriculture, i.e. American style factory farms, this will lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints, increased strain on both water and crop resources, and increased land and water pollution.* In order to fully confront "The Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development," both ends of the spectrum must be analyzed- climate change's impact on agriculture, as well as agriculture's impact on climate change.

Next year's DSDS theme is set to be "Energy, Water, and Food Security for All." Maybe 2014 will be the year that DSDS's global leaders focus specifically on the topic of industrialized animal agriculture, give justice to the industry's share of responsibility, and seek more sustainable means in which to secure food for the planet's growing human population.

*To learn more about climate change and globalization of factory farming, see Brighter Green's policy papers and video documentaries here.

Photo courtesy of friendsoffamilyfarmers.

East Africa: Girls' Program Update and Maasai Human Rights (Part II)

(Lauren Berger) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:10:38 CST

Mt. Kilimanjaro's waning glacier due to climate changes causes rivers to dry up downstream

Climate Change and the Effect on the Maasai Community's Human Rights

Brighter Green's East African Girls' Leadership Initiative, provides nine Maasai girls from Kenya and Tanzania with leadership, rights training, and educational opportunities so they can attend college and become leaders of their community and spokeswomen for indigenous people. The Maasai community has historically been marginalized, and with the recent effects of climate change forcing the Maasai people, a mostly pastoral community, to move, they have encountered resistance, prejudice, and have been left with few options. They are being forced to move to different areas as a result of droughts and flooding and are concurrently being denied rights to live in these areas by the government. As a result, the communities are suffering, some are starving, and they do not have a sufficient voice to speak up for them in the government.

The Maasai community has suffered heavily due to the effects of climate change on the environment. They rely on land and rain for their livelihood and erratic weather patterns (drought, flash floods) have threatened the Maasai community's well being. The community is forced to move to different territories to graze cattle but receives erratic support from the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments. In Kenya, the government has coerced and intimidated the community when they are forced to move to different territories due to climate change. In Tanzania, the government had initially created Wildlife Management areas where the Maasai could co-manage these wildlife areas and graze their livestock freely. However, the government is now ruling Maasai grazing illegal in these areas. In addition, game rangers have also shot Maasai livestock despite livestock being allowed to roam freely in Maasai rangelands.

Maasai communities are starving and being persecuted against: they are being denied access to lands previously available to them during times of drought and are being evicted from current areas of residence. In Ngorongoro, members of the community are starving after being denied access to the Ngorongoro conservation, an area that historically has always been a refuge for the Maasai during times of drought. On December 1st 2012, 106 cows belonging to the Maasai community were killed by agricultural communities alleging that the Maasai were trespassing onto their farmlands. In addition, the government is evicting pastoralists from the Ulanga and Kilombero districts in Tanzania, citing the land as a wetland area, and not to be used by the Maasai community. The Maasai people have even been referred to as "illegal immigrants", despite having resided in these regions for nearly 70 years.

The Maasai community has tried to fight these injustices by taking these issues to court, particularly the evictions. However, despite court orders to restrain the evictions, evictions are still taking place, revealing the ineffectiveness and weakness of the judicial systems.

The Maasai community, historically pastoralist and scattered throughout the region, do not have a unified voice in the government. In order for the Maasai communities to regain their rights they need more representatives in the government and leaders of their community. While climate change is causing the Maasai communities to move to these different areas, and educating Maasai communities on the effects of climate change and the need for alternative food sources is necessary, the prejudice against the Maasai community will only continue without proper leaders and representation in the government. The East African Girls' Leadership Initiative program was created in the hope of creating future leaders of the Maasai community so the community has a voice. In light of these recent injustices, it is clear how important these leaders are for the Maasai community. With continued education and leadership training, we hope that the participants in the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative will become future leaders and will help educate their communities as well as challenge the current injustices.

This blog post is second in a series of a two updates on the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative and the Maasai community.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Salau

East Africa: Girls' Program Update and Maasai Human Rights (Part I)

(Lauren Berger) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:31:29 CST

Tanzanian girls with Daniel Salau and Rehema Mkalata from PAICODEO

Kenyan and Tanzanian Girls' Progress

The end of 2012 marked huge accomplishments and milestones for the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative. All five Kenyan girls, Ann, Hellen, Joyce, Sabina, and Elizabeth, sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) national exam, required for admission into university. Three of the Tanzanian girls finished their end of year exams and have been promoted to form four, their final year of secondary education. One girl, Rehema, finished her final year of studies and is waiting to enroll in college.

The Kenyan girls have a few months between sitting for the KCSE exam and starting college and are spending the next few months interning at local organizations in Kenya. Sabina will be interning at SIMOO, one of Brighter Green's East African Girls' Leadership Program partner organizations, Joyce will be interning at Oloisukut Conservancy Project, Elizabeth will be interning at Jambo Volunteers, Hellen will be interning at Ewuaso Meeyu Community Bank, and Ann will be interning at Namelok Youth Community Trust. These diverse internships will provide the girls with some real "hands on" experience in the working world, both in community based organizations and in other local companies, before they enter university. They also expose the girls to possible career paths, historically unlikely for Maasai girls, that help the Maasai community by battling local injustices and educating the Maasai people about the effects of climate change on their community.

Three of the Tanzanian girls are set to enter their final year of studies before college while Rehema is waiting to enroll in college. The Tanzanian girls had their annual workshop in December with members from SIMOO and PAICODEO (one of the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative partner organizations). In addition to receiving leadership training and participating in discussions affecting the Maasai community in Tanzania, the girls confidently reflected on their progress over the year in the program. Martha said:

"[I] am happy to meet again after one year. [I] am happy about this program because I have never missed school throughout the year. I have not lacked school fees or any other thing that I needed to stay in school. I have worked hard and I hope to graduate to form four next year. Thank you so much Rehema for always being with us."

(Rehema Mkalata is one of the PAICODEO officials who has been very involved with mentoring the Tanzanian girls.)

It is clear that the East African Girls' Program has helped the girls stay in school. The program has helped pay for school fees and other costs associated with attending school. In addition, the girls have benefited immensely from the support of SIMOO and PAICODEO members who are able to stay in contact, guide, and advise the girls throughout the year. While the Tanzanian girls expressed gratitude and happiness towards the program, the past year has been marked by struggles. In addition to struggling with learning English and switching schools, the girls have had a lack of moral support from their parents and have been threatened with marriage and/or female genital mutilation. In spite of these obstacles, the officials leading the program remarked positively on the girls' growth and confidence over the past year.

Both the Kenyan and Tanzanian girls are thankful for the opportunity to attend school and to receive leadership training. As young Maasai women, it is clear from the above update that the girls in the program are gaining confidence and excitement towards their future. However, gender differences and prejudice are still an issue, especially since marriage and FGM has threatened the girls' continued progress in the program. The East African Girls' Leadership Initiative aims to not only help these Maasai girls become leaders of their community and advocates for indigenous people, but advocates for women's rights as well.

This blog post is first in a series of two updates on the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative and the Maasai community. Check back here in a few days for the second blog post update.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Salau

Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard (Part II)

wzhou@worldwatch.org (Wanqing Zhou) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:42:29 CST

Food scraps, ready to start composting.

Continued from Part I:

The Leftovers: Consuming and Emitting
Nutrition that could save people from hunger is not the only thing being carelessly wasted; the already scarce natural resources used to grow the food, such as land and fresh water are also wasted. In addition, conventional landfill practices release greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other harmful chemicals due to microbial fermentation of the food waste, which is rich in organic matter and often wet.

When dumping animal-based foods like beef, the impact on climate is triple that of plant-based foods because of animal protein’s higher emissions intensity. This fact does not even include the wasted resources and related sewage discharge, which destroy the planet’s ecosystems in the production process of animal-based foods.

When people are lifted off the ground and put into skyscrapers, life becomes more convenient as the distance from the soil grows. However, because of this removal, we need to remind ourselves of these inconvenient truths behind our industrialized food systems. Action is still required on our part to complete the system, using mechanisms such as food scraps recycling.

As one of the first national pilots, Beijing implemented garbage sorting in 2000. In March, 2012, the Beijing Municipal Garbage Management Ordinance came into force, which encouraged communities and households to participate in kitchen waste recycling.

Unfortunately, like many other environment-related tasks, this one is also thorny. According to official statistics, by 2011, 50% of municipal garbage was sorted enough for recycling. However, a study carried out by Tsinghua University revealed that, for the same year, only 4.4% of sampled communities met the standard. Some people say the short is all about incentives, but is that so?

The answer: not necessarily. The pathway linking the household recycling bin and the eventual treatment system is not primed, nor is the handling capacity strong enough. Every day, in Beijing alone, households generate 11,000 metric tons of kitchen waste, and restaurants generate 2,500 metric tons. But the four municipal kitchen waste management facilities altogether can only handle 1200 metric tons each day – that is less than 10% of what’s needed. As a result, in a large amount of communities, recycling bin contents head to the same destination as other waste – landfills or incineration plants.

Despite this, however, there are still residents who choose to add another container in the kitchen, for food scraps only, even knowing the collector will possibly mix them with other trash. The will is there, calling for a real system that flows and circles, equipped with both regulation and education.

Get the Cycle Turning

Under double pressure from resource scarcity and climate change, our planet needs to get the consumption pattern fixed and the recycle system running. Improving the existing methodology is not enough; various innovative ideas should be tried out at the same time.

On the consumption side, reducing food waste is quite simple (see tips from Worldwatch Institute here and here), however, education needs to be strengthened. Food businesses like restaurants and grocery stores also have the responsibility and incentive to minimize food waste and should guide customers to do so as well. A food bank is yet to be introduced to Mainland China, but given the country’s issues with food waste and income inequality in cities, the idea definitely deserves attention from local communities and NGOs.

New York City is showcasing a practical method for collecting food scraps. At Greenmarkets, people voluntarily drop off their food scraps at composting sites. Not everyone participates, but 450 metric tons (1 million pounds) of food scraps have been recycled since 2007 through Greenmarkets alone. In China, wet markets are already part of many people’s daily life. Therefore, it is easy to imagine a similar circle, in which citizens bring their kitchen waste to the markets once a week, take fresh produces back home, and continue the cycle the next week.

Also, for a sprawling city like Beijing, localized food scrap collection would greatly reduce the harmful emissions produced during transporting of food scraps. The Xicheng District is going to push on-site treatment in 2013, starting with collection from large canteens and restaurants. If planned well, nearby green spaces can also benefit from the organic fertilizers generated. This would have the added bonus of education, as citizens could see the benefits of their food scrap collection in their communities.

Perhaps another feedback loop sits in there, too. When people start giving wasted food a second look by sorting out garbage or storing food scraps for compost, a voice in the head may remind us to clean our plates whenever possible. After all, we, as part of the planet, can’t afford the loss.

End of blog.

Photo courtesy of Nick Saltmarsh

Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard (Part I)

wzhou@worldwatch.org (Wanqing Zhou) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:45:34 CST

A half eaten plate of food. Ready for the trash?

Wanqing Zhou is a guest blogger for Brighter Green.

As a major producer and consumer of agricultural products on the planet, China faces a serious problem of food waste as it takes off towards a sustainable urbanization and industrialization. In order to mend the cycle of food, it is critical for all groups in the society to recognize the issue in an environmental context, and face the challenge collaboratively.

The Appetite: Growing and Spilling
Released two months ago, Back to 1942, a film telling the story of a famine in Henan Province during the World War II, spurred discussion about the Great Famine in early 1960s, one of the post effects of the Great Leap Forward that still affects the food consumption psyche of average Chinese. The Great Famine encouraged the world to analyze China's food security, as outlined in Lester Brown's 1995 book Who Will Feed China?

Ironically, in a university cafeteria in Beijing, one can see students throwing away about 1/3 of the food. “That’s normal,” said one student, “we seldom pack up leftovers. If nobody asks, I won’t ask. And it’s inconvenient because we don’t have a microwave oven in our dorm to reheat it.”

Then why order more than enough? “Well, it looks good to have at least the same number of dishes as the number of people. Common sense, isn’t it?” This is an example of what has become an underlying problem: the desire to appear abundant. This problem leads to extensive waste when the bill is paid with public funds.

This problem shines a light on the lack of basic components in the education system - knowledge about the Planet Earth. When dumping food becomes so easy for young people, it is extremely difficult for any society to step into sustainability.

The facts about food waste might be more disturbing than one could imagine. Recently, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers released a report on food waste, estimating that 30-50% of the annual global food production is wasted. The astonishing result covers food lost during harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as those thrown away by retailers and consumers.

In China, about 70% of national waste is food, and food makes up 61% of household waste. Researchers from China Agricultural University studied data from 2006 to 2008 and found that edible food thrown away from restaurants each year is equivalent to nearly 10% of the country’s annual crop production, which is enough to feed 200 million people. When including the waste from schools, businesses and households, the number can easily reach 300 million people.

In response to these numbers, a Clean Plate Initiative is heating up the social networks right now, advocating for zero food waste when dining out. As the movement has spread and an increasing number of netizens, including familiar faces and food businesses, have joined in. More and more people have become aware of the issue and are acting. Good news and good timing, given the coming Chinese Spring Festival is the biggest feast of the year.

Yet the story does not end at dining tables. To complete the cycle of nature, what grows from the soil needs to return to the soil, regardless of the pathway.

Food Waste and Recycling in China: Too Easy, Too Hard (Part II)

End of blog.

Photo Courtesy of CmdrGravy on Flickr

Shrimp Factory Farms in India

(Jessika Ava) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:40:30 CST

India's Growing Shrimp Market

India, now second in global seafood production, plans to double its marine exports within the next two years thanks to the introduction of an Aquaculture Quarantine Facility in the Northeastern city of Chennai. Aquaculture Quarantine Facility, AQF for short, is the marine farming industry's term for Shrimp Factory Farm.

A shrimp factory farm is the aquatic counterpart of the land factory farms we are all too familiar with. Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of these animals are confined to small enclosures, fed an unnatural diet laced with antibiotics, and produce exorbitant amounts of waste. Some marine life factory farms are built right into the ocean-providing a very convenient means of flushing the waste away into the sea. Chennai's Aquatic Quarantine Facility, however, as the name implies, is made up of isolated tanks that can house more than 2 million shrimp per year; in fact, it's stated to be the only one of its kind in the world.

But simply because this factory farm is state of the art, doesn't mean there won't be shrimp manure and other waste. Where will it all go? Just like land factory farms, the waste produced by this many confined animals, just can't be sustainably recycled. Evidence shows that intensive shrimp farming poses far greater environmental impacts than do less intensive methods (although less intensive methods have their own consequences).

Furthermore, with 2 million more shrimp mouths to feed per year, this could potentially add to India's growing reliance on imported grains.

And significantly, the animals must be spoken for. Just like the detrimental environments of land factory farms, aquatic factory farms present detrimental conditions for the marine animals as well. No animal can live a comfortable, stress-free life crowded by the hundreds of thousands in an unnatural, sterile cage. Recently, scientific evidence has demonstrated that shellfish do indeed feel pain - showing that it's time to reconsider how we treat them.

It's true that the factory farming system does produce much more animal-sourced foods than does traditional farming methods, but with the negative environmental and social consequences of this system, is it truly a solution? And- is more factory farmed food what the world really needs anyway? India's shrimp is predominantly destined for the United States and Western Europe, countries that aren't suffering from food shortages and alarming rates of hunger. Whereas India is- every night millions in the country go to bed on an empty stomach. Shouldn't India reconsider their current agriculture development schemes, and begin expanding a sustainable food source that will feed its own people instead?

(Read Brighter Green's India Policy Paper, Veg or Non-Veg: India at the Crossroad, to learn more regarding India's current dietary shifts.)

Photo courtesy of Phu Thinh Co.

India's Vegetarian Crossroad

(Jessika Ava) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:00:50 CST

Indian vegetarian restaurant

India: a vegetarian's mecca. This seems to be the stereotypical image envisioned when thinking of this culturally Hindu society. But are globalization, a growing middle class, and the urge to emulate western ways eroding this traditionally ethical lifestyle?

As people of developing nations ascend the socioeconomic ladder, the tendency is to want what the western world has- name brand clothes, fast food restaurants, big box shopping malls, and meat at every meal.

India's non-veg population is growing rapidly with meat consumption more than doubling over the last decade This trend is namely seen among the urban youth, who regularly frequent one of the many American fast-food chains across India, and who feel eating meat is a modern, contemporary activity. One journalist has even gone as far as describing traditional vegetarians as India's new social "pariah."

But is there more than meets the eye? Underneath the layer of "cosmopolitan" non-veg diners, there seems to be a rapidly growing movement of ethical reconsideration- a reclaimed ahimsa if you will- those questioning not only India's new meat-eating habit, but other forms of animal agriculture as well. From organizations such as India Vegan to the India Vegan Society to vegan potluck groups popping up in cities all over the country, to newly opening vegan restaurants- even Bollywood is joining forces with PETA to create a vegan cookbook . One journalist asserts that veganism has blended seamlessly into India's mainstream lifestyle. And to speak to the movement's success, even those American fast-food chains are curbing to consumer demand for animal-free options- McDonald's and Subway have both opened entirely vegetarian restaurants-both the first in the world. Pizza Hut stands behind its 100 percent veggie pies, and even KFC is jumping on the veg bandwagon and will soon be offering plant-based options.

The world is learning the devastating consequences of diets high in animal products and developing nations are slowly but surely losing their appetite for meat. As the western world reduces its meat demand, and as India's ethical consumers up their plant-based demands, will India's cosmopolitan view of meat be nothing other than a short-lived trend? Will the rising middle class and urban youth, following the ahimsa trail blazed by their nonconformist counterparts, soon be emulating the western world's demand for veg options?

...Which, for India, is nothing less than reclaiming traditional roots.

(Read Brighter Green's India Policy Paper, Veg or Non-Veg: India at the Crossroad, to learn more regarding India's current dietary shifts.)

Photo courtesy of reidmix

China Video Updated with Chinese Narration and English Subtitles

(Caroline Wimberly) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:00:51 CST

Thanks to Brighter Green associate Eve Feng, we have been able to translate the English narration of the video "China's Meat Consumption" into Chinese. We hope to be able to distribute the short video to wider audiences in China and around the world. Thanks also to Scott Deng for recording the narration.

中国的肉类消费 China's Meat Consumption

点击此处进入全屏 (Double-click to view full screen)

To view the video on Vimeo, click here.
To view the video with an English narration, and see our other China materials, click here.

The East African Girls' Leadership Initiative Fundraiser

(Lauren Berger) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:00:00 CST

Grace Koutimet speaking about the role of women in the Maasai community

The East African Girls' Leadership Initiative fundraiser on December 6th was a success. �We have almost reached our goal of $3,000, enough money to support the education, living costs, rights training, mentoring, and leadership skill workshops for two girls for one year. �We thank those who came to the fundraiser and those who donated. �If you would like to contribute, you can do so through our Crowdrise website. Thank you!

The night started off with singer-songwriter Joy Askew performing a few of her songs. �In addition to Mia MacDonald and Pamela Kraft, our partner at Tribal Link, speaking about the program, Grace Koutimet, from SIMOO, spoke about the role of Maasai women in the community and how educating Maasai women greatly assists the communities' progress. Grace works directly with the girls in the initiative and spoke about the challenges young women face in the Maasai community. Not only do they take on a lot of responsibility (building the house, cooking, cleaning, taking care of children), they are also a commodity: when a daughter marries, the family receives cattle as payment. This is particularly prevalent as climate change affects the community and drought causes cattle to die, forcing fathers to marry their daughters at young ages in order to get more cattle.

In addition to Grace, the Deputy Ambassador of Kenya to the United Nations Dr. Josephine Ojiambo and her daughter Julie Ojiambo, a former Brighter Green intern, spoke about their involvement with the program and expressed thanks for the opportunities this program creates for these young women.

Lastly, we showed the new East African Girls' Initiative Program video at the fundraiser (see below). This video provides information about the program and introduces you to some of the girls as well as their school.

Brighter Green and Tribal Link thank all of those who attended and who were able to donate to the program. For more information please visit the Brighter Green page on the East African Girls' Leadership Initiative.