Extinction-free BBQ
A Meat and Dairy Industries Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Take Extinction Off Your Plate / Center for Biological Diversity
June 2016

Meat production is responsible for more environmental degradation than any other single industry. Animal agriculture accounts for at least 14.5 percent — and, according to some studies, as much as 51 percent — of greenhouse gas emissions, 80 percent of antibiotic use and 37 percent of pesticide use. Livestock grazing is one of the greatest threats to imperiled species, affecting 14 percent of threatened or endangered animals and 33 percent of threatened or endangered plants.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat an average of 818 hot dogs per second. That’s a lot of meat, especially when you consider the cost to wildlife and the environment. All those hot dogs – plus the burgers, steaks and sausages thrown on the grill during the biggest meat season of the year – are turning the planet into a kabob of climate change, deforestation, pollution and wildlife extinction.

Meat production is responsible for more environmental degradation than any other single industry. Animal agriculture accounts for at least 14.5 percent — and, according to some studies, as much as 51 percent — of greenhouse gas emissions, 80 percent of antibiotic use and 37 percent of pesticide use. Livestock grazing is one of the greatest threats to imperiled species, affecting 14 percent of threatened or endangered animals and 33 percent of threatened or endangered plants.

It's easy to include wildlife protection in your barbecue plans: By making that hot dog the only meat you eat today – or better yet, by replacing it with a veggie dog (or one of our delicious extinction-free recipes) – you can do your part to stop grilling the planet.

Start a new summer tradition of celebrating the outdoors with an extinction-free barbecue.

Choose Veggies, Choose Wildlife

The Meatstinction Grill:

• Meat production uses 140 percent the amount of pesticides as plant-based foods.
• 3.2 million native animals were killed by Wildlife Serives in 2015.
• Annual chicken production in the United States is responsible for the greenhouse gas equivalent of nearly 1 million cars.
• Processed meals like hot dogs - increase risk of death by 20%.

The Extinction-Free BBQ:

• A plant-based diet can reduce your cartoon footprint by as much as 60%.
• Producing a pound of tofu requires 1/10 the water needed to produce a pound of meat.
• Switching to a plant-based diet can save 8 times more emissions than an all-local diet.
• Vegetarians are 19% less likely to die from heart disease than meat-eaters.

Not sure how to have a barbecue without meat? Top chefs and food bloggers contributed mouth-watering recipes that are so delicious, you won’t miss the meat. View our Extinction-Free BBQ menus.

In addition to taking extinction off your grill, there are other ways to make your barbecue more wildlife-friendly.

Here’s how you can green your cookout:

• Choose organic food and drinks, if possible.
• Ditch the disposables. Use reusable plates and silverware instead of paper or plastic.
• Make recycling easy. Have a clearly labeled, easy-to-find receptacle for recyclables.
• Give food scraps a second life. Compost your wildlife-friendly scraps for the garden.
• Properly dispose of wrappers, plastic and other remaining trash.
• Share your own ideas for an #ExtinctionFreeBBQ with us on Facebook or Twitter @ChooseWild.

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