Spreading vegetarianism - Letters From Our Readers

E: The Environmental Magazine, May-June, 2002

It takes tremendous courage for a publication to address the pink elephant steak sitting in the boardroom of so many environmental organizations ("The Case Against Meat," cover story, January/February 2002). I think many such groups fear mentioning the "V" word [vegetarianism] for fear of losing the two "M" words--members and money. Questioning the role our diet plays in the Earth's devastation may hit too close to home for some who call themselves environmentalists.

Michael Greger, MD
Jamaica Plain, MA

I read the most recent issue of E, and I researched many organizations that advocate plant-based diets. After doing so, I found myself embarrassed to still be eating meat. After careful consideration and planning, I've decided to slowly start the transition to vegetarianism, much to the delight of many of my friends. Thank you!

Sara Pursell
Orefield, PA

Thanks for making the case against meat eating. I grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, home to one of the largest hog-slaughtering plants in the nation. My dad worked there for 20 years. I remember my mom remarking that the place "smelled like Auschwitz." I remember it as a hideous hellhole for the thousands of animals butchered there every day and for the poor people (mostly new immigrants) who worked there.

I toyed with vegetarianism back in the late 1970s, but I didn't adopt the diet seriously until 1990. That's when my daughter became deathly ill after eating a fast food hotdog. It's also about the time I realized what a tremendous toll ranchers and their livestock were taking on America's public lands and wildlife. Today, my husband and I are vegans, and my daughter is a vegetarian. We are one small part of a revolutionary movement that's growing by leaps and bounds.

Patricia Wolff
Louisville, CO

We have been vegetarian for many years. We run the national nonprofit American Tortoise Rescue, so we meet many animal rescue people. We are flabbergasted that they are not all vegetarians. If you love animals, how can you eat them? Many people don't get the connection and think rescuing them is enough. Steak didn't just arrive in that pretty little package in the store, people.

Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson
Malibu, CA