Ecosmackdown: Pets Versus Solar Panels

[The Straight Story]

Ecosmackdown: Pets Versus Solar Panels


It takes 17 times more land to feed American pets than would be required by solar farms producing enough electricity to meet all the demand in the United States.

Why do we know this?

A new book by Robert and Brenda Vale, two architects at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, looked into the ecological foodprints of the world’s pets, New Scientist reported.

By examining the land and resources necessary to produce the meat and grains that compose pet food they discovered something startling: It takes over 90,000 square feet of land (that’s two whole acres) to feed a medium-sized dog and 16,000 square feet of land to feed a cat.

The Humane Society estimates Americans own about 75 million dogs and 88 million cats. We did the math and found that feeding those animals takes about 294 thousand square miles of land. That’s a little bigger than Texas!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/ecosmackdown-solar-versus-pets/

[iris27]

1. I think they're overlooking the fact that most pet foods are made with cast-off

ingredients. The meat, especially, is downed cows and euthanized pet animals rendered into kibble.

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. I could have gone an entire lifetime without knowing that.

[flvegan]

4. Ingredient: Animal Digest

"Animal Digest is a common ingredient used in pet foods. As defined by the AAFCO, Material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.

A cooked-down broth made from specified, or worse, unspecified parts of specified or unspecified animals (depending on the type of digest used). If the source is unspecified (e.g. "Animal" or "Poultry", the animals used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.

AAFCO doesn't care that manure is included in the pet food as long as the temperature at the time of cooking is brought to a certain degree. Is the dry or liquid by-product of the meat rendering process."

[PJPhreak]

24. Can you back this up?

"I think they're overlooking the fact that most pet foods are made with cast-off
ingredients. The meat, especially, is downed cows and euthanized pet animals rendered into kibble."

If this is true I will start making my own Critter Cuisine,Trust Me!

Edit: I just looked this up....Can Ya'll recommend Critter Foods that DO NOT use euthanized pet animals from shelters as a "Meat By-Product?

Thanks!

[Holly_Hobby]

25. Here...

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/CompanionAnimals.htm

I can't find the actual study at the moment, the link died with my last laptop.

There's a huge thread in the pets forum here, I think the link may be there. There's also a lot of alternatives to processed pet food in that list. I feed raw to my dogs.

[PJPhreak]

26. Thank You!!

I had no Idea that this was going on...I will NOT make my Furbabys be Cannibals!!

[KT2000]

3. Hmmm

A percentage of my cat's diet comes from rodents in about four yards. We had a severe problem with mice until she moved here and now things are under control. She keeps going over the same yards too. She shares the territory grudgingly with two other cats who hunt some but not like her.
All neighbors appreciate her efforts.
I'll keep the cat!

[shireen]

8. is that her photo in your avatar?

adorable kitty!

[KT2000]

23. that is from the DU avatar list

my cat is a long hair, either very dark gray with silver feet or light black with silver feet.
She is always a mess with vegetation hanging off of her. I comb her but 2 seconds later she looks like I used an egg beater!
Not so cute as the avatar but a real jungle cruiser!

[BrklynLiberal]

5. and the solution?

[The Straight Story]

6. Eat your pet

:)

[shireen]

7. hot dogs!

:rofl:

pets give us so much in return, invaluable intangible benefits.

I can't hug them, but i love my little fish. :D

[The Straight Story]

10. I had a fish once. Kept a box of fish sticks near the tank

Just to keep them in line :rofl:

[Canuckistanian]

14. LOL

I'll bet they didn't give you any lip.
:rofl:

[shireen]

16. i love how this thread is degenerating!

:P

[The Straight Story]

17. Well, you know us GD degenirates

:)

[Canuckistanian]

18. Takes one to know one

:hi:

[shireen]

15. oh yeah?

and when i'm mad at my fish, i call them "bait".

:rofl:

[BrklynLiberal]

11. That is exactly what I figured they were advocating.

:spank:

[BrklynLiberal]

12. system burp

[roody]

9. Well at least 5 million healthy dogs and cats are

euthanized every year in the US.

[Merlot]

21. Neuter and Spay, it's the kindest way.

[Canuckistanian]

13. What's the carbon footprint of an architect?

I'd let my dog poop on their lawn.

[Merlot]

19. Kinda pointless information

Why didn't they study how much land it takes to feed a cow for meat eating humans?

[The Straight Story]

20. I believe there was a thread about that recently as well

And it was, imho, somewhat pointless as well.

[Vattel]

22. I get it.

Pet food production requires lots of land. Solar power production requires lots of land too (especially in comparison to other means of energy production), but not nearly as much as pet food production. Therefore, ecosmackdown!!!! In your face pet food production!! Um, wait. That doesn't make sense. It's not like pet food production is preventing solar power production. Oh, now I get it. Ecosmackdown!!! In your face solar energy!! No, that's not it either. Damn. Somebody is getting smacked down, but who? In your face fossil fuel burning power plants? No that's definitely not it. I'm lost.