In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Tuesday
night, California governor Jerry Brown offered one of the most practical
solutions to the California drought we’ve heard so far: eat veggie burgers.
This past April, MFA’s president, Nathan Runkle, implored
Governor Brown to ask everyone to do just that. “[Governor Brown] should use
his status as governor of America’s most populous state to urge the world to
take on the real issue, Nathan wrote in a San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed. “Our
growing appetite for animal products is making the planet hot and thirsty, as
Californians know all too well.
Nathan noted that the state exports 100 billion gallons of
water each year in the form of alfalfa to feed cows in Asia, where demand for
meat and dairy products is skyrocketing.
“If the alfalfa goes to China, is that better or worse than
if the alfalfa feeds cows [in California] and people have a hamburger
tomorrow? Governor Brown wondered aloud in the interview. “If you ask me, I think we should be eating veggie burgers.
Well said, governor!
Listen to his comment here:
To learn more about the link between cheeseburgers, climate
change, and the California drought, check out Nathan’s latest Huffington
Post piece. Click here for climate- and animal-friendly recipes!