Grass Fed Beef and Energy Audits???

So I have a confession---I was watching ABC's morning news show this morning from 6:30-7:00 a.m. That's right. Anyway, I was surprised and happy that one of the reports was on two ways Americans can make a positive impact on the environment. The two listed were to 1. Eat less Beef and 2. Have an energy audit.

I want to address both of those. I certainly agree that Americans eat too much meat but it's also that we're eating meat that has not been raised properly. Most cattle are raised in CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) operations which contribute a lot of greenhouse gases. First because the cattle are fed corn or soy-- crops grown specifically for animal feed which take a lot of energy to grow. And secondly, once the animal has been slaughtered and packaged for consumption, it is then often shipped long distances before it is consumed. There are a myriad of other problems with CAFO's which I won't get into here (plenty of website for that) but this report on ABC seemed to hint at these type of operations.

What I would have added to the report is to eat locally raised grass-fed beef from small scale farming operations. All the beef we sell at Local Harvest Grocery is grass-fed (yes, the cows are eating what they are supposed to eat--they are not meant to eat corn and soy) and once packaged the shipping distance is under 150 miles. Let me also throw in that if you're going to eat beef you should know that grass-fed beef has health benefits like Omega-3. If you eat meat produced from cattle in a CAFO you are also ingesting hormones, antibiotics, and you aren't getting any of the omega-3 fatty acids. Check out this site for more information. http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-natural-beef.asp

I was a vegetarian for about 18 years and even though I still don't eat meat often, I feel really good about the meat we're selling, the farmer's who are producing it, and the way they are treating the animals. And when I do eat meat, I say a little prayer of thanks to that animal. It makes me feel more in touch with the animal. I digress...

Now onto the energy audits....I had an energy audit a few months ago and it was really interesting. We used Show Me Home Energy Solutions. Dave Rabenau is the owner and is super nice and super dedicated. Check out www.showmehomeenergysolutions.com I highly recommend it. We haven't been able to do everything, but I learned a lot. I was fascinated by the fact that a home can be too tightly sealed. What? Check out his sight.

Wow, see what a little TV watching can do for you. Whew. And if you made it to end of this post--thank you.

-Maddie