Philippine Premiere of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

If you love burgers, you just might be contributing to the destruction of the world.

Yup, you read that right.

Apparently, animal agriculture is the most destructive industry facing the planet today. This was the main topic tackled by the documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret which had its Philippine premiere last October 22 in Los Banos, Laguna.

Cowspiracy follows filmmakers Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn as they try to uncover the reason why top environmental organizations seem to be ignoring the devastating impact of large-scale factory farming on the planet.

I've listed some of the facts discussed in the film that I personally found interesting (and honestly, profoundly disturbing). These information can also be found on the Cowspiracy website:

1.Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation 

2. Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. ---MORE THAN HALF! 

3. Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day.   (Those cow farts have some serious power behind them.)

4. Even without fossil fuels, we will exceed our 565 gigatonnes CO2e limit by 2030, all from raising animals. 

5. 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef. ( Admittedly, I am a carnivore. But I think I need to start rethinking those quarter pounders that I like so much--that's equivalent to 625 gallons :(

6.  477 gallons of water are required to produce 1lb. of eggs;  almost 900 gallons of water are needed for 1lb. of cheese. 1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.

7. We could see fishless oceans by 2048 (I have scuba dived before, I cannot imagine waters without these beautiful sea creatures.) 

8. Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction. --- YES, NINETY ONE

9. A person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for their food.   

10. Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.  

I really, really need to rethink how I eat. 

Vegan couple Frederik and Fiona De Vos organized the showing of this groundbreaking film at the CAS Auditorium of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos. Fiona expressed that while they did not expect people to go vegan, or at least not right away, they felt compelled to share the documentary to raise the awareness of other people. The couple are such strong advocates of veganism that they have created a resource website for vegans in the Philippine. Check out their website, Vegan.ph.

For more information, you can read the infographic below or check the Cowspiracy website.