Save the planet: eat a dog?
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Jorge Mayer
Sep 27, 2019, 7:04:57 AM9/27/19
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/national/2987821/Save-the-planet-eat-a-dog
By TANYA KATTERNS 15:53, Dec 04 2009
The eco-pawprint of a pet dog is twice that of a 4.6-litre Land
Cruiser driven 10,000 kilometres a year, researchers have found.
Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who
specialise in sustainable living, say pet owners should swap cats and
dogs for creatures they can eat, such as chickens or rabbits, in their
provocative new book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to
sustainable living.
The couple have assessed the carbon emissions created by popular pets,
taking into account the ingredients of pet food and the land needed to
create them.
"If you have a German shepherd or similar-sized dog, for example, its
impact every year is exactly the same as driving a large car around,"
Brenda Vale said.
"A lot of people worry about having SUVs but they don't worry about
having Alsatians and what we are saying is, well, maybe you should be
because the environmental impact ... is comparable."
In a study published in New Scientist, they calculated a medium dog
eats 164 kilograms of meat and 95kg of cereals every year. It takes
43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. This
means it takes 0.84 hectares to feed Fido.
They compared this with the footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser, driven
10,000km a year, which uses 55.1 gigajoules (the energy used to build
and fuel it). One hectare of land can produce 135 gigajoules a year,
which means the vehicle's eco-footprint is 0.41ha – less than half of
the dog's.
They found cats have an eco-footprint of 0.15ha – slightly less than a
Volkswagen Golf. Hamsters have a footprint of 0.014ha – keeping two of
them is equivalent to owning a plasma TV.
Professor Vale says the title of the book is meant to shock, but the
couple, who do not have a cat or dog, believe the reintroduction of
non-carnivorous pets into urban areas would help slow down global
warming.
"The title of the book is a little bit of a shock tactic, I think, but
though we are not advocating eating anyone's pet cat or dog there is
certainly some truth in the fact that if we have edible pets like
chickens for their eggs and meat, and rabbits and pigs, we will be
compensating for the impact of other things on our environment."
Professor Vale took her message to Wellington City Council last year,
but councillors said banning traditional pets or letting people keep
food animals in their homes were not acceptable options.
Kelly Jeffery, a Paraparaumu german shepherd breeder who once owned a
large SUV, said eliminating traditional pets was "over the top".
"I think we need animals because they are a positive in our society.
We can all make little changes to reduce carbon footprints but without
pointing the finger at pets, which are part of family networks."
Owning rabbits is legal anywhere. Local bodies allow chickens, with
some restrictions.
YOUR PET'S MARK
The eco-footprints of the family pet each year as calculated by the Vales:
German shepherds: 1.1 hectares, compared with 0.41ha for a large SUV.
Cats: 0.15ha (slightly less than a Volkswagen Golf). Hamsters: 0.014ha
(two of them equate to a medium-sized plasma TV).
Goldfish: 0.00034ha (an eco-finprint equal to two cellphones).
By TANYA KATTERNS 15:53, Dec 04 2009
The eco-pawprint of a pet dog is twice that of a 4.6-litre Land
Cruiser driven 10,000 kilometres a year, researchers have found.
Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who
specialise in sustainable living, say pet owners should swap cats and
dogs for creatures they can eat, such as chickens or rabbits, in their
provocative new book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to
sustainable living.
The couple have assessed the carbon emissions created by popular pets,
taking into account the ingredients of pet food and the land needed to
create them.
"If you have a German shepherd or similar-sized dog, for example, its
impact every year is exactly the same as driving a large car around,"
Brenda Vale said.
"A lot of people worry about having SUVs but they don't worry about
having Alsatians and what we are saying is, well, maybe you should be
because the environmental impact ... is comparable."
In a study published in New Scientist, they calculated a medium dog
eats 164 kilograms of meat and 95kg of cereals every year. It takes
43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. This
means it takes 0.84 hectares to feed Fido.
They compared this with the footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser, driven
10,000km a year, which uses 55.1 gigajoules (the energy used to build
and fuel it). One hectare of land can produce 135 gigajoules a year,
which means the vehicle's eco-footprint is 0.41ha – less than half of
the dog's.
They found cats have an eco-footprint of 0.15ha – slightly less than a
Volkswagen Golf. Hamsters have a footprint of 0.014ha – keeping two of
them is equivalent to owning a plasma TV.
Professor Vale says the title of the book is meant to shock, but the
couple, who do not have a cat or dog, believe the reintroduction of
non-carnivorous pets into urban areas would help slow down global
warming.
"The title of the book is a little bit of a shock tactic, I think, but
though we are not advocating eating anyone's pet cat or dog there is
certainly some truth in the fact that if we have edible pets like
chickens for their eggs and meat, and rabbits and pigs, we will be
compensating for the impact of other things on our environment."
Professor Vale took her message to Wellington City Council last year,
but councillors said banning traditional pets or letting people keep
food animals in their homes were not acceptable options.
Kelly Jeffery, a Paraparaumu german shepherd breeder who once owned a
large SUV, said eliminating traditional pets was "over the top".
"I think we need animals because they are a positive in our society.
We can all make little changes to reduce carbon footprints but without
pointing the finger at pets, which are part of family networks."
Owning rabbits is legal anywhere. Local bodies allow chickens, with
some restrictions.
YOUR PET'S MARK
The eco-footprints of the family pet each year as calculated by the Vales:
German shepherds: 1.1 hectares, compared with 0.41ha for a large SUV.
Cats: 0.15ha (slightly less than a Volkswagen Golf). Hamsters: 0.014ha
(two of them equate to a medium-sized plasma TV).
Goldfish: 0.00034ha (an eco-finprint equal to two cellphones).
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