Climate Change - Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety - page 57

growing and inspiring trend of businesses and consumers taking
very concrete steps to curb climate change. In the United States,
farmers are both creating and taking advantage of the growing
market for more environmentally sustainable and animal welfare-
friendly meat, egg, and dairy products. The number of farms raising
pasture-raised cattle, for example, has grown from several dozen
to more than 1,000 over the last decade. Countless other farmers
are bringing free-range, organic eggs, pork, cheese, and other
products to the thousands of farmers markets that have cropped
up all over country in the last fifteen years. Indeed, organic farm-
ing practices may have the greatest potential to help reduce GHGs
in the world of agriculture. The Organic Consumers Association
encourages consumers to seek out locally produced, seasonal or-
ganic foods, as well as vegetarian fare, to combat climate change.
Raising cattle slaughtered for beef organically on grass—and not
on feedlots or factory farms—may emit 40 percent less CO 2 , meth-
ane, and nitrous oxide and consume up to 85 percent less energy
than conventional raising practices.
Consumers are also taking advantage of learning more about
where their food comes from and the environmental impacts of its
production by using carbon calculators, like the one recently de-
signed by Bon Appétit . Its online calculator allows consumers to
compare the impacts of different foods or meals, such as the differ-
ence between an omelet with cheese and meat compared to one
made with eggs alone, or the carbon footprint of a spinach and tofu
salad or a bean burrito compared to roast beef or chicken.
Shoppers can also visit Climate Counts, a website that ranks
different companies on their commitment to combating climate
change. Not surprisingly, most fast-food companies don't score
very well, lacking concrete initiatives to control GHGs from their
operations and/or the foods they choose to serve their customers.
McDonald's Corporation, along with agribusiness giant Cargill