SEE July Newsletter
Posted on July 6, 2023
‘DIET VS CLIMATE’ SURVEY RESULTS: MOST RESPONDENTS REPORT WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR TO ABATE CLIMATE CHANGE
A recent survey conducted by Sustainable Earth Eating shows that a majority of respondents say they are willing to change their eating habits to reduce their impact on the environment. Conducted on June 24, as we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July with backyard barbecues, the survey questioned 1,068 adults all ages 18+, all ethnicities and all income levels (up to,incl $200K). SEE used Survey Monkey platform and audience
“At a time when our planet is in such dire need of help, our survey gives hope that change is possible,” said survey author and Sustainable Earth Eating Executive Director Jane DeMarines.
“In fact, to have data that proves 84% of Americans see the direct correlation between the foods they eat and the impact that has on our environment is overwhelmingly positive. While the survey is not all good news, the biggest percentage showed humanity wants to do what’s right!” added DeMarines.
According to the survey results, nearly half of respondents (48%) said they are extremely willing or very willing to change their lifestyle to reduce climate change that they contribute to. Another third (36%) said they were somewhat willing to change their lifestyle. Only 18% of respondents answered that they were unwilling to change their behavior to curb climate impacts.
BORN TO RUN: WHAT GOING PLANT-BASED DID FOR THIS ATHLETE
Interview with Trevor Thielke, web design entrepreneur, now half marathoner
Q. Trevor: You are a trim guy and don’t look like you need to lose weight. Why did you go plant-based?
A: I switched to a plant- based lifestyle out of a desire to better my health even further as an athlete, and for the sustainability of my body long term.
Q: Did you have a concern about health? What were you eating?
A: I was already a “healthy” individual because I worked out, was at a healthy weight, and visually looked fit. But my diet was primarily eggs and bacon, burgers and fries, and pizza or some sort of meat and veggie combo for dinner.
Q. Did you have any negative health tests?
A: I didn’t have blood concerns, but was definitely on the high side for cholesterol ; my gut didn’t like the amount of fried food and dairy I ate and lack of fruits and vegetables. When I ran, I wasn’t able to go past 1-3 miles without wearing a knee brace and feeling a LOT of pain. Cont’d Pg 13
FIRST ‘LAB-GROWN’ MEAT APPROVED BY U.S. REGULATORS
The Agriculture Department granted permission to two California companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell chicken made from animal cells instead of slaughtered animals, Jared Gans reports for The Hill. The meat will be served first in exclusive restaurants and eventually in supermarkets. The Food and Drug Administration months earlier declared lab-grown meat from both companies to be safe for human consumption.
GROUNDWATER LOSS IS AFFECTING EARTH’S ROTATIONAL WOBBLE
Humans have pumped enough water out of the Earth to shift its geographic North Pole at a rate of 4.36 centimeters per year, Davide Castelvecchi reports in Nature. “The net water lost from underground reservoirs between 1993 and 2010 is estimated to be more than 2 trillion tonnes,” according to the article, which explains that the motion of atmospheric masses and water masses during seasonal changes causes the planet’s poles to naturally wobble by up to several meters every year, but to fully account for how much the axis has tilted during that time, human-made groundwater shifts have to be taken into account.
JOSHUA TREES WILL BE PROTECTED IN CALIFORNIA
California lawmakers have voted to permanently protect the western joshua tree in a victory for the environment, according to the Guardian. This vote delivers a hard-won victory for environmentalists who have warned that the climate crisis has imperiled these iconic trees. The bill, not yet signed by the California governor, prohibits the unpermitted killing or removal of the trees.
HIMALAYAN GLACIERS COULD LOSE 80% OF THEIR VOLUME AMID WARMING: STUDY
“Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges and could lose up to 80% of their volume this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t sharply reduced,” Sibi Arasu says in an Associated Press report based on findings from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. Those ranges are an important source of rivers flowing through 16 countries, providing fresh water for 240 million people in the mountains and another 1.65 billion downstream.
52 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE U.S. MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO DANGEROUS HEAT IN JUNE
“Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other weather hazard,” according to Naema Ahmed and John Muyskens in an article that appeared in the Washington Post on June 27. In addition, “the risk of longer and more frequent heat waves is only expected to increase as climate change worsens.” Ahmed and Muyskens write that the Washington Post is tracking the potential for dangerous heat this summer using the heat index, a measure that combines the impact of heat and humidity. When the heat index is at or above 90 degrees, heat disorders including heat stroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible.
WHAT SEE SAW: WHITE HOUSE STATE DINNER FOR INDIAN PRIME MINISTER WAS VEGETARIAN
In what may be a first, the White House served a vegetarian meal to honor the dietary preferences of guest of honor, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meal included: Millet salad with yellow corn and watermelon avocado dressing, grilled portobello mushrooms stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, summer squash and herbs on a bed of saffron-infused risotto and garnished with edible flowers. Dessert was cardamon strawberry shortcake decorated with twists of the Indian and American flags. Sounds delish!
Cont’d from pg 1: BORN TO RUN: WHAT GOING PLANT-BASED DID FOR THIS ATHLETE
Q: But you did read our website, when you became SEE’s webmaster, correct?
A: Yes, When I heard SEE’s story and particularly your brother’s story, I began to think about the long term and my diet. My dad had congestive heart failure, and kidney cancer the 2 years prior. All of those lead me to watch the movie Gamechangers about how plant- based athletes became a movement.
Q: Gamechangers was also a game changer for you, correct?
A: Yes, I decided to go all in! I immediately felt higher energy within 3 days, like a constant caffeine high. Within a week of plant- based, I ran the furthest ever (5 miles) and NO knee pain, not sore the next day! I was hooked. I started running daily — upping my miles to run a half marathon! I went crazy reading books like Eat and Run, Plant Based Athlete, and Finding Ultra. There are amazing athletes sharing a similar experience switching to eating a plant diet.