Super Eco

Photo credit: Rictor Norton and David Allen, flickr

Weary of feeling guilty for enjoying a hamburger? We're one small step closer to environmentally responsible beef. The world's largest meat exporter, JBS-Frisboi of Brazil, has limited the areas of the Amazon from which it will continue to purchase cattle. The company pledges it will no longer buy cattle raised in areas of the Amazon that were deforested after Sept. 23 of this year, in designated protected areas, or on indigenous lands, reports Greenpeace. They've also resolved not to work with any farms using slave labor.

JBS-Frisboi's resolution comes on the heels of moves from two other major Brazilian meatpackers, Marfrig and Bertin, which have already committed to zero deforestation policies. JBS-Frisboi acquired Bertin last week, giving it the capability of processing 40,000 Brazilian cattle per day.

The fact of the matter is that cattle ranches are widely noted to be the single largest cause of Amazon deforestation, eclipsing even transportation. Globally, deforestation and forest degradation account for about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, reports Treehugger—more than all of the world's transportation. Carpooling and driving hybrids are all well and good, but cutting back on beef still wields a bigger impact. In fact, the American "foodprint" is second only to driving and utilities. The average household creates about 5 tons of carbon dioxide a year from driving and about 3.5 tons from the foods they eat. In fact, eating beef is as bad as driving a Hummer.

More and more people are facing up to the facts about meat—so we're glad that companies are finally taking responsibility for doing business in a more eco-conscious way. If beef producers can take an important step towards sustainability, surely we can take a step too by eating one less burger a week. One step at a time ...