Beef has impact on the environment

With all our talk about eco-friendly products and carbon blueprints, why don't we hear more from the media about a larger impact on the environment -- beef?

In the U.S., our cows live in feed lots, but in central and South America, rainforests are being cleared for cattle ranching. Estimates say that for every quarter-pound hamburger, 55 square feet of rainforest is cleared, equivalent to the size of a small kitchen.

Cattle strip vegetation, create deserts out of grasslands, pollute our waters and contribute considerably to global warming. While most people are aware that eating meat plays a role in heart disease, cancer and many other illnesses, we are consuming beef at record numbers.

Americans don't need to fear terrorism. We are our own enemy. We rape and pollute our land with feed lots for cattle, then consume that beef and destroy our health.

I witnessed areas of the rainforest that were cleared while traveling in Costa Rica last month. Last fall, I drove passed feed lots out West.

For me, the hamburger represents self-destruction. I would think that giving up a few fast-food hamburgers each week would do more to save the environment than a "green" shopping bag, a CFL light bulb, or a few hours in the dark. And an added bonus would be a healthier you.

Diane Crawford

Arlington Heights