Hippity Hops and Environmental Stability- Reflection 1

I'm a girl who knows her place. Well at least I think I do. I read up on the current state of the environment, I turn off lights when not in use, shop with eco-bags, refill water bottles, eat a mostly meat free diet from sustainable practices, I grow my own herbs, vegetables, and eggs. We split a cow with our neighbor and I hunt for deer which my family would also eat. I own a mixed breed dog from the animal shelter, and recycle everything in sight including garbage picked up from the side of the road. I do however own a gas guzzling V8 powered muscle car and indulge in long showers. But for the most part I like to think that the good that I do outweighs the bad. I look for further ways that I can improve my lifestyle which would in turn benefit the planet. I'm known to my friends as the barefoot earth loving hippy girl and for the most part I am okay with that. I do love the earth an awful lot, I mean, its the only one we have! I find organic and sustainable agriculture to be intriguing, wholesome, and all out sexy. Say the words "renewable resources," "of the grid," or "free range" and you have my undivided attention. I take the environment very seriously yet it is something that gives me much fulfillment in doing what I believe is right.  My vast and varied interest include organic farming (which I do), raising exotic and critically endangered animals (which I do), trying to minimize my footprint, and one day using some sort of renewable energy to power my home.
     I view myself as a hippy but also and enlightened, persistent, and peaceful. Very weird inspiration for me comes from my pet bunny, Lola. Not only do I have the strong maternal instincts to take care of her and protect her but also by observing her I gain much inspiration. As a vegetarian she seems completely happy on her supply of legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts, and seed. Her and I have nearly the same diet and we share everything from strawberries to apple cider, almonds, popcorn, and carrot cake. She helps to remind me that when eating meat your food had a face. Just because you did not have to kill it does not take away from the face that it still had to die to be on your plate. I've never heard a vegetable scream before. She also reminds me to be happy in your every day life and not take things for granted. Not only do rabbits have much shorter life spans than humans but they are also less treatable by modern medicine. Many risks come with being so small. In Wisconsin we had to worry about hawks as well as stray dogs. Additionally I couldn't tell you the last time I chewed through a power cord but rabbits love to, must remind them of being in the wild and chewing vines, who knows? Anyway what I am getting at is their lives are very fragile so everyday with her is truly a blessing. We will be celebrating Lola's second birthday Sept 10, 2011. She has come along way from a tiny baby at an exotic reptile show as snake food to a VIP princess who has had several cross country trips and pretty much rules the entire house. But back to the subjects at hand lets go with "just because you don't have kill it doesn't take away from the fact that it had to die"
    I feel most people are so far removed from the process of their food being on their plate that they forget to reflect that their burger was once a living animal. And sadly, its easy to do. But I feel it is important to remember that the animal was born a tiny baby chicken, calf, piglet or whatever and would you be willing to eat it then? How about when it grows up in cramped living conditions? Many factory farmed animals never get to frolic in the sun or eat a single blade of fresh grass? Would you eat it now? How about the end of the line when the animal reaches the end of its life and becomes meat, would you eat it knowing it was still alive and its skin was removed? Somewhere people lose the idea the meat was an animal. They don't farm it or feed it and therefore it just never crossed their mind. For me, pushing these thought to the back of my mind is like lying to myself. It all happened just like that whether you choose to think about it or not. I'm not advocating being a vegetarian. I know its not for everyone. I, myself, eat meat occasionally. But I don't take it likely. My belief is based on two objectives. People are made to eat some meat. As much as is consumed now? Absolutely not. But some can be a part of a balanced diet. However, I can not eat something that lived a life of misery. I literally think of misery on a spoon. Whenever possible I try to buy organic, free range, no antibiotic and so on. I know many don't believe in the endorsements of these labels but I believe the conditions must be somewhat better. Being a Wisconsin native there is an abundance of fresh off the farm meat. And that's the way I like it. We have our own eggs (took us almost 2 years to be able to start eating them and we had to start small like using them in brownie batter. Those were Audrey's [potential] babies!), we buy half of Neighbor Dan's Scottish Highlander Cow, and although we never have before we know right where could buy Amish butchered chickens. Knowing that the animals had happy, healthy lives, the lives they were intended to have, takes much of the meat eating guilt off of me. My second philosophy is that if you couldn't look at it and shoot it, you shouldn't be eating it. I know not everyone has access to farm animals or its even practical so not so much in a literal sense but at least a moment of ponder should be giving. You choosing to eat that animal did cause it to loose its life for you. So whether you pull the trigger or not, you are killing that animal. Like I said, we do eat meat at my house. And we do occasionally buy it from our local store but have no doubts that we DO take the time before diving in to say "thank you, cow" or "thank you, chicken" and a solid a second of reflection and gratitude for that animal who involuntarily ended on my plate to feed me ever widened American waistline. I was a vegetarian for a solid 5 years. Not one single pepperoni of straying. For me, thinking that if one single animal had been spared, even if one was never born and therefor never died that it would all be worth it. I read somewhere that in one year of being a vegetarian you save a cow. WOW! That's totally worth it to me! I imagine hypothetically that is some green pasture on rolling hills there are cows Leah 1, Leah 2, Leah 3, Leah 4, and Leah 5. Now I know that's not quite how it works, but hey that's a nice thought. Plus, think of all the rain forests that didn't get bulldozed. Plus, think of the thousands of gallons of water and food that would have been used on the cow. Yeah, that's worth it to me.    
        Maybe being from Wisconsin and growing up with crops, fields, and farm animals gave me a strong connection and concern for the ecology and environment. Maybe it was the way my mother raised me, with respect and appreciation of all animals and the delicate webs of the environment. I'm not sure but either way it works for me. And one day I plan to raise my kids the same way.