LTE, Center for Biological Diversity

RE: What can we do?

Yahoo/contacts1

·         BioActivist 

To:Daniel Barker

‎May‎ ‎5‎, ‎2017 at ‎1‎:‎18‎ ‎PM

Dear Daniel,

Thank you for supporting the Center for Biological Diversity and for reaching out about this important topic. We’re the only major environmental organization that has a full-time program addressing the impacts of meat production on the environment and wildlife. Even as other environmental groups start to discuss the connection between meat production and environmental harm, the Center continues to lead the way with our strong stance calling for a drastic reduction in consumption and production rather than advocating for "sustainable" forms of meat production. We're the only ones saying that there are simply too many people eating too many animal products for any method of production to be considered sustainable. The population and sustainability team has watched the film, and so have our executive director and development and membership staff, as well as several people from other teams across the organization. I've been in touch with the producers since before the film came out and they're big fans of the Center's work on this issue. They often talk about us in interviews and at events as an environmental group that's doing the right thing and taking this issue head-on. In fact, our Chief Development Officer, Paula Simmonds, has been invited to speak at the first Cowspiracy Conference, where she discussed how the conversation about eating for the planet has been shifting in the environmental movement.

Regarding what we are doing about this, here are some links on sustainability that the Center has worked on:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2014/huffington-post-10-01-2014.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2014/guardian-04-25-2014.html

The Center launched our Take Extinction Off Your Plate <http://www.takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/>  campaign in the spring of 2014, urging people to change their diets by eating less meat and dairy, and fighting for policies to help make it easier for them to do so. In just 2.5 years, our campaign has landed major media attention in outlets such as The Guardian and NPR, mobilized students on more than 100 campuses across the country, and engaged dozens of environmental groups and other organizations in campaigns highlighting the unsustainability of the American diet and calling for reduced meat consumption. In addition, we've continued providing resources to help people make dietary changes as well as creating innovative materials, such as our recent Extinction Facts Labels <http://www.takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/extinction_facts/> , to keep the issue in the spotlight in social and traditional media. This past year we expanded our efforts to address overconsumption and sustainability issues and bring them more into the forefront of the media. We now have a senior food campaigner to work on this issue full-time, and as we continue to grow the campaign, we're also increasingly integrating education about dietary choices into the Center's other work on issues like grazing, Wildlife Services, water use and pesticides.

Also, you might want to check out our “Meatstinction” Infographics on our website as well:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/

If you’d like to stay up to date with what the Center is doing in reference to sustainability, we have an informative E-newsletter you can receive called Pop X:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/pop_x/index.html

The Center does encourage reducing meat consumption. Meat production and consumption is inseparable from the population issue – as human population grows, so does the population of livestock and the resources needed to support the livestock industry. At any Center-sponsored events, all of the food provided is vegan.

We do support getting off fossil fuels of course, and renewable energy must be implemented to provide energy. However, we champion solar done right. We have a multi-prong approach including:

1.       Energy conservation as the first tactic – turning off the switches & using less energy

2.       Energy efficiencies  e.g. efficient lighting/cooling/heating, insulation etc.  These have been proven to greatly reduce energy consumption hence reducing carbon pollution

3.       Rooftop & locally produced solar

4.       Utility scale solar on already disturbed lands near substations & existing transmission with capacity

Unfortunately, solar and wind developers early on, chose inappropriate places to propose developments - on undisturbed desert landscapes that were home to rare species.  We have actively engaged in numerous solar/wind projects in the desert – most recently fighting the Palen solar project in Riverside County near Desert Center. While some projects have moved forward, our constant pressure has encouraged solar/wind developers to choose better locations for large-scale projects where impacts to native plants/animals are absent or greatly minimized these days. We have also influenced a greater focus on locally produced solar power (rooftop & small local), which  is implementable and sustainable. Here is a link to the kind of solar energy we advocate for:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/energy/

Desert plants and animals are also being affected by climate change.  Our goals are to reduce carbon emissions and allow for robust landscapes, including deserts, so that the plants and animals have a chance to move in adapting to climate change.

Thanks so much for reaching out. Our success and future plans on this issue depend on people like you who are passionate and willing to speak out about the critical role of our diets in protecting wildlife and the planet. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or would like to discuss our work further.

For The Wild,

Corina Yeh
Membership Assistant

CENTER for BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702

(866) 357.3349 ext 323

cyeh@biologicaldiversity.org

From: Daniel Barker [mailto:whipple1078@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2017 7:40 PM
To: Audubon David Yarnold; Barack Obama; Barbara Boxer; Climate Reality Project; comments@cityweekly.net; commoncause; communications@cpusa.org ; Dan Gross President Brady Campaign To Prevent Violence; Defenders of wildlife; Democratic National Committee; Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; Earthjustice Trip Van Noppen; Environmental Defense Fund; Farmsanctuary Info; FlaDems.com Allison Tant ; Green Party Brent McMillan; Grist; Humane Society Legislative Fund; LakelandDems@gmail.com ; League of Conservation Voters lcv; NRDC; Oceana Alex Gray; publiccitizen; rachel@msnbc.com ; rain forest; SLC Weekly; Socialist; Terrapass; BioActivist; thehousemajoritypac; themilitant@mac.com ; TiffanyR@peta.org
Subject: What can we do?

Fellow Americans,

     As a lifelong conservative, libertarian, Tea Party and Trump, I hear you about your concerns petroleum.  What can we do?  We know petroleum affects everything from the military to war to pollution to vast destruction of habitat.

     Here are some steps.  We can work on other energy, especially solar for commercial and residential.  The thirty percent tax credit will end in a few years, and solar continues to drop in price rapidly.  Wind is also growing rapidly.  I believe if the current trend in price drop continues we will not need the energy subsidies.

    We can divest from fuel stocks.  I ask you - do you encourage your members to travel by public transit or electric vehicle or human powered.

As a conservative and libertarian I believe in personal responsibility as opposed to government, and approve and applaud you taking action.  I recently had published in The Ledger that at parking lots cars are welcome, whereas bicycle or skateboard are scrupulously banned.  What does this say about how we view ourselves?

    I have been flexitarian since May, 1992, and aside from those of you animal rights groups you are silent.  We know meat uses more resources than transit, and my grocer stocks organic meat and dairy. 

    In addition to per capita consumption of oil is capita.  More people means more demands for resources, as well a loss of habitat.    I know we can end the madness of dependence on oil.  We are free to choose to drive or fly, to eat too much meat, to invest in fuel stock - or choose not to.

Daniel Barker

6339 Egret Dr.

Lakeland, FL  33809

863-815-4534