The solution to California's drought: if you eat beef, don't wash – video
Would you stop showering if it meant that was the only way you could keep eating beef? California's ongoing drought needs radical action. But in a state dependent on water-hungry meat production, it would be politically dangerous to suggest eating less beef. Activists
the Yes Men collaborated with comedy video website
Funny or Die to produce a spoof campaign encouraging California's hipsters to skip showers for beef. Did it fool anyone?
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If you take the moral high ground writing for a socialist newspaper don't send your kids to private schools and buy a string of holiday homes.
The point is missed by so many. I see dairy farms converting to almond orchards, I see rangelands being deep ripped and planted with almonds and that is just in my area. Cattle graze rangeland as well as irrigated pasture. Rangelands typically have not been as disturbed as farmed land and consist of non-native and native grasses and plants and support a variety of wild animals as well as cattle. Almonds are a heavily exported product that citizens are already subsidizing and being asked to sacrifice for. With as much land as I see and hear of being converted to almonds the state will become a monoculture. An example of the effects of monoculture is the Great Potato Famine where the one crop failed and people died, though rich people actually exported food during it. The only radical action that needs to be taken is to change the water allocations to serve the citizens first which is what agriculture fears the most. Probably right behind that is what is grown so that California doesn't end up having to truck in milk, cheese, beef, etc. from other areas which would lead to even more carbon emissions and global warming. Sorry, so not a funny issue.
Do Californian cattle bathe that often though?
California can eat poop and die. The way they waste water raising livestock, they deserve no help whatsoever.
Reminds me of this Soviet era joke:
A couple invite a friend for tea. When he arrives, he asks to use the bathroom. As he comes out, the hostess asks him: 'Did you wash your hands with soap?' - 'Of course'. - 'Then no sugar in your tea'.
I feel like I have been beaten with a very, very blunt object by someone shouting out me very loudly. Not subtle is it?
And they say hipsters are all show.
If stupidity was music, this piece would be a Beethoven's symphony!
Problems with water?
Don't harvest thirsty crops!
of course, the crops are used to feed the cows as well.
So the best way to use as little water as possible is to not raise cows.
Cowspiracy.
http://www.cowspiracy.com
Stop showering and stop eating beef.
Combine the French and Hindu traditions all in one.
I can't believe Moby is now an ambassador for the beef industry.
Can I shower with beef please?
Philistine - don't you know that you're supposed to shower with gravy.
Aaah yes, the old 'Mayan problem'.... chickens coming home to roost - as happens. Who'd have thought it possible. Coming to an area near you soon!
Better way to solve the problem. Stop having kids in excess, stop using clean drinking water to flush your toilets, stop allowing the wine industry to abuse the water supply; wine is a nice luxury but it shouldn't come before food. And the most obvious of all, move. I get why some of the cost city's are vital to the US but if the entire generation agreed to strict a strict -%90 birth rate reduction and people stopped living in deserts/plains that need eater piped in we wouldn't have had this problem. It still can help if we get responsible. For example why don't people live in "green" (hobbit) homes with home gardens on the roof? You could easily collect the rain water that filters through the roof/dirt/garden then you could use it to flush you're toilet or to feed the plants on the roof.
or...stop eating beef.
Yeah, I'd love to live in a hobbit house, who wouldn't! I'd also like to have a pet grizzly bear to ride to work. Or a dragon.
Sarcasm is fun, and if used correctly can be a bit witty. Unused the term hobbit house because that's the commonly known name to best associate the style of building. In reality a Green Home is cost efficient to build, long lasting, and efficient as can be. Don't know where toy got the misconception I was talking about a mythical house, I didn't say cast Mage's Magnificent Mansion. Green homes are a reality and are better then conventional homes with the only possible issues being if built incorrectly flooding (doubt California has that issue), or earth quakes (put it on springs its what we've been dound for decades). I know its not a popular design and it might not be well known its a reality. But what a silly comment about dragons, I like D&D as much as the next guy but I'm talking reality.
Never knew California was home to cattle rearing. No water? Either they move to somewhere with water or they die. What are they expecting food aid burgers from Ethiopia? Why should anyone be really worried when they can fix the problem themselves. Stop breeding, stop living somewhere with bugger all rain and masses of water hungry crops that are exported. Without nuclear powered desalination plants then 10's of millions are really beyond hope.
Aren't Californians well overdue for an earthquake wiping out millions? Could be just the radical solution to this persistent problem of overpopulation in what is or is rapidly turning into a desert.
I thought that until I came across this:
California has more than 100 million acres of land, 38 million of which are range and pasture lands. Of these 38 million acres, approximately half are owned by the federal government, making many California ranchers heavily dependent on the availability of federal grazing permits. California’s rangelands are classified as Mediterranean, desert, and intermountain, and are among the most productive in the West.California’s predominant range type is Mediterranean annual rangelands
more here; http://www.calcattlemen.org/cattle_101/ranching_in_california.aspx
I'm so glad you are not king of the world with your crack-pot policies of death to correct the numbers.
Not sure why the science is not clear. Eating beef is the main way water is used in California. As a vegan I can say it is both easy and simple to quit eating flesh. Give it a try and stop rationalizing eating sentient creatures. It is not rational
Or, the people who want to eat beef could eat imported beef, and the people who don't want to eat beef could continue doing so.
Cows aren't sentient, intelligent sure but the only animal on earth that's proven sentient is human. Dolphins and Apes might be, or eventually could evolve to be. Also we are omnivorous by nature so, no flesh is good and I'm going to keep enjoying it thank you very much. Also it might be easy to give up meat for you, but some of us aren't willing to live off nuts and the beams for the rest of our lives. Although I have to admit I do enjoy Soylent.
You have proof that human beings are sentient creatures? Please, continue.....
Most Northern Californians don't shower anyway.
That is frankly unacceptable...
Aaaaaand, I'm never going to California. I have a hipster friend who tried to convince me bathing more then once a week was unnecessary they only thought they because she got used to her smell. It wasn't pleasant and I don't know how anyone that works for a living can say taking a bath less then every other day is enough, if even that.
Troll.
most beef isn't even californian but comes from regions with plenty of water and also beef is mostly reliant on green water as beef cattle are pastured all , or most of their lives.
this is the least worry water wise. growing crops for the rest of the country so people can have lettuce in winter is a problem [ just as spain is to europe] . most, but not all almond production is a problem. swimmong pools and lawns/golfcources are a problem, fracking and last but not least, the likes of nestle bottling californian water is a huge problem
washing and beef are destractions from the real problem.
I like the Yes Men but this overlooks the huge amount of water that is required for certain nuts, grains and fruit.
it's a distraction from the real issue just like going on about cow burps and farts instead of fossil fuels,transport, and the crazy globalized food system.
hehehe....cow farts!
It seems meat production is a massive contributor to global warming, more than all transport combined.
...farts! :D
Some nuts, grains and fruit use a lot, certainly, but alfalfa is still the number 1 water user, using about 1700 billion gallons of water across the state.
Also, rice comes really high up, at 900 billion gallons. Surely there are wetter places to grow such crops?