How Homegrown Can End Cruelty

OK people, hands up: how many people have a garden (or at least your parent{s} do) or even a working farm? Believe it or not, you don't have to live "in the country" to eat homegrown vegetables, at least. Rooftop gardens, square foot beds... the possibilities are endless as the country embraces the "slow food movement".

But none of that really applies to what animal cruelty, right?
Wrong.

Did you know that factory farming supplies 74 percent of the world’s poultry, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs? It's much more just in America.
Did you realize that livestock in factory farms cover 30% of the earth's surface?
Did it ever occur to you that in America, only four companies produce most of the nation’s animal products, including 81 percent of cows, 73 percent of sheep, 57 percent of pigs and 50 percent of chickens?

Probably not. And I bet you didn't ever realize that not only is factory farming cruel and inhumane, it also contributes vastly toward global warming.
Not fun stuff.
At all.

But guess what?
You — yeah, you — can help stop it.

Check the package of that chicken at the store. If it doesn't proudly proclaim "free-range!" get one that does. (Whole Foods carries free-range meat.) Think before you ask to go to Burger King or McDonald's for a hamburger.
Perhaps adopt a whole other diet. I personally only eat meat I have seen alive and know lived a natural, free-range life. We order a cow, a pig, and some chickens each year. A couple years ago we knew the name of our cow: Ollie. We'd always thank Ollie whenever we had beef.
Maybe your parents aren't digging the (admittably expensive) extra cost of free-range. You could go to the extreme and become vegetarian, or even vegan. (If you try either of these, please, please research it very carefully and take the proper supplements. Veganism or vegetarianism when done poorly can have disastourous effects on your body.)

Factory farming, feedlots, and mass meat production are bad for the environment, for the animals, and for the people that eat them (factory-farmed meat is loaded with chemicals, including steroids, that in turn take their toll on the eater). The only people they benefit are the company owners... let's show them that we won't have any of it! As the next generation it is our job and our vital responsibility to make sure this world is run properly. Start young. Do the right think.