Now, A Sustainable Source of Tasty Protein

Here’s a conversation with senior energy analyst and committed environmentalist Glenn Doty that I thought readers would enjoy:

Glenn:  Hi, Craig.  Have you seen this? It could very easily be the most significant step forward for mankind since the green revolution (genetically modified crops), and the most significant step forward for the environment since forever.

We will have access to a protein source that is more environmentally neutral than tilapia (current best-for-planet protein option), is perfectly lean (imagine what it will do for America’s waistline when 100% fat-free beef is cheaper for McDonalds than the 60% fat that they currently use for burgers), and requires no harm or suffering from an animal (I’m a dedicated carnivore, but I love the thought of enjoying my meat withOUT animals suffering).

I’ve literally been waiting for this report for my entire adult life.  It will still be a decade or more before we can get lab-grown meat in the store… but this is awesome.

Craig:  Actually I hadn’t seen it, but I recall your telling me years ago that you thought that it, when it finally came, would represent an extremely important breakthrough in our civilization’s sustainability.

There is no doubt that  our society’s love for meat — and in ever-increasingly sized hunks — is one of the least sustainable elements of our approach to life here in the 21st Century.  And I don’t disagree: deforestation/ land use, methane, irrigation and fertilization of animal feed are key issues, not to mention the incredible amount of cruelty associated with the industry.

I go through a lot of fish, but rarely do I eat animals higher on the food chain.  As I like to explain it, it’s better (healthier) for me, it’s better for the animal kingdom, and it’s better for the planet.

OK if I publish this conversation?

Glenn:  Sure… you can publish it.  I enjoy your blog.

If you recall, I had said at the time that farmed tilapia was by far the most environmentally friendly protein source, with other farmed fish (both fresh and salt water) also being reasonable… then perhaps chicken would be the next most environmentally sound protein source.

That also works out well because we do not feel as close to chicken and fish, and I at least am less put off by the thought that a chicken died to provide my meal than I am at the thought of a cow – which is biologically closer and I therefore feel greater empathy towards it.

Most of my protein intake is chicken or turkey – as my wife hates fish, so we rarely eat fish.  But I do really enjoy a good steak or a good burger, and I look forward to the time when I don’t have to get those from cows.  🙂