One might expect an organization with a name like the 'Union of Concerned Scientists' to consist of a bunch of whiny science nerds.  And may very well be the case, but you'd hardly know it from their useful and very accessible web site which covers a wide range of environmental topics with a surpising lack of technical jargon for the most part.

In this story I'd like to call attention to a recent study from this group in which they investigated pork, poultry and egg production.  Let's face it: for every vegetarian nibbling a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch there are a thousand people chomping on a gloriously greasy Wendy's Baconator bacon cheeseburger.

So the question the Union of Concerned Scientists asks is: is there a way to produce 'green' eggs and ham for the food supply?  The good news is that the answer to that question is "yes".

Instead of raising pigs in pens and cranking them full of grain and antibiotics to grow ultra-fast, these guys discovered that by taking holistic approach to raising swine and letting them run around in open pastures munching on grass and shrubs that the pigs produce less waste, less smell, and they actually improve the quality of the soil.  (Plus I'd be willing to bet the pigs would be a lot happier running around in the fresh air instead of being confined in a filthy pen!)

Chickens are often raised in horrible confined conditions.  But guess what?  Let them run around in a pasture and peck in the grass and you get big, healthy chickens  that benefit the soil, eat insect pests, and a miniscule rate of disease!  (Gee, notice a pattern here?)

The conclusion?  Farmers should practice holistic land management and allow their animals to wander around happily and naturally.  Happy animals, healthy soil, it certainly seems like a better way to do things.  Now there just needs to be some international labeling standards so that we as consumers can identify and support farmers that are doing the right thing.

» Union of Concerned Scientists