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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Murray State chapter.

There is nothing more annoying than someone trying to shove their beliefs in your face. I get it. So, I am simply going to share why I chose to be a vegetarian. When I was in high school, I took an environmental class. I learned that meat production creates more greenhouse gas emissions than all of transportation combined. In other words, producing and packaging meat creates more pollution than cars, planes, buses, boats, etc.

My ‘save the earth’ high started about two years ago and hasn’t stopped. So, when I learned about this, I decided to go cold turkey with the meat and cut it out for Mother Nature. Being a vegetarian was also something I could control. I might not be able to stop people dumping oil into the ocean or companies cutting down trees, but I can choose what I eat.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
 
And yes, it was difficult. I slipped up so many times. Also, I didn’t realize that things could contain meat broth or products for a good six months. Like who knew gelatin contained animal bones or soup had meat broth? It took a while to get it right. Meat farming also has other harmful effects. Apparently, it also contributes to land and water degradation, as well as deforestation.
 

My goal is not to convince you to become a vegetarian. I don’t expect everyone to give up their beloved bacon or chicken nuggets. It was so hard for me to do it. But cutting back on meat consumption does a lot of good when it comes to helping the earth. Half-vegetarianism is the best of both worlds. Eat meat just not as much. For example, cut out meat Sundays and Mondays, then enjoy it every other day. Or eat meat for breakfast and dinner but not for lunch. Any little bit counts!

Cady Stribling

Murray State '22

Cady double majors in English and Journalism at Murray State University. In her free time she loves reading, dancing, and watching Mean Girls (obviously). Her favorite memory is swimming with dolphins - which is also her favorite animal. She is an avid supporter of the Oxford comma; her sweet tooth is never ending as is her passion for musicals. Cady hopes her future profession includes writing, traveling, and eating a plethora of ice cream.