This page lists of information on this subject available from other sources.

Books that you should read:

  • The end to overating. Taking control of the insatiable American diet. David Kessler, MD. Rodale 2009 This book is a must read since it exposes the underhand methods by which food processors construct foods loaded with fat, sugar and salt to make them irresistable. Such foods are addictive in the same way as drugs such as cocaine are addictive. It is little wonder that people go on eating way past the time when they feel full, leading to vast overeating and underpinning the current obesity and diabetes epidemics.
  • Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming – 2009 – Laura Stek, a chef, joins Eugene Cordera, an environmental scientist to produce a book which is both an explanation of the effect of our diet on global warming and a cook book of how to achieve an eco friendly diet. Available from www.globalwarmingdiet.org
  • In defence of food. Michael Pollan 2008 Allen Lane / Penguin Books. In line with Michael Pollan’s previous books, this is a fantastic review of why we should be eating real foods. It can be summed in his now famous one-liner, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
  • Plan C Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change. Pat Murphy. New Socity Publishers 2008.This is an outstanding compilation of facts relating to the real problems which our society now faces. Many of the suggested solutions are worthy of adoption. Available from www.newsociety.com
  • Six Argument for a Greener Diet. Michael Jacobson. Centre for Science in the Public Interest 2007. This is a fantastic book which will really open your eyes to the damage being done to us and the environment by industrial scale agriculture. Available from www.cspinet.org.
  • What to eat. Marion Nestle. North Point Books 2006. Professor Nestle is one the leading nutritionists in the US. She again takes on the marketing deceptions of Big Food and points us in the direction of healthy eating. It is currently available from most books stores. It is very entertaining.
  • An Omnivore’s Dilemma. Michael Pollan. 2006. In this book, Michael Pollan looks at food production through three different pathways: the intensive corn based industrial agriculture, the grass farmer and the forager. It is very enlightening.
  • One with Nineveh. Anne and Paul Erhlich. 2004.
    This is the big picture of how unsustainable our current way of life has become. It is very sobering but at the same time offers many possible solutions to our problems.

Web sites:

  • Grace Factory Farm Project. www.factoryfarm.org. This is an extremely informative web site about CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Organizations) which by their very nature are extremely bad for the environment and also for our health.
  • The Meatrix. www.themeatrix.com Two award winning short animated films available from the site which really make the point about factory farms. An absolute must. (Warning: there is a parasitic site with the same name but with the .org extension which should be avoided.)
  • Compassion in world farming. While this site is predominantly concerned with animal welfare, its section on sustainable agriculture is very good. Download the really fantastic report by Mark Gold called “The global benefits of eating less meat” at www.ciwf.org.uk/eatlessmeat.
     
  • Sierra Club campaign against factory farms. This is a very extensive site which investigates the problems associated with type of industrialized agriculture. www.sierraclub.org/communities/factoryfarms/default.aspx
  • Mindless eating We tend to eat with our eyes rather than how full we feel. The majority of people will eat more if more is available – bigger bags, bowls or plates. This site demonstrates who easily we are deceived into eating more. www.mindesseating.org
  • The story of stuff. This web site shows how big business manipulated public opinion away from drinking ordinary tap water resulting in an environmental nightmare. http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

Reports that you should read:

Agriculture

  • Livestock’s long shadow: environmental issues and options. This is a report by the committee of the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) initiative associated with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN. It says it all. It can be downloaded from the web at no cost by searching under its title from sites such as http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm
  • The global benefits from eating less meat. As outlined above, this is a fantastic summary of how modern agricultural practice is damaging the world. Download from www.ciwf.org.uk/eatlessmeat.
     
  • UK report on farming. Why Health is the Key to the Future of Food and Farming. A report to the government of the UK on farming. Downloadable from the internet. by searching with the title of the paper.
  • Nitrogen in Europe:current problems & future solutions. A Outlines the progressive rise in nitrogen in Europe and its adverse consequences. It recommends a reduction in meat consumption (2011). www.nine-esf.org/ENA-Book/

The World

  • The WWF reports about our world.This site has a comprehensive review of the state of the world, clearly demonstrating the need for action for maintaining biodiversity and reducing our increasing consumption of finite resources. Go to the WWF web site at www.panda.org/about_our_earth/.

Fisheries

  • Seaweb organization. There is a wealth of information here on fisheries and the general need to adopt more sustainable management of our oceans.Go to www.seaweb.org

Diet

  • WHO Technical Report Series #916. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Downloadable from the web by searching under the title.