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Season's Greetings,
That's right. I am envisioning two HUGE farmers markets (ten miles apart) in GRATOLA - with each covering 2200 square miles. More on those mega markets later, but first a bit of good news about the greenest way to eat.
It is now a fact. Plant-based eating is gaining traction around the world. Mainstream scientists, futurists and media are finally beginning to speak out regarding the absolute necessity of steering humans away from eating animal-based foods.
Two long overdue videos (November 2018) on that topic are provided near the end of this BSB:
- "Is the future vegan?" from The Economist (6 minutes)
- "Ending Meat and Dairy Consumption" from The Guardian. (16 minutes)
As we begin to move more rapidly in the direction of plant-based eating, it's only natural that someday there will be a need for the world's two largest farmers markets - likely in a futuristic human habitat that I am now calling GRATOLA.
Sustainable, plant-based eating
. When it comes to feeding ourselves in the
envisioned "Shangri-La" living corridor across America,
it should come as no surprise that ONLY plant-based foods will be available in those future
"green living" areas
.
That's because
ONLY
"green" options will prevail in
ALL of the lifestyle choices there.
Millions of people, who will be attracted to the idea by a plethora of luxurious and futuristic amenities, will make the decision to move there - knowing full well that the "feeding model" will be 100% plant-based.
That's why we're going to need those HUGE farmers markets. They will be needed to feed up to 100 million people who will ultimately be living in that first corridor. If some new residents object to the lack of ANY animal-based food,
they will be counseled on that topic using some middle-school math.
Basic arithmetic. It requires about three acres of farm land to feed one person the animal-rich Standard American Diet. On that same amount of land, you could sustain eighteen people on a plant-based diet.
So when two hundred million American meat-eaters start eating nothing but plants, it will free up 167 million acres of farmland, an area larger than the combined total acreage in Iowa, Georgia, North Carolina and Kansas.
What about water and energy?
On a per calorie basis, it takes over ten times as much fresh water and over ten times as much energy to produce animal-based foods - compared to plant-based foods.
Eating plant-based is a no-brainer; particularly when you factor in the quantum leaps in human health that accompany a shift in the direction of a whole food, plant-based diet.
Back to those farmers markets. In that first 10-mile wide green living corridor across America, let's envision a one mile wide shoulder on either side of the corridor. That's where fresh fruits and vegetables will be grown - and sold, providing easy access to a fabulous farmers market for all residents.
The two shoulder areas will cover a total of 4,400 square miles, which is equal to 2.8 million acres. That's plenty of land to produce enough fruits and vegetables for the 100 million people who will someday live in that corridor.
But it is not nearly enough land to produce ALL the calories that those people will need to live comfortably.
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Everyone seems to love farmers markets...and that's a good thing.
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What to do? With plant-based eating, most of our calories come from starchy foods like grains, legumes and potatoes. They will be grown in regions of the country that are best suited for those products. Then they can be harvested, stored and shipped to the green regions in large quantities.
So, to summarize, we'll produce fruits and vegetables near where the people are living and we'll produce the high calorie grains, legumes and potatoes somewhere else and ship them to the green regions as needed.
Ultimately, I am envisioning four AGRA (
American Green Region Authority) regions covering up to 80,000 square miles, where up to 300 million people can live, work and play. Then we will need another 80,000 square miles to grow the plant-based foods necessary to feed everyone in the USA.
The Bottom Line.
For the 300 million Americans who ultimately
choose
to live in the "green" AGRA regions, we'll need a grand total area of land about the size of Kansas and South Dakota combined. About half of that land will be for human habitat and the other half will be for the growing of plant-based food.
Then, most of the remaining land can be returned to nature (forests and grasslands) where it belongs.
Eventually, after the USA provides a sustainable lifestyle "model" that other countries can replicate, the net global effect will be a HUGE win-win for humanity and for the ecosystem that sustains all life on this planet.
*************
Scroll on down for the plant-based videos and more...
The earlier referenced shift to plant-based eating is already happening,
with lots of meat eaters really liking what they see. For example, most of the customers at NYC's newest vegan chain,
Beyond Sushi
, are NOT vegetarians. Read on...
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Click Here
for 3-minute video - Conversation with the founder
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That's right, the founder of Beyond Sushi says that only about 40% of his customers describe themselves as vegan or vegetarian. The other 60% dine there because they like the overall value proposition - healthy, great tasting food, price, comfort and convenience.
I had lunch recently at their midtown NYC restaurant with the president of
Plant-Powered Manhattan and would argue that anyone could find a meal that they can truly enjoy at this fabulous new venue.
Now for those two videos. This one was posted on November 27, 2018.
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How could veganism change the world? Six Minutes.
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The next video is a little longer, but I recommend that you take the time to watch it and that you share it with others.
Launched on 11-29-18, it runs sixteen minutes, features
George Monbiot
, a columnist for The Guardian, and is hosted by the 2012 Gandhi Peace Award winner,
Amy Goodman
of Democracy Now.
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Ending Meat & Dairy Consumption
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How can you help promote harmony?
Three things:
1. Live as greenly as possible while doing all that you can to raise the awareness of the "big picture" solutions that are ultimately necessary to save our civilization.
2. Give greenly for the holidays. Instead of buying new STUFF for your loved ones, think about giving them something handmade or a personal item that you already own. Or how about telling everyone that you're out of the "stuff giving" business forever and will instead be donating to a worthy green non-profit like Wikipedia?
3. Circulate my recent
Thanksgiving BSB among prominent journalists, thought leaders and/or elected officials whom you respect. We need them to begin urgently promoting the comprehensive AGRA (American Green Region Authority) planning process - which must be completed before the actual building of GRATOLA can begin.
Until next time, just remember...
Humanity is on a collision course with Nature.
A damaged Nature will survive. We may not.
We must change course to avert an ecological disaster.
Finally, for
your convenience, here are links to a few related BSBs from the past few weeks:
Be well,
J. Morris (Jim) Hicks
CEO, 4Leaf Global, LLC
Looking for Opportunities to Speak.
Since 2016, my research, writing and speaking has been focused on the sustainability of our ecosystem and our future as a species. With a primary emphasis on food choices, I call it the "most important topic in the history of humanity."
After all, what could possibly be more important to humans than the survival of our species?
(now contains 5-minute video of me speaking in Tucson)
Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth
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