People world over is gradually realizing, being a veggie is not only good for health but can also act as savior to our already fragile environment. Although it may sound straight and simple, but it involves myriad ethical issues whenever we need to buy food. The process of selecting food which takes into consideration all of ecological factors which has an impact on our Earth and environment is the new buzzword of vegetarians better known as "ECOTARIANS". Its all about sourcing food which is grown locally, organically, in season without harming the Earths resources. Whether it is produced and marketed using fair trade practices in relation to labor, cruelty to animals, use of chemicals, recycled materials, energy and water conservation also matters. A noble attempt to save environment through our plates when regulations have failed to yield desired results. However, to save Earth the idea needs to grow into an international issue. To ensure security of future food supplies certain ethical issues of ecotarianism are required to be understood.
These issues could raise any of the following queries before making of a conscious decision!

  • Is the diet balanced in terms of nutrition and its environment impact.
  • Is the product produced locally or transported across countries and continents.
  • Whether the product was made through slave labor or by means of fair trade practice.
  • Is it produced organically or by use of harmful insecticides and pesticides.
  • Is the product made free of cruelty to animals.
  • Whether the packaging is made from recycled materials.
  • Has energy and water conservation measures been adopted in making of the product.
  • Is the product essential for our well being or an avoidable consumption.
  • Are the products branded by corporates, following ethical business policies.


Essentially the aim of an ideal Ecotarian is to maintain a flexible approach in deciding his daily consumption priorities and preferences by trying to live up to self established values in a sustainable way so as to reduce the impact on our environment and minimize the ecological footprint.
In our effort to strike an ideal balance certain do's and don'ts can be helpful.

CEREALS / MEAT - In principle cereals should be given preference over meat eating as raising of livestock leads to inefficient use of scarce land resource and production of lot of greenhouse gasses. Only meat produced from livestock raised on uncultivable land could be a viable option.
VEGETABLES / FRUITS - Preference for vegetables and fruits should be from the farmers market rather than those produced out of season in greenhouses and flown half way across the world. An alternative choice could be such stuff grown in season and frozen in natural environment.
OILS - Wrong choice of oil consumption is a major issue for destruction of forests and wildlife habitats across countries. Our choice should be consumption of oils produced in the same region rather than imported oils.
PACKAGING - Generally buy loose from your home store whenever possible, as most likely the product will be locally produced. Otherwise consider such packaging which are made out of recycled materials.
WATER - Choice of water for daily consumption should be fresh free flowing or from underground sources rather than bottled water which is packed in synthetic containers and transported from far off distance.
FAIR TRADE - Basically all our food purchases should be made out of necessity and not out of fancy. For all primary requirements make sure corporates marketing their products follow fair trade practices as socio economic considerations outweigh other factors for its abuse upon environment.
Keeping above views in mind ECOTARIANS hope to foster a relationship that attempts to coexist with and for the environment.

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