On June 5 come to a peace vigil, a potluck dinner and a screening of SPECIEISM/US Factory Farms Produce Enough Waste to Fill the Empire State Building ... Every Single Day!

There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next vigil is on June 5.  On that Friday hold a sign War Is Not the Answer or one that calls for an end to torture, or another stating prosecute the torturers.  Since this is a First Friday, after the vigil enjoy a potluck dinner and a film.

 The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. SPECIEISM: The Movie [USA, 2013] will be shown around 7:15 PM with a discussion to follow on Fri., June 5 at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at Verizon.net.

   This documentary, by director Mark Devries, explores the concept and practice of speciesism, the assignment of value to beings on the basis of species membership. Its definition, the idea that humans are the most superior being, leads to the cruel and unjust treatment of other beings. If also includes believing that one specie is more valuable than another, for example a dog being more valuable than a hen.  Obviously, being above all other beings leads to mistreatment. Animals are exploited everyday by humans who justify such behavior with the belief of superiority.  This paradigm has led to the extinction of massive numbers of species.

 The film features interviews with, among others, Peter Singer, Richard Dawkins and Steven Best, along with material shot in and around factory farms in the United States. During the making of the film, Devries became a vegan, and his documentary offers suggestions for taking action.

 http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/30493-us-factory-farms-produce-enough-waste-to-fill-the-empire-state-building-every-single-day

 Good writes: "We know that the factory farm system in the U.S. is responsible for producing an enormous amount of meat and dairy products. What you probably didn't know was that along with all of that meat, eggs, and dairy comes a whole lot of crap! Yup, we're talking animal waste."

Breeding sows at an Indiana farm. (photo: John Gress/Corbis/AP)

US Factory Farms Produce Enough Waste to Fill the Empire State Building ... Every Single Day!

By Kate Good, One Green Planet

01 June 15

  We know that the factory farm system in the U.S. is responsible for producing an enormous amount of meat and dairy products. What you probably didn’t know was that along with all of that meat, eggs, and dairy comes a whole lot of crap! Yup, we’re talking animal waste.

A new study from Food & Water Watch found that the number of animals kept on factory farms has increased exponentially in the past 15 years with the number of chickens on farms up by 80 percent, and pigs up by 70 percent. The size of factory farms is also skyrocketing as the American population increases along with our appetite for animal products.

So while some might think that this bump in factory farm numbers is a good thing for hungry consumers, this increase in the factory farm system spells disaster for the environment. When you concentrate an enormous number of animals in one area with the sole purpose of fattening them up for sale, you’re bound to be left with an equally enormous waste problem.

Food & Water Watch estimates that the amount of waste produced by factory farms is 13 times higher than that of the entire human population combined which presents a serious dilemma with what to do with 396 million tons of manure. This is enough to fill the entire Empire State building every single day!

In the days before factory farming, animal waste was used to fertilize fields and fit in symbiotically with the farm’s function. Factory farms simply have too much waste on their hands to do this, so many revert to storing waste in massive open-air lagoons or spraying it unmitigated on surrounding lands. Both of these options lead to factory farm waste leaking into local waterways and causing oppressive air pollution for the local community.

Factory farm waste is also filled with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that foster the growth of toxic algae blooms in waterways which lead to dead zones. Additionally, this waste is filled with harmful bacteria, hormones, and antibiotics and can pose a serious threat to public health if it gets into the water system.

Most people don’t realize that by purchasing animal products they are contributing to this hazardous pollution. It’s time for us all to cut the crap and consider removing our personal participation in this toxic system. We can all do our part by leaving meat and other animal products off the menu and opting for delicious plant-based alternatives. To learn more about how you can do this one, super delicious, thing for the environment, click here.

© 2015 Reader Supported News

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs