May 12 2009
The Philippines Moving Toward the Plant-Based Diet
A great example of leadership from the Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is advocating the expansion of the production of healthy and affordable vegetable fare in her country. Early last month, she had authorized funding and assisted in the inauguration of the Benguet Vegetable Processing Center at Benguet State University (BSU) in La Trinidad. The three-year project to be conducted at the center utilizes fresh agricultural produce to create wholesome and inexpensive plant-based products such as noodles, meatless burger patties and veggie-fruit juice drinks. The goal is for the inexpensive foods to reach the disadvantaged as well as to enhance the income of vegetable farmers.
There is another benefit to this: the President is promoting a more plant-based diet that in the long run, will have a great impact on the mitigation of climate change. With such wholesome and tasty plant-based foodstuffs, more people will be more open to trying the veg diet. This surely will cut down on meat consumption and thereby cut down on the need to produce more meat to feed the mass. Less cows on factory farms means less methane emission. Less methane emission means a decrease in global warming since methane is known to a lot more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere. So, if there is less of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere - less heat equals a mitigation in global warming.
That’s way cool, Prez! Thanks for your wise leadership 
