I have been seeing on the news and online that the price of food is increasing, in part because more and more people are leaving meat out of thier diets. I understand that many people feel that eating meat is not only bad for them but also bad for the environment. According to PETA "...when land is used to raise animals instead of crops, precious water and soil are lost, trees are cut down to make land for grazing or factory-farm sheds, and untreated animal waste pollutes rivers and streams." PETA claims that it so devastating to the environment that the Union of Concerned Scientists has listed meat-eating as the second-biggest environmental hazard that the Earth faces. My question is though, is one really worse than the other. Don't trees need to be cut down to make land for agriculture which also depletes soil and uses lots of water. Farm sheds and greenhouses are also built. And, many farmers are still using pesticides which we consume as well as leach into the soil and contaminate streams and rivers. Of course we all should know by now that using fossil-fuel vehicles is the number one thing that has to go and we also know that animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases. But, shouldn't the issue be about using more environmentally friendly practices in both animal and plant agriculture instead of one or the other?