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ENVIRONMENT
important Jain principle is not to waste the gifts of nature, and voluntarily reduce one's needs as far as possible. Nature provides enough for our NEED not enough for our GREED. Lord Mahavir states " Parigraha sevve attäi karänti pränänam behänam" that we destroy other lives because of our greed and possessiveness. This is the primary cause of all violence as well as imbalance in the environment. Raising animals for food not only involves high level of cruelty towards animals but also consumes significantly higher natural resources than vegetarian food.
Land Usage:
Considering the consumption of food by live stock, an average 40 lbs of vegetation is used to produce 1 lb. of meat. Hence to support meat and dairy industries, half of American croplands grow livestock feed. A third of the land of North America is devoted to grazing. Also 220 million acres of land in the USA have been deforested for livestock production and 25 million acres in Brazil, and half the forests in Central America.
Water Consumption:
Livestock (cattle, calves, hogs, and pigs) production accounts for more than half of all the water consumed in USA. To produce 1 lb. of meat, an average of 2500 gallons of water is used as compared to 1 lb. of wheat requires 108 gallons of water, 1 lb. of rice needs 229 gallons of water, and 1 lb. of potatoes require just 60 gallons of water.
It also creates significant amounts of waste and environmental imbalance. The waste released in the environment by the United States meat and dairy industry is about
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230,000 pounds per second, polluting our land, air and water systems (Source: USDA 2001). Thus, we should avoid the consumption of all animal products like meat, poultry, dairy and sea-food. Summary
In summary the teaching of Jainism advocate the following practices in daily life:
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Respect the lives of others and the environment we live in.
Be compassionate and practice nonviolence. Minimize harm to all living beings including air, water, earth, fire, and vegetation.
Be vegetarian and avoid the use of animal based products.
Practice self-restraint. Reduce needs and wants as far as possible. Use excess for the welfare of the society.
Eliminate waste, reuse / recycle products, share resources, and do not waste the gifts of nature.
Jainism in Action is an eco-friendly religion which preserves and protects the Earth and Environment, respects the lives of animals, birds, fish, and other beings, and promotes the welfare of the society through the application of its primary tenets of Ahimsä and Non-possessiveness.
THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM
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