A Feminist Recipe for a Greener Planet: Exploring the Environmental Vegetarian Debate from a Feminist Perspective

Abstract

The animal agriculture industry causes detrimental environmental impact on a large scale (FAO, 2006). In order to curtail the damage caused by meat production, documentaries, books and campaigns have emerged from the environmental movement encouraging consumers to reduce their intake of animal products. The subsequent debate surrounding the ethics of meat production and consumption from an environmental perspective touches on concerns of vegetarian philosophy, social hierarchies, and the human connection to nonhuman nature. Through critical feminist analysis of media from the environmental vegetarian movement, this paper investigates the significance of these concerns. In doing so this research uncovers a grounding for further feminist research within environmentalism, beginning with the environmental vegetarian debate.