How Green is your pet?

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/ecosmackdown-solar-versus-pets/

'It takes 17 times more land to feed American pets than would be required by solar farms producing enough electricity to meet all the demand in the United States.'


How green is your pet?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427311.600-how-green-is-your-pet.html?page=1


'Cat excrement is particularly toxic. In 2002, it emerged that sea otters along the Californian coast are dying from a brain disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite, which is found in cat faeces, ends up in rivers and estuaries thanks to cat owners who flush their cat litter down the toilet or allow their cats to defecate outside. Dolphins and whales are also affected (newscientist.com/article/dn14037).'

'As well as guzzling resources, cats and dogs devastate wildlife populations, spread disease and add to pollution. It is time to take eco-stock of our pets.'

'if you must own your own, think about getting an animal that serves a dual purpose. He recommends hens, which partly compensate for their eco-footprint by providing eggs. Or there is an even better alternative, if you can stomach it. "Rabbits are good," he says, "provided you eat them."'

Cute, fluffy and horribly greedy

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427313.200-cute-fluffy-and-horribly-greedy.html


'According to the authors of the new book Time to Eat the Dog, it takes 0.84 hectares of land to keep a medium-sized dog fed. In contrast, running a 4.6-litre Toyota Land Cruiser, including the energy required to construct the thing and drive it 10,000 kilometres a year, requires 0.41 hectares'

'In 2004, the average citizen of Vietnam had an ecological footprint of 0.76 hectares. For an Ethiopian, it was just 0.67 hectares'