According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry emits more greenhouse gases than the whole transportation sector combined. That’s right, all fossil fuels burned by cars, trucks, buses, trains, boats and planes emit fewer greenhouse gases than raising animals for food. 18 percent of our emissions are attributed to meat production, while only 13 percent are attributed to transportation. Emptying your wallet for a new hybrid may have less of an impact on the earth’s atmosphere than altering your diet.

The drive east along Highway 12 from the Tri-Cities back towards Walla Walla and the Whitman campus rarely fails to amaze me. At the left turn by Wallula Gap, I stare west at the vast expanse of land carved out by the ancient Missoula floods, captured by the exposed magnificence of the land in all its contours and forms and patterns.