Animal farming, environmental impact and global warming

I decided to quit my previous job recently, the main reason being they required international travel (flying) at least once a year, and that flying has an enormous impact on global warming. To give some inspiration and raise awareness I said this in my thank you/goodbye-email to around 120 people:

Finally, I would like to give you some food for thought. Sorry if it is too lengthy -- it is worth a read. I am more and more concerned about global warming, and take many steps in my personal life to reduce my impact - including being vegan, travelling to visit family in Sweden via train instead of flying, commuting by train and bus, using renewable energy from Ecotricity, etc. The average global footprint per person in UK is 10 000 kg of CO2 [1] - this is living as we lived on 4 (!) planet earth. In order to avoid global warming with several degrees with severe consequences for our planet and us living here [6], each person needs to reduce their emissions 4 times (or by 400 percent) (to around 2500 kg per year) which involves radical changes, but changes that are quite easy to do with some determination. This is a good website [4] to see your ecological footprint by answering some questions.

According to WWF humans have wiped out 60 percent of all  mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970  the last 50 years. They write in their new report that the biggest cause of wildlife losses is the destruction of natural habitats, much of it to create farmland used for farming animals. Furthermore, killing for food is the next biggest cause – 300 wild mammal species, including some chimpanzee and bear species, are being eaten into extinction – while the oceans are massively overfished. Researchers warn that the oceans will be depleted of fish by 2048 [7]. If we all went vegan we would no longer pay into the three major causes of what has been labelled as the 6th mass extinction in the history of this planet.

Without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equivalent to the US, China, EU and Australia combined – and still feed the world. There is an increasing number of people who realize that we can easily live and be very healthy on a vegan diet. Since we can do this, the intense suffering that many animals go through for animal products, is completely unnecessary [8]. They all want to live in freedom and be happy just like us, however the process of being reduced to meat, dairy, eggs, honey, wool, etc., typically involve a lot of suffering (e.g. cows get their babies taken away from them within a day from when their calves are born, so that we can have cows milk instead of their calves, and never get to see them again). Being kind and compassionate we can decide to make peace with animals and be vegan. There is a one month vegan challenge I highly recommend called Veganuary, with plenty of delicious recipes and other advice [5]

I gathered all the footnotes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hCkTtuP3a9XxXFvfMU92IDEFAoWC-ugrvFUF8p8eWOw/edit?usp=sharing
(Photo from one of my walks from the bus to their office.)

Poem, As long will I love you

I got engaged to my beautiful love Clare a few months ago. Here is a poem written by me a few weeks ago dedicated to her:
As long as the stars shines in the heaven
As long will I love you

As long as the ocean kisses the shore
As long will I love you

As long as the sun shines her love on everyone
As long will I love you

Forever we belong to each other
Embraced in our deep warm, loving, holding, protecting embrace

I will love you as long as Mother earth nurtures all her children
All life connected to her
I will nurture you and our children forever together with you as the best
Gentle kind parents.
I will love you as long as the water flows
I will love you as long as my breath is rising and falling
And into eternity

I will love you as long as the meadow nurtures all her beautiful flowers
Caring for them with her gentle tender loving hands

I will love you as long as the air gives oxygen to all life
I will love you from the very first tender words you wrote me until our very last breath and into the eternal bliss and love heavens
I will love you from the first time your caring, loving words touched me and warmed my heart
From the very start, and until forever, our hearts will never be apart

I will love you as long as your shining diamond eyes
Are shining out your beautiful love
In this moment and every moment to come
And even if your sight fades away
Our love grows deeper and deeper for each moment and day

I will love you as long as Forever is
And into Eternal Bliss

I will love you as long as our hearts beat
Beaming love into eternity

I will love you as a never-ending love poem
Going on forever and ever even when
Our breath fades away

Poem, Deep love in nature

The stars behold in awe and in wonders

As we meet

And make love

Under the still blue sky

That they so generously light up

The ocean is beholding us

In depth and deep blue stillness

As we make love on the beach

With our spirit, soul, body, our whole being
Hearts deeply connected and intertwined

She breaths calmly

She kisses the shore gently and slowly

Like soft, tender, exquisite music

She kisses the shore

She kisses her beloved

As I kiss my beloved

She makes love with every movement

As I and my beloved love make love with every movement

I hear the wind gently caressing the serene green meadows

I hear how they make love with every breath

I feel their love song and sense their deep soul song

My heart rejoices with their heart and soul

I sense their shared magic, mystery and the deepest depth of their kinship and bonding

As they share their deep love and profound connection

I rejoice over their happiness and richness

And I rejoice with my beloved love over our profound connection and richness

We share love

We make love

We deepen in our love

We rejoice in immense gratitude of sharing and deepening

In our divine tender love

In our burning calm love fire

We rejoice in our deep profound love

Nature is rejoicing with us

The wind, the grass, the sand, and the trees

It is all so very sacred to me

So sacred to my Heart

So sacred to my dearest friend

My Heart, my Beloved Heart

So sacred to the very core

Sacred Love

Love so sacred

We hear the owl singing her love song

She is singing for God

She is singing for her lover

She is singing, rejoicing with our Love

She is singing to share her love and beauty to every being

She is singing:

We share a higher love

Divine love

Selfless love

A lasting love

A timeless love

An authentic love

Together we dive in the deep waters of love

Embraced fully in the Ocean of the Beloved

/Anders Branderud, 2016

Poem, Pure Love

Our Love holds universes

Our Love is the core of life

She is timeless

She is visionary

She envisions peace, love, magic and mystery

She is a gentle all-embracing mother

She is a gentle hugger

She is a tender hug

She is the lover

She is the beloved

She is pure love

/Anders Branderud, 2016

Love poem - True loves kiss

Feelings of light

So beautiful and bright

Magical mysterious sight

True love at first sight

Magical colours in glistering light

Joy and happiness

Summer love

Shines so bright

Resting hand in hand with my beloved

Perfect pure love

Love so bright and shining

Illuminates the light blue sky

Trust is flowering in hearts’ beauty

Hand in hand we walk in the bright beautiful light

Love is awakening in our hearts

Home

Sweet home

Your Heart is my sacred Home

My love nest

Here I truly belong

Our tender love flower is flowering

Gracefully and tenderly

You are my true loves kiss

My purest sunset devotion

Together with you in sacredness

In pure tender deep bliss

With deepest heartfelt care

In your arms my Loving Clare

Pouring my love

From the depths of my Heart

In devotion to you my beautiful love jewel

My deepest devotional love

With pure heartfelt devotion

Pure love in your heart full of sweetness

Listening to your tender heartbeat

Moving gently in true love

And deepest heartfelt care

With deepest devotion

And purest of love light

I stand lovingly by your side

My beautiful loving tender light

Love is tenderly knocking on our door

Patiently waiting to transform our fears into pure love

Love thaws the fears in our heart

Melting the ice into gushing streams of loving kindness

/Anders Branderud, 2016

My beautiful swan princess of the lake

You are my beloved swan
My beautiful swan princess of the lake
Gently you kiss the tender water streams
Swimming and immersing in nature's beautiful harmony
Being embraced in her tranquility and serenity
You send your love as you glide through the still waters

You are my chosen swan princess
I rest in your presence and deeply loving care and warmth
Resting and being held in your deeply caring, loving, compassionate, warm arms
Two swans guided together as one
in divine sacred union
Our wings formed into a love boat
As we kiss the waters we make heart waves
Blessing the waters
Blessing the ground kissed by the waters
Our Love sends blessings to everyone
Our Heart's love embraces everyone

Dedicated to my beautiful love Clare 

Anders Branderud, 2016

Beautiful flower growing in the meadow

Dedicated to my soul beloved Clare – a poem of her beauty. And it is also a poem for everyone – of the beauty that is within all of us – beauty that can unfold naturally as a blossoming flower when we recognize, nurture and celebrate it.

You are a beautiful flower growing in the meadow

Surrounded by beautiful flowers

Your soul sisters and brothers

You shine your light bright

Discovering your dazzling beauty from within

You are Home

Adoring all the flowers in the garden

Nurturing and caring for them in deep devotional love

Feel your loving beauty

Your loving heart abode

May you stand and receive the always shining Love

and warmth from the Sun

Divine blessings from the Sun – God Goddess

And be a pure reflection that fully receives the loving blessings

Gently embracing and receiving all kindness and nourishment

and reflects the divine sunlight to all living beings

/Anders Branderud, 8/5-2016