CieszkoTheMatrix1



Men Are Such A Pain In The Butt .. Environment Fashion and social norms are often blamed for problems with sustainable efforts. Animal fur clothing, water polluting inks, and the demand for the newest products are all examples of unsustainable practices brought about by the pressure of these social norms. However, the demand on men to be “manly” is overlooked as its own unsustainable practice. Sitting down to a big juicy steak, driving the biggest, loudest, and “baddest” truck, and enjoying a nice cold one are all perceived to be the way of a “man.” All three of these aspects of manliness have negative environmental impacts in their own way, and together reveal a disturbing ripple in society and the minds of many men. As a staple in culture and one of the oldest beverages known to man, beer is often overlooked as a sustainability issue. The brewing of beer requires a staggering 7-10 liters of water for every 1 liter of beer produced. Even more disturbing evidence was found when “Beer Dakari” followed the life cycle of a 6 pack of beer. The production of a 6 pack of beer releases over 6.6 pounds of CO2 and is estimated to destroy a staggering 2.5 square miles of natural habitat. In America each year, enough aluminum cans are thrown out to travel to and from the moon 20 times. Beer cans account for almost 48% of these cans. To offset this number, many smaller breweries sell refillable bottles for customers that they can take home and drink and then come back and refill when necessary. Also, the use of draught beer helps decrease the amount of aluminum cans produced, however it requires an extra amount of CO2 which is eventually released into the surrounding environment. Although seemingly harmless, eating a steak can be very destructive to the environment. The cattle used to produce these steaks create an immense amount of methane gas, a large contributor to global warming. According to Berriman, “Methane is about 24 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, so stemming its spread into the atmosphere is even more beneficial than stemming the spread of carbon dioxide.” Because diet is a choice which is made immediately by the consumer and does not require the implementation of infrastructure, legislation, or other scheming, eating a meat-less diet has the potential to be very effective in helping reduce global warming. Because meat is such a staple in many diets, it is unlikely that it will be cut from many peoples’ diets. However, even a switch from beef to pork would be substantial in helping with greenhouse emissions. The global warming potential of a kilo of pork varies from 3.9 to 10 kilos of CO2-equivalents. Beef on the other hand has an impact on the environment which lies between 14 and 32 kilos of CO2-equivalents. Finally, as is seemingly common knowledge, cars and their exhaust account for a great deal of greenhouse gasses released into the environment. Trucks specifically have the highest single impact on a direct measure. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “although large trucks account for just six percent of total highway miles driven in the U.S., they are responsible for a host of environmental threats. These include over half the soot and a quarter of the smog-causing pollution generated by highway vehicles, six percent of the nation’s global warming pollution, and more than a tenth of the country’s oil consumption.” “Being a man” by eating a meaty steak, driving a badass truck, and throwing back a beer may be the ego boost men strive for, however it is horrifically destructive to the environment. Is destroying the environment manly? These are conscious decisions that can all be made immediately and clearly demonstrates how the social norm of “being a man” is a sustainability problem.

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