Center for Biological Diversity
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Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Earlier this year the Center for Biological Diversity launched our Take Extinction Off Your Plate campaign to address the environmentally devastating industry of meat production, which often flies under the radar.

A newly released film seeks to reveal just how far-reaching the meat industry's destructive impacts are, and why more people aren't talking about it. Turns out the first question is easier to answer than the second, as Cowspiracy goes on a journey that includes controversial interviews with environmental leaders and explorations of whether any form of meat production can be sustainable.

To check out Cowspiracy for yourself, you can catch one of their West Coast screenings or request a screening in your own city. And you can join the movement by taking our Earth-friendly Diet Pledge to do your part by reducing your meat consumption.

For the wild,
Stephanie Feldstein Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
P.S. Today's world population is: 7,196,978,453. We can still save room for wildlife -- spread the word and share the newsletter below.

The Population Crisis in Photos, Letters, Washington Post and Mashable

Sandhill crane in suburbiaThis year we asked you to help us honor World Population Day by showing what a crowded planet looked and felt like to you. The response was incredible. We received dozens of amazing photos, from neverending traffic jams to wildlife trying to eke out an existence in minuscule patches of habitat. Even more of you added to the #CrowdedPlanet conversation on social media. Check out the video of some of our favorite pictures and help us keep the conversation going by continuing to post your photos.

The link between population growth and the wildlife extinction crisis received attention beyond social media, too. We talked about the Crowded Planet campaign in radio interviews from Maryland to Alaska, and outlets like Mashable and The Washington Post reported on the 40,000 Endangered Species Condoms being given away by volunteers across the country. On the local level, more than 1,750 letters to the editor were submitted by our activists in time for World Population Day last Friday, and we've already heard from several of you that your letters were published in your local paper.

Read more about the Crowded Planet campaign in The Huffington Post, and thanks for helping us shine a light on the impact of population growth on wildlife and the planet with your photos and letters.

 
 
 
Fruits and vegetables

Angela Jones

All Veggies, Half the Carbon

New research shows that cutting meat from your diet can cut your carbon footprint in half. A team of British researchers studied the diets of more than 55,000 people to determine the global-warming impact of different types of eating habits. The result: Those that ate the average American, meat-intensive diet were responsible for nearly twice as much greenhouse gas emissions as their vegetarian counterparts every single day... that's nearly twice as much of a reason to take extinction off your plate. Read more about the study in Grist.

Energy Policy Analyst Joins Team

We're excited to welcome Angela Jones to the Center's Population and Sustainability team. Angela has been an environmental advocate and policy expert for more than 15 years. She'll use her experience in research, analysis and advocacy to spearhead a new campaign highlighting the links between population growth, overconsumption and the critical need for a sustainable energy future. The new campaign will address energy policy in the context of our growing population and what you can do to help in the fight for sustainable energy. Stay tuned for new information and tools coming soon.

 
The Fight to Save Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead sea turtle hatchling

Loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead sea turtles along the Atlantic coast just won the largest critical habitat designation in history.

In the wake of the Atlantic victory, we filed a lawsuit to protect Pacific loggerhead sea turtles from the threats of a deadly fishery.

Take action to protect sea turtles -- as well as corals, fish and other species around the world -- from ocean acidification.

 
 
What Does Hobby Lobby Have to Do With Wildlife?

Birth controlSafe, affordable access to contraception allows people to choose for themselves when and how many children they want to have. Without it the rate of unplanned pregnancies (currently around 50 percent in the United States) remains high, and our population keeps growing -- while global temperatures keep rising and wildlife get crowded out.

That's why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision, that companies like Hobby Lobby can limit contraception coverage for employees, is bad news for healthcare, women's rights and wildlife.

Senate Democrats were quick to respond with the "Not My Boss's Business Act," which would have restored the contraceptive insurance coverage requirement. Though the bill failed to pass a Senate vote this week, the swift response shows that people on the Hill and on the ground are committed to fighting this dangerous ruling, and that the next election cycle will be critical for women's rights and the future of the planet.

 
Photo credits: Stephanie Feldstein staff photo; sandhill crane in suburbia by Gloria Driggers; fruits and vegetables courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Olearys; Angela Jones staff photo; loggerhead sea turtle courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Brian Gratwicke; loggerhead sea turtle hatchling courtesy pixabay; loggerhead sea turtle courtesy Picasa Creative Commons/Joseph and Farideh; birth control pills courtesy Flickr/lookcatalog.
 

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To sign up for Endangered Species Condoms, click here. If you'd like more information on the Center's Population and Sustainability program, visit our website.

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Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702-0710
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