For those not present at the speech last month or unaware of the philosophy of Jennifer Greene, the speaker from Beyond Carnism invited by Hackley Earth Action League (HEAL), Carnism is the moniker she gave to philosophy of eating meat, just as veganism or vegetarian- ism are the names for the opposite beliefs. While Ms. Greene presented some controversial stances on the morality of “Carnism,” the club organized this speaker with the intention of educating Hackley students about the inhumane treatment of animals in the meat industry, the emotional impact on employees in the industry, destructive emissions produced and the negative pollutants for which the industry is responsible.

To HEAL Faculty Advisor Andy Retzlo , the energy cost of industrialized business of animal products is a big concern with the industry. “I wish she could have also discussed the associated high-energy costs of an animal diet,” he said. The emissions from the meat industry account for 37% of human-caused methane emissions; a significant amount and something that every one of us can help change (UN FAO).

Other leaders of HEAL hoped Ms. Greene would highlight not only the pollution of our environment caused by the meat industry, but also the harmful impact on the humans employed in the industry. “I wish she would have settled more into the emotional trauma that the workers at slaughterhouses suffered and provided more statistics on it,” Senior HEAL Leader Dom Meneses said. Often, the worker’s experience is not as highlighted in the discussion of Carnism’s negative e ects, and Dom said that “a discussion over the worker’s experience expands the negative impact of slaughterhouses onto humans, which could make others more interested and want to listen.”

While Ms. Greene received some negative reviews based on her intense presentation style, she de nitely sent a message. Mr. Retzloff shared his thoughts on the success of her presentation. “By raising awareness, I believe the speaker helped plant an important seed in the minds of our community. She certainly got people to begin talking about this issue, an issue I believe we must begin to think seriously about if we are ever going to provide, even the current human population, with an adequate diet for all,” he said.