Monthly Archives: January 2008

“To put the energy-using demand of meat production into easy-to-understand terms, Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist at the Bard Center, and Pamela A. Martin, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago, calculated that if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan — a Camry, say — to the ultra-efficient Prius. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.”

– Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler – New York Times Continue reading →

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Local Homelessness Statistics

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More than 11 percent of Raleigh’s population or about 29,000 people live in poverty. (2)

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Family homelessness is growing by an estimated 11 percent each year. (2)

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Approximately 63 percent of more than 29,000 Raleigh residents living below the poverty line pay more than 50 percent of their incomes for housing. (1)

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In Wake County, there remains a gap of at least 25,000 units of affordable housing. (1)

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According to the 2006 Point In Time Count, each night approximately 2,000 persons are homeless in the Triangle area, with an average of 1,200 in Raleigh/Wake Co. (1)

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The number of homeless persons in Wake County has increased nearly 50 percent since 1993. (2)

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– Raleigh Rescue Mission : Resources Continue reading →