Ecotarian

Ecotarian is the practice of eating sustainably. The term refers to the process of selecting food with consideration for the ecological impact of producing the food. Sustainability is concerned with leaving future generations an environment at least as diverse and robust as that which exists now. Ecotarianism aims to achieve this by reducing the environmental impact of food production.
"Ecotarian" means a diet that is based on "eating your environment," just as "vegetarian" refers to "eating vegetables." Ecotarian principles are: plant-based, organic, local, fair and balanced.
Properties of ecotarian food
Plant-based
Ecotarians are acutely aware that meat production is very demanding to the environment due to factory farming, waste disposal and hormone and anti-biotic injections. Unlike vegetarians, however, they do not eschew meat for purely spiritual, health or moral reasons. In fact, an ecotarian may finish someone else's meat meal if it is going to be wasted.
Organic
Ecotarians maintain that Food grown organically is better for the health of the individual consumer and for the health of the overall environment in which the food is grown. The use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals and hormones (such as recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBGH) in the production of food is not sustainable, may cause disease in humans and in the animals to which these chemicals are applied.
Locally Grown
Ecotarian embraces the idea of reducing the distance between where food is produced, and where food is consumed (see also food miles). There are several key aspects for "eating local".
1. Transportation of food is the second largest source of demand for petroleum based fuel in the world.
2. Cutting down on food miles is crucial for developing a relationship with one's food. As long as we continue to buy food from supermarkets, we are doomed to lives without understanding where our food comes from, the processes involved, and what our consumption does to the environment in which it is grown. Eating locally provides one the ability to understand where the food comes from and the conditions in which it is grown. If more people had this close of a relationship with their food and its growers, it is unlikely that any farm today would be using synthetic chemicals or monoculture practices.
Food can be grown organically but still shipped from across the country or across the world—this does not fit the ecotarian diet or mindset. This unnecessary fossil fuel use only contributes further to pollution, global warming, and depletion of non-renewable resources.
Fair Trade
Ecotarians likely also consider the impact of their food purchases on the growers of their food, particularly if the commodity is among one of the many tropical products whose industries may be known for labor, environmental or price abuses in developing nations (e.g. cocoa, coffee).
Balanced
Nutrient intake
Balanced can mean "eating a balanced diet" with all of the appropriate food groups. Eating is crucial for maintaining human health, so it is a key consideration for an ecotarian diet.
Eating Meat Coexisting With Vegetarianism
Balanced also refers to the idea that an ecotarian's diet need not necessarily be entirely vegetarian. However, should the ecotarian decide to eat meat, it is necessary that two conditions be met:
#That the meat be consumed in condiment- or side dish-sized portions. The production of meat is tragically inefficient, with one pound of meat requiring thousands of gallons of water to produce, not to mention any fossil fuel inputs above and beyond what would be input for crop production. “More than 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters) of water are needed to produce a single day’s worth of food for the typical meat eater. In comparison, an ovo-lacto vegetarian requires only 1,200 gallons (4,500 l) of water, and a vegan needs a mere 300 gallons (1,135 l).” For California beef, it can take , and as much as of water to produce a single pound. Furthermore, 70-90% of U.S. corn, and approximately 30% worldwide, goes not to feed people, but to feed animals that eventually will feed people, resulting in a massive potential (food) energy waste.
#That the animals the meat comes from be locally raised, organically fed, and treated very humanely.
An ecotarian may, of course, choose to be a complete vegetarian or vegan. Meat-eating ecotarians should take special care to ensure their environmental impact is not more than only slightly increased through their consumption choices.
Origin
The term ecotarian has been developed and used independently by different groups and individuals across Britain and the rest of the world and there is yet no agreed origin. Some people use it synonymously with ethicatarian and locavores.
Movement
The ecotarian movement stresses the need to reduce unnecessary human-caused environmental degradation, and form a relationship with one's environment through an understanding of and a deeper connection with one's food. While conservation of land is looked upon as beneficial, ecotarians need to foster a relationship and attempt to coexist with the environment and in the environment.

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