Last night I attended the Seattle premier of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. And wow, what an eye-opener. It’s the REAL Inconvenient Truth!

Trailer:

The show played to a sold-out crowd at a popular mainstream cinema and was followed by a Q&A with producers Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn.

Cowspiracy is a documentary that follows Anderson as he tried to find out why mainstream environmental groups like Greenpeace and The Sierra Club aren’t talking about the main cause of destruction to the planet: animal agriculture.

Even government departments that promote energy savings such as low-flow shower heads and better lightbulbs avoid the issue. There was so much ignorance, denial, and greenwashing that you start to think everyone’s crazy–or maybe you are!

Unlike Meat Your Meat or Earthlings, with graphic scenes and animal rights as the main focus, Cowspiracy is an environmental film–but one that concludes animals suffer greatly in our current food production system and the environment cannot survive with the current state of animal agriculture. Adopting a plant-based diet is the only true way to make a difference and, quite literally, save the world.

Unfortunately, Big-Ag (corporations that run the animal agriculture industries) is a powerful force with gobs of money and loads of politicians and lobbyists on its side.

With fantastic interviews with the likes of Howard Lyman, Will Tuttle, and Michael Pollen (and head-scratching ones from people at Greenpeace, the Department of Water Resources, and The Sierra Club), you’ll follow the plot like a suspense movie.

For a few tidbits (to tie you over until the screening comes to your town), here’s the info about the environmental footprint of a single hamburger:

Here’s a fascinating short clip about how ranching is decimating wildlife:

And finally, a clip about the exploding human population and the farm animals raised for food:

There’s only one short clip in the film that shows overt animal cruelty, and you’ll know when it’s coming if you need to turn away. However, it’s followed by a happy animal scene that still brings joyous tears to my eyes.

This film shares the truth and we shouldn’t turn away from that. Despite the grim realities, there is hope in the message. The remedy is simple:

Go vegan!