The 35th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 should spur each of us to ensure that our irreplaceable natural environment will survive another 35 years. Indeed, it’s the perfect day to cut the environmental impacts of our shopping, our driving and our diet.

Yes, our diet. Production of meat and other animal products dumps more pollution into our waterways than all other human activities combined. It’s the animal manure and the runoff from animal feed crops that carry soil particles, salts, pesticides, fertilizers and organic matter.

Meat production has been degrading our forests to pastures, feed cropland, then arid wasteland. It is the greatest threat to wildlife habitats and preservation of endangered species. The grains and soybeans we feed to animals could sustain the 840 million starving people in the Third World.

Let’s celebrate Earth Day in the most fitting way – by replacing meat and other animal products in our diet with a rich, tasty variety of vegetables, fresh fruits and whole grains.

Lance Baker, Lewiston