Dia L. Michels
 Breast is best is a common adage, and most people can tell you
that breastfeeding is good for babies. Some people are even aware that breastfeeding is
good for mothers, but few folks are aware that breastfeeding is good for the environment. Saving our world's forests, minimizing destruction of the ozone layer, and curtailing
contaminants of our soils and seas are common environmental themes, yet when it comes to
taking care of Mother Nature, breastfeeding can't be beat.
Breastmilk may look white, but actually, it is as "green"
as can be. The ecological consequences of cloth vs. disposable diapers are debated
routinely, yet they are small potatoes compared to the consequences of the breast vs.
formula decision. Breastmilk is one of the few foodstuffs produced and delivered to the
consumer without any pollution, unnecessary packaging or waste, whereas the production,
shipping, and preparation of formula and bottles requires large amounts of water, fuel,
glass, plastic and rubber--and produces significant amounts of garbage.
Many people know that breastfeeding is best for babies. Some people know that
breastfeeding offers health benefits to the mother. But very few people realize the
importance of breastfeeding for the environment.
- Dairy
production destroys land and pollutes air and water
 Substituting cow's milk (the primary
ingredient in infant formula) for breastmilk destroys the water, land and air.
Cow manure
and urine pollute rivers and ground water, while nitrate fertilizers used to grow feed for
dairy cows leach into rivers and water. Cow flatulence releases methane into the
atmosphere and is a major contributing factor to the destruction of the ozone layer.
It
would take 135 million lactating cows just to substitute the breastmilk
of the women of India; that many cows would require 43% of the surface of India
be devoted to pasture. Land used for pastures often comes from clearing
forests, a practice that erodes and depletes the soil.
- Artificial
feeding causes waste and uses valuable resources
 If every child in America were
bottle-fed, almost 86,000 tons of tin would be needed to produce 550 million cans for one
year's worth of formula. If every mother in the Great Britain breastfed, 3000 tons of
paper (used for formula labels) would be saved in a year. But the formula is not the only
problem. Bottles and nipples require plastic, glass, rubber, and silicon; production of
these materials can be resource-intensive and often leads to end-products that are
not-recyclable. All these products use natural resources, cause pollution in their
manufacture and distribution, and create trash in their packaging, promotion, and
disposal.
- Artificial
feeding means more tampons, more diapers
Women who practice total, unrestricted
breastfeeding average over 14 months without menstruating. Multiply this by the four
million US births each year to see that over one billion sanitary products annually could
be kept out of our nation's landfills and sewers. To compound the scenario, because breastmilk is absorbed by babies more efficiently; breastfed babies excrete less and thus
require fewer diaper changes than formula-fed babies. Manufacturing the additional
diapers, menstrual pads, and tampons involves the need for fibers, bleaching and other
chemical processes, packaging materials, and fuels.
- Breastfeeding
lessens infant mortality
Breastfeeding is a more effective
method of birth control, world-wide, than all other methods combined -- without taxing the
household's financial resources or endangering a woman's health. Mothers who breastfeed
exclusively (that is, frequently, on demand, including during the night, and with no
supplementation) generally enjoy a significant period of natural birth control.
Lactation-induced infertility serves to increase the spacing between births.
This is
important since children born less than two years apart are almost twice as likely to die
as those born more than two years apart.
- Breastfeeding
reduces over-population
Breastfeeding not only decreases deaths by
limiting fertility, the immunizing agents in breastmilk produce healthier babies.
Formula-fed babies get sick more often, get sicker, and have higher death rates than
breastfed babies. And the health benefits of breastfeeding can be seen throughout life,
not just in infancy. Women have more babies when the chances of their children living long
enough to care for them in old age is small -- more babies are an insurance strategy.
When
parents can reasonably expect their children to live into adulthood, they choose to have
fewer children.
- Breastfeeding
- a valuable natural resource
Two years ago, President Clinton, joining an
unprecedented worldwide consensus, voted to impose restrictions on the advertising and
promotion of infant formula. His vote demonstrates a new American commitment to
breastfeeding.
Infant formula represents the case where a superior product is being
discarded at significant expense -- to the baby, the mother, and the
environment. We need to promote and protect our natural resources,
whether they grow in a forest, swim in the sea, or come from our bodies.
Let's add breastfeeding to the ways we can honor and cherish the most
incredible mother of all -- Mother Nature.
Story, Dia L. Michels, photos as noted or Nursing Mother 1998.
About the Author-
Dia L. Michels is a science writer whose articles and essays
have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world. Her commitment to
breastfeeding has come both from her research and from her experience nursing her own
children over the past six years.
You can contact Dia at:
Dia L. Michels
P.O. Box 15348
Washington, DC 20003-0348
202-546-2356-fax
DiaMichels@aol.com
Breastfeeding.com would like to express our thanks to Dia for allowing her fine
article to be reprinted here.f
|
Breastfeeding
Reading
Room
