Raising for Effective Giving has released their Q4 numbers and it seems the poker community is determined to provide relief for all sentient beings on the planet, not just humans.
125-years ago whale blubber was used to light up our homes. It was the main source of fuel. We wanted to see what we were doing. Extermination of the species was merely an after thought.
A lot has changed since then.
I can now buy a light bulb for a few bucks.
No need to kill the whales.
But we keep killing them anyway.
We keep getting between the sheets. Women are like Pez dispensers. There are babies everywhere. More mouths mean more food. Global livestock production is big business. But it’s also a terrible business. And it’s not just the animals that are suffering. So is our planet.
In the amazing book Conscious Capitalism, written by Whole Foods Group CEO John Mackey, and Conscious Capitalism Incorporated Co-Founder Raj Sisodia, the pair point to a 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FA)) report: Livestock’s Long Shadow as a stark reminder of our capability for harm.
• 30% of the entire earth’s land area was being used for animal production.
• 33% of all grains harvested were being fed to livestock animals.
• 70% of all soy beans harvested were being fed to livestock animals.
• 70% of all deforested Amazonian rainforest was being used for pasture.
• 33% of all water pollution in the United States was due to livestock production.
• 18% of all greenhouse gases came from livestock production – more than all forms of transportation combined (14%).
• Raising animals for food consumed more than half of all the water used in the United States.
• It takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat.
It’s not a good time to be an animal. Over 10 billion of them are slaughtered every year so we can take our fill. It’s estimated that nine billion of those are chickens. Then you have 51 billion sea animals that are also killed for food.
With focus on costs, the way these animals are treated, in a lot of cases, is appalling.
I do have some good news.
The poker community seems to be aware of this. More importantly, they want to take action and make a difference.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion, Martin Jacobson, recently donated $250,000 to Raising for Effective Giving (REG). He was the main reason REG members were able to donate $369,053 between the months of Oct and Dec 2014.
Half of that $250,000 was specifically donated to animal welfare, and he is not the only player who wants to save the planet through his love for animals. At the time of the Swede’s generous donation The Humane League (THL) was the only animal welfare charity recommended by REG. That’s since been expanded to five animal charities including the meta-charity Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE).
REG should have known better.
Poker players do like to take care of their fish.
On a more general REG note 94.5% of the $369,053 ($348,777) was donated to specific charities. That left $20,276. 50% of that went to the meta-charities and 50% went towards the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) and the Center for Effective Altruism (CEA). The specific charities that benefited were Albert Schweitzer Foundation, Animal Charity Evaluators, Animal Equality, Animal Ethics, GBS Switzerland, GiveDirectly, GiveWell, Mercy for Animals, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative and the Humane League.
REG have so far been able to attract more than 100 members, and have so far raised over a half a million to combat human and animal suffering in the world.
