Plant-Based is Planet Friendly
Better health, compassion for other animals, weight loss - these are all reasons people choose a plant-based or vegan diet. What many people may not know is that adopting a plant-based diet immediately lessens your ecological footprint. A plant-based diet requires less land, water, and energy than a meat-based diet and can help combat the most pressing environmental issue of our time: global climate change.
Did you know that livestock production is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization? This is more than the entire transportation sector, including cars, buses, and airplanes.
Animal agriculture is also a major driver of habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity. The clearing of land for animal grazing and feed production is a leading cause of deforestation, particularly in the Amazon rainforest.
Deforestation in the Amazon for Cattle Ranching - Photo Credit Matt Zimmerman
According to a study a study by sustainability nonprofit Ceres, the raising and production of livestock is the largest contributor to water pollution globally. Waste and manure from factory farms is often washed into nearby lakes and rivers after it rains or snows causing eutrophication, an overgrowth of algae, that leads to large “dead zones” where there is no oxygen and, as a result, few to no living organisms. Eating lower on the food chain also requires less water; eating a plant-based diet can reduce water needed for food production by almost 50%.
Eutrophication caused from livestock waste running off into a nearby lake - Photo Credit: Dr. Jennifer L. Graham | U.S. Geological Survey
The good news? Even replacing a few meals a week with plant based meals can significantly lessen your environmental impact! According to the University of Colorado Environmental Center, each meatless meal you eat can save 133 gallons of water and each time you participate in a Meatless Monday you reduce emissions the same as driving 348 fewer miles in a car. So grab your pots and pans and join me in the kitchen - let’s whip up some delicious eco-friendly plant-based dishes!
