Why Change What I Eat?
Food accounts for 10-30% of a U.S. household’s carbon footprint, and it is also often produced in resource-intensive ways that can be a drain on soil health and water supply, particularly in dry areas of the United States. Not to mention, food production can be embroiled in human rights violations in the United States and globally through unjust labor practices, forced relocation, pollution of drinking water, etc. It can be difficult to make huge shifts to your diet, but making simple choices a day at a time will really impact your carbon footprint and resource consumption.
Food is a great place to start changing your consumption patterns because your commitment level can start low and build up as you become more comfortable with diet changes. Any change you make will have big pay-outs for the lives of people working in the agricultural industry globally and also for the environment.
It’s crucial to educate ourselves on how our consumption choices affect the climate. Here is a guide to popular, but environmentally costly foods!
| Beef*6.6 lbs CO2 per serving1,875 gallons water per lb | Cheese2.45 lbs CO2 per serving600 gallons water per lb | Almonds2,126 gallons water per lb |
| Palm Oil**Palm oil production causes mass deforestation & labor exploitation | Butter13 lbs CO2 per lb | Shellfish*12.5 lbs CO2 per lbShellfish populations also threatened by overfishing. |
| Coffee55 gallons water per cupCoffee is linked to labor exploitation and deforestation. | Pork*9 lbs CO2 per serving728 gallons water per lb | Chocolate3,170 gallons water per lbChocolate is linked to labor exploitation and deforestation. |
*Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the best things to do for your personal carbon footprint. At the very least, switching to one vegetarian meal a week can save the equivalent of 1,160 miles of driving in the average car.
**Palm oil is widely used in processed foods and beauty products. It causes mass deforestation, which releases CO2 stored in carbon-rich rainforests and contributes to climate change, forced relocation of Indigenous peoples, and soil/ecosystem degradation. Check labels at the store!
How Do I Start?
Revamping your diet can seem like a big obstacle, because, as we all know, it is easy to stick with what you know. Once you are over that initial obstacle, it becomes fun and exciting. We’ve compiled a list of steps and tips to get you started:
- Eat more plants and less meat!
- You can begin trying new recipes or learn how you can make your go-to dish vegetarian/vegan.
- Try going vegetarian/vegan for a couple of days a week. This will ease you into the feeling.
- Explore all of the awesome meat alternatives.
- Eat more whole foods! Meat alternatives are great, but they add up in price. Focus on the addition of legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables into your diet. Check out this guide to eating sustainably on a budget.
- Eat with the seasons!
- Personally, I often feel the temptation to buy the blueberries that are in the grocery store in December. When you look closer, those berries were likely grown in South America and took a massive amount of fossil fuel transportation to reach your grocery store. Buy or pick your own blueberries when they are in season in your area. If you’re like me, and wish to eat them in December then freeze some of the blueberries you bought in season!
- Check out a local farmer’s market for fresh produce.
- If you are feeling ambitious, plant a garden! There is a lot of front load effort into a garden, but there are so many satisfying rewards to growing your own food. The planting calendar changes depending on your geographical location, so check out your state’s specific calendar here.
- Here are some budget-friendly vegan recipes to get you inspired!
Share Your Story
One of the most important things you can do to fight climate change is also one of the simplest: talk about it! Research shows that discussing the climate crisis with family and friends reinforces that the problem is real and the science unequivocal. Yet, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they rarely or never have those conversations. Share with your friends, family, and other community members about eating sustainably and the great benefits of it!
Let us know how you plan to make more sustainable food consumption choices. Tell us what changes you will be making. Use the power of social media and personal conversation to share your progress with your community and get others involved!
Sample Social Media Posts:
- “I just pledged to start living more sustainably by cutting red meat out of my diet! I learned about my food choices and their connection to climate change through the #HEREforClimate Eating Sustainably Toolkit! Check it out and learn how you can make more sustainable choices in your diet! [URL Link]”
- “We all have a personal responsibility to combat the global climate crisis and live more sustainably. Learn how you can take a personal action with the #HEREforClimate Eating Sustainability Toolkit!”
- “The #HEREforClimate Composting Toolkit made it easy to start making more sustainable choices in my daily life. I just pledged to go vegan three days a week. Find out what else you can do with the #HEREforClimate toolkit!”
Additional Resources
If you have more questions about food consumption in a changing climate and are looking for more general information, facts, and ideas on what to eat check out this piece by The New York Times.
Connections between environmental justice, sustainability, and the history of farming in the United States.
- Blog explaining the inherent links between these themes on the Union of Concerned Scientists website.
- Learn more about food sovereignty.
Want to learn more about meatless meat? Check out this VOX article.
Check out #HEREforCimate’s Composting Toolkit to learn more about the hazards of food waste and what you can do to help
Looking for more? Find a full list of resources regarding climate action and sustainability here.