Embedded Files
title photo property of gettyimages royalty-free
Our ecological footprint (eco-footprint) in simple terms is how the actions that humans engage in affect our ecosystems, locally and globally. As an individual, many actions you take, from charging your phone or laptop and ordering takeout, to the way you eat or choose to commute, have impacts on the environment. Some of these actions have more obvious impacts, but others are often difficult to see, or go overlooked. Technology, such as phone applications, offer a convenient way for us to gain an awareness of our individual eco-footprints.
1. Need for Diet-Focused Eco-Footprint App
1. Need for Diet-Focused Eco-Footprint App
An article recently published in Science showed the drastic impacts of different foods that humans around the world most commonly consume.
Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the impacts of individual foods, from cheese and beef, to rice and nuts, were assessed - and you probably won't be surprised that the Standard American Diet weighs quite heavily on the planet!
Using significant metrics, including Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use, and Water Use, we can have a better understanding of what foods we should avoid in order to keep the impact of our diets low.
The most significant take-aways from current research in this area is that:
Plant-based diets have the lowest impact of any diet
Ruminants (mostly cows and sheep) emit large amounts of greenhouse gases
Animals require lots of water and land resources
Animal-based foods are a less eco-friendly micro/macronutrient delivery method when plant-based foods are an accessible option
Allowing people to easily keep track of their diet's approximate eco-footprint in real-time could allow them to be more conscious of it - and take action to mitigate it.
For a quick summation of ecological impacts of our diets, check out the above video!
2. Apps Can Lower Our Eco-Footprint?
2. Apps Can Lower Our Eco-Footprint?
Research shows that the use of technology, such as phone applications, can help alter human behavior.
There are a few ways in which apps can help change our behavior, especially when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
First, the app can help in closing knowledge gaps between the scientific community and the general public. Scientific articles may be important, but they aren't always accessible, or easy to read. Developers and scientists can work together to pre-digest material, which can then end up in people's hands through their phone.
Next, the use of visible metaphors, such as the Smiling Earth on the right, can help users to create an emotional attachment to the behaviors that are being made and their outcome.
Finally, adding a social element, whether that is a way for friends to keep track of each others' scores, or the implication of a social norm, can "gamify" the behavior and the use of the app. This can add an enjoyable level of competition that keeps users engaged in the behavior.
Smiling Earth image CC by 4.0 not changed in any way.
3. Curious? Start here:
3. Curious? Start here:
myPlate is a mobile-friendly web-app that (will) can allow you to cumulatively keep track of your diet's environmental impact through three key metrics - Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Water and Land Use
Users will have a personal landscape to "take care of" by keeping their dietary footprint low.
While it is still under construction, you can input your most recent meal or play around with different quantities and ingredients to estimate their impact!
myPlate is a collaboration with Dakotah Pettry
4. Footprint bigger than you'd like? Now what?
4. Footprint bigger than you'd like? Now what?
Barriers to adopting plant-based diets can often be as simple as not knowing what to eat when meat is taken out of the picture. Other barriers can stem from misconceptions about plant-based diets being insufficient for human health, or that people simply like the taste of animals too much.
Below are some Instagram profiles to help inspire you now that you'd like to reduce your eco-footprint.
Check out these Instagram profiles for plant-based cooking inspiration:
Still intimidated about incorporating more plant-based meals into your life?
Check out what this lazy grad student, who works full-time, and is neither a chef nor influencer eats:
References and Attributions
References and Attributions
Reducing Food's Environmental Impact Through Producers and Consumers
The Diet That Helps Fight Climate Change
www.ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food
Smiling Earth—Raising Awareness among Citizens for Behaviour Change to Reduce Carbon Footprint
A Comprehensive Review of the Benefits of and the Barriers to the Switch to a Plant-Based Diet
Page updated
Report abuse