What we eat impacts our climate!  Fossil fuel burning equipment,  packing materials, refrigeration, transportation, fertilizers,  and the use of nearly half of all agricultural land to support our appetite for meat accounts for 18-20 percent of GHG emissions annually. What we eat and how we handle food waste are top contributors to climate change.  An average of 6-25 kg of CO2 eq. are associated with 3.5 oz. of animal protein compared to 0.36-1.6 kg of CO2 eq. to produce 3.5 oz. of plant protein.  Buying food produced locally saves transportation and refrigeration emissions.  Better yet, support local farmers practicing regenerative agriculture that rebuilds soil health, captures carbon and yields nutrionally dense foods. 

FACTS:

• Overconsumption of animal protein is ranked as #4 in contributing to the climate crisis

• 50 grams of beef has 17.7 kilograms GHG impact compared to 50 grams of beans with a 0.4 GHG impact

• Food waste is considered to the #3 contributor to carbon emissions

• Emissions from global food miles account for about half of the direct emissions from road vehicles

SOLUTIONS:

• Eat a plant rich diet

• Source meat from farms practicing regenerative agriculture

• Plant a vegetable garden

• Replace high impact animal protein with low impact plant protein

• Cook creatively, use leftovers, and compost

• Buy food from local farmers or join a CSA

• Buy bulk foods, avoiding disposable and non-recyclable packaging

Used with permission from - RegenAll.org