This year, let's choose foods that nourish both our bodies and the planet.
What's for lunch?
The food you eat is one of your biggest sources of climate emissions. But with a new year often comes resolutions around the way we eat. This year, let's choose foods that nourish both our bodies and the planet.
The level at which food and climate change are interwoven may surprise you. In fact, the way in which we produce, consume and waste food are some of the most harmful human activities we do to our planet.
We clear cut land for agriculture and use chemicals that poison our water and air to grow more food faster. Food, agriculture and land use are responsible for 24% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. And after it’s produced, one third of all of our food in the U.S. goes to waste. If we used all of this food instead of tossing it, we could feed every food insecure family, 8 times over.
All of this is deteriorating the planet, and these consequences of a changing planet - between floods, droughts, and other natural disasters - are impacting the world’s food supply. Reducing this harmful cycle and securing future food on a changing planet will require a changing food system.
Make an Impact: Change What's on Your Plate
By reducing the amount of food you waste and adopting a plant-based diet, you can save 2X more carbon emissions than recycling, switching to LED lighting, getting a hybrid car, and installing rooftop solar - combined.
Start by switching out a few protein sources in your meals each week for plant-based ones! As you can see from the chart above, swapping beef for tofu can lower your meal's carbon footprint 17x!
Food in a landfill emits methane - a greenhouse gas more harmful than carbon dioxide.
Composting at home is a great way to repurpose all of your kitchen food scraps and reduce your emissions.
Use the Breaking Boundaries tool to calculate how many emissions you could be saving each month by swapping in a few plant-based meals. >>Calculate Your Footprint
There are lots of ways you can reduce the amount of food you waste!
> "Sell by dates" are usually just suggestions for peak quality by the manufacturer. Many foods can still be safely consumed after the date listed. Always try the smell test to see if food is still good!
> Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. You're more likely to buy more food than you actually need.
> Take some time over the weekend to meal prep. Planning recipes for the week ahead can help you buy only the food you plan on cooking.
