Eat More Plant-Based Meals

Impact

Cost

We all share one thing that can have a significant impact on climate change: the food we eat. Making changes to your eating habits can be done at your own pace and with little financial investment — but it can have a big climate impact! For example, Energize Acton estimates that a household can reduce its carbon emissions by approximately 0.6 tons/year on average by eating less meat and cheese.

An analysis of common protein sources (see Environmental Working Group) shows the climate impacts of various foods. (For more metrics, see a major study published in 2018 in the journal Science that calculated the average greenhouse gas emissions associated with various foods.) Taking into account production emissions and post-farm emissions (processing, transport, retail, cooking, and waste disposal), it is clear that getting meat to the dinner table generates a lot more greenhouse gases per kilogram than plant-based proteins.

Make the commitment to eating fewer foods with large climate impact and incorporate more plant-based dishes into your meals! This chart can guide you to lower-impact foods.

Plant-based proteins, such as beans, nuts, grains, and soy tend to be the most climate friendly of all. There are many great vegetarian recipes available; look for them online, or buy a vegetarian cookbook and try out some recipes. Plant-based prepared foods have exploded in number and variety — look around on your grocery shelves. An easy start might be to make Meatless Monday a family tradition; note that many restaurants have great vegetarian options. Decreasing meat and dairy intake and increasing plant-based choices is entirely doable — and those choices are very often more healthful. (For example, significant consumption of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other plant-based, whole foods can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risks of chronic disease.

Keep in mind that food consumption is often only a fraction of a person’s total climate impact — there are also flying, driving, and home energy use to consider. For more on this, see the Calculate Your Carbon Footprint Action. But dietary changes are often one of the quickest and most direct ways to reduce our contributions to climate change.

Steps to Take

1. Consider the commitment to eating fewer animal products a lifestyle change that you can maintain over the long run. Go at your own pace, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. And remember that plant-based foods are not only better for the planet — they can also be great for your health.

2. Review the climate impacts of various foods from the Environmental Working Group or other similar organizations. Choose foods with less carbon impact.

3. First up: consider reducing (or eliminating) beef in your diet; then, try to move down the list of foods with the highest climate impacts, such as lamb, cheese, and pork.

4. Commit to plant-based meals one or more times a week and do your best to stick with it.

5. Keep your pantry stocked with go-to vegetarian ingredients for favorite recipes. Gradually increase consumption of your favorite plant-based meals, and enjoy experimenting with new ones!

6. Once your household has routinely incorporated vegetarian meals, introduce some vegan recipes.

7. Spread the word and connect with others who are reducing their meat and/or dairy consumption. Consider serving vegetarian at your next dinner party or family gathering, and talk about food’s climate impacts — many people are unaware of the climate impact of their food choices.

Deep Dive

Energize Acton estimates that a household can reduce its carbon emissions by approximately 0.6 tons/year on average by eating less meat and cheese — based on the MassEnergize Carbon Calculator Methodology. That method assumed a 20% reduction from the 1.4 tons of CO2e emissions for the average American diet in 2009, and the average Massachusetts household size of 2.53. Data on the average American diet come from the World Resources Institute’s 2016 report Shifting diets for a sustainable future. These estimates are for food production.

What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan? Vegetarian is a broad term for excluding meat from your diet. A vegetarian diet will exclude meat but may include eggs and dairy (aka, lacto-ovo vegetarian).

A vegan diet strictly avoids any foods that contain animal products, including dairy and eggs. Dairy is another food category with a big climate and environmental footprint. Once you become familiar with meatless recipes, try adding vegan recipes into your repertoire. Vegan options have exploded in the grocery store: plant-based cheeses, yogurts, and meat substitutes have greatly improved in quality and taste. Sometimes, vegan options are very close to the “originals”: The New York Times has an excellent Mexican chocolate pudding recipe by famed chef Mark Bittman that uses tofu and is impossible to distinguish from the traditional recipe!

There are many online resources; here is a sampling:

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-vegetarian-vegan-cookbooks.html

https://guidetovegan.com/going-vegan/

https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/how-go-vegan

https://thegreenloot.com/going-vegan-guide-beginners/