If you’re reading Carbonfeet, you’re probably interested in cutting your carbon footprint. Well, probably the single biggest carbon reduction you can make is to go vegan: to cut out meat, fish, dairy, and other animal products from your diet. For the average Western meat-eater, switching to a vegetarian diet can save around 1 ton/year of carbon (according to University of Chicago figures). Cutting out dairy as well will reduce it by another ton – that’s a total of 2 tons of carbon, or the equivalent of three trans-atlantic flights. Not bad going! The Global Footprint Network agrees: what you eat and buy has pretty much as big an effect on your footprint as travel and housing.
Cutting meat out altogether is a big change, and it might seem a bit overwhelming to think about. But, as with most green lifestyle changes, you don’t have to go from carnivore to veggie overnight. Two meat-free days a week still works out at about a quarter of a ton of carbon saved per year; and you may find it has a positive impact on your health (and your bank balance!) as well.
If you are cutting down on meat, here’s some pointers to think about:
- Vegetarian sources of protein include beans and lentils, tofu (also seitan, tempeh, and other soya products), nuts, and seeds. Look for recipes that include these to make sure you don’t get hungry. You can of course also eat dairy, but be aware that it is nearly as high-carbon as red meat.
- Avoid the ‘fake meat’ section of your local supermarket to start with. Veggie sausages can be really tasty, but they don’t taste like meat, and if you’re used to eating meat, you may be underimpressed.
- Look for vegetarian recipes, rather than just cutting the meat out of your existing favourites. Instead of seeing a big gap where the meat used to be, you’ll be eating exciting, new recipes full of taste. There are plenty of great veggie recipes for things like pasta, stir-fry, chilli, and other favourites.
- Take it as an opportunity to experiment with new foods! I’ll be writing more about this in future.
You may have seen the an argument that certain forms of meat and dairy – locally-produced, sustainably farmed (eating grass), on land that isn’t usable for anything else – may be an important part of low-carbon sustainable eating. The problem is, for the vast majority of people, it’s simply not possible to eat this sort of produce. I investigated the carbon footprint of cheese a while ago, and concluded that ‘local’ alone isn’t enough to make it better than pulses – even if you’re shipping the pulses in from overseas, as is the case in the UK. Most of the carbon footprint is in the production stages. It may be that if your sheep, cows, goats, or whatever are grass-fed, living on organically-managed arable land, you can lower that figure significantly. But that’s certainly not the meat you’re buying even in your local wholefood shop. If you’re thinking about long-term sustainable food strategies, it should certainly be considered. If you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint right now: stick with the veggies.
The important thing to remember is: every little helps. Even just reducing or cutting out red meat is a good step, as red meat is pretty much the most carbon-intensive form of protein going. If you can’t bear to give up meat altogether, start eating more poultry and fish, buy organic and locally-reared meat, make the most of your leftovers; and challenge yourself to start making more of the veggie options available as you gradually lower your carbon food-print.
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