Recently I was invited by Redfin to collaborate on their article "17 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home". While preparing for this, I did some research on environmental impact of a vegan lifestyle and discovered some interesting facts that I thought were worth sharing.
Read the full article here.
According to a study conducted by University of Oxford, a vegan diet is the “single biggest measure” that can be taken to reduce environmental pollution. The researchers found that not eating meat and dairy products can reduce a person’s carbon footprint by up to 73%.
If all people worldwide were to stop eating meat products, the area of land used for global agriculture could be reduced by around 75%. This would correspond to the combined size of the USA, China, Australia and the EU; such a reduction would lead to a significant decline in greenhouse gas emissions. The remaining agricultural land would be sufficient to feed the world’s population, according to scientists. The loss of natural habitat due to agriculture is the main cause of the current mass extinction of wildlife.
According to Joseph Poore, research director and lead author of the study, a vegan diet is the best way to reduce an individual’s environmental footprint. The consumption of plant-based foods not only reduces greenhouse gases, but also global acidification, eutrophication, and land and water use.
The effect is “far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,” he explained, since the latter would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Avoiding consumption of animal products delivers far better environmental benefits than trying to purchase sustainable meat and dairy,” he added.
If the solution is so simple, why are more people not becoming vegan, you may ask? Not only they would be helping the planet, but their health will benefit from it as well. There are a lot of reasons (or excuses, if you will) why people would not stop eating animal products. One myth that I am trying to break is that plant-based food doesn't taste good. Nothing could be further from the truth! All you have to do is try one of our recipes to be convinced and see for yourself.
So, what else can you do to reduce your environmental footprint besides eating more veggies? Read the full article here.
Julia
What is your opinion on this subject? Let me know!