Did you know that changing to a plant-based diet can help reduce climate change?
Choosing even one meatless meal each week can make a positive difference for our planet by reducing carbon emissions and lessoning the demand for environmental resources including land, water, and energy. Currently, livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, planes, and trains in the world combined according to the Meatless Mondays Campaign in association with the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. If that’s not enough, here’s a few more facts:
It takes nearly 1,850 gallons of fresh water to produce one pound of beef compared to 39 gallons of water for one pound of vegetables.
Livestock production uses 75% of all agricultural land.
More than half of all food generated greenhouse gas emissions come from animal products.
Meat and dairy consumption accounts for nearly two-thirds of each person’s carbon footprint.
MAKE IT YOUR ONE THING:
Giving up animal products one day a week does make a difference decreasing your environmental food impact by 15%. In fact if everyone in the United States participated in Meatless Mondays giving up meat and dairy just once each week, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road or not driving 91 billion miles! National Catholic Reporter Online
For more information including recipes, resources, and ways to start a program in your community visit the Meatless Mondays Campaign in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Give it a try and MAKE IT YOUR ONE THING.