Change Your Lifestyle, Change the World: Plant-Based for The Planet

Posted by Cole Adam on February 19, 2021

Climate experts warn that if we don’t change our current pattern of consumption, we will continue to see the devastating effects of climate change. Earth is already experiencing the hottest temperatures in recorded history, rapidly melting ice sheets, extreme drought and wildfires, increasingly powerful hurricanes, and tropical storms, as well as extreme flooding. Climate change is undoubtedly affecting our outdoor industries in Colorado. One study, published in 2017, found that climate change will shorten the winter recreation season across the U.S., with half as many downhill skiing days in some places by 2050 and up to 80 percent fewer by 2090. While governments and corporations can be slow to change, there is much we can do right now to reduce our carbon footprint. Switching to energy-efficient appliances, supporting solar and wind energy, driving/flying less, switching to a vegan plant-based diet, and voting for politicians with strong climate agendas are all good changes, but one of the best things we can do right now is change our diet.

Plant-Based Diet Impact on the Environment

There’s a growing awareness of how our diet impacts the environment. This is in response to a growing amount of research showing that diets rich in meat and dairy are far less sustainable compared to diets centered around plants. The vegan plant-based diet impacts on the environment are so convincing that virtually all major environmental groups are now promoting vegan plant-based diets, including Greenpeace International, the United Nations Environment Program, the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club.^1-4

WHY EXACTLY IS A PLANT-BASED DIET BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

It largely comes down to the fact that breeding and raising billions of animals for human consumption requires far more resources and produces far more emissions and waste compared to growing plants directly for human consumption.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers:

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that livestock account for 14-18% of all greenhouse gas emissions.^5-6 Other researchers estimate this number to be much higher, possibly around 50%.⁷ Either way, these amounts are greater than the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the entire global transportation sector. In other words, cows, pigs and chickens create more greenhouse gasses than all the world’s planes, trains and automobiles. If everyone shifted to a vegan plant-based diet we could reduce food greenhouse gas emissions by 49%.⁸

LAND USE

Agriculture uses 50% of the earth’s habitable land. Of that, 77% is used for meat and dairy production, whereas only 23% is used to grow plants for human consumption.⁹ Despite this, meat and dairy only account for 18% of global calories produced and 37% of global protein produced. Growing plants directly for human consumption is simply more resource efficient in that we get more calories and protein using less land. This is important because animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation worldwide.⁵ If we all shifted to a vegan plant-based diet, we would reduce agriculture land use by 75%.⁸ The land no longer needed for animal agriculture could then be restored back to native habitat, which would help preserve biodiversity, reduce habitat loss of wild species, and remove an extra 8.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the following 100 years, making this plant-based diet impact on the environment one of the most efficient.⁸

WATER USE

It is estimated that animal agriculture accounts for 27% of global water use.¹⁰ And on average, producing one calorie of animal products (meat, eggs, dairy, fish) requires five times more water than producing one calorie of plants (beans, grains, fruits, veggies).¹⁰ In fact, it takes 5,000 gallons of water just to produce a pound of beef and roughly 1,000 gallons of water to produce one gallon of cow’s milk.^11-12 Switching to a plant-based diet would reduce freshwater withdrawals by 19%, which would preserve freshwater for human consumption.⁸

WATER PRODUCTION

Roughly 10 billion land animals are raised for meat, eggs, and dairy in the U.S. alone. The USDA estimates that these animals produce 450 million tons of manure each year—three times more waste than the entire U.S. human population.¹³ All of this waste pollutes the land, water and air leading to contaminated waterways, ocean dead zones and local air-quality issues.

OCEAN HEALTH

The FAO estimates that 77% of ocean fish stocks are fully exploited or worse.¹⁴ This is due to overfishing—removing fish species from the ocean faster than they can reproduce and maintain their population. Although some fish species may be labeled as “sustainable,” this has more to do with marketing than actual fish populations. As Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson states, “There is no such thing as sustainable seafood in a dying ocean.”

THE BOTTOM LINE

Realizing the massive burden animal agriculture places on the environment, many people have turned to animal products labeled as “organic,” “grass fed” or “sustainably raised.” This is classic greenwashing. Research suggests these animal products are no better for the environment than conventionally produced options.^15-16 Another common diet recommendation is to eat local. Yet on average, for food, transportation only accounts for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, if you only ate locally but kept eating meat and dairy, you would only reduce your environmental burden by a maximum of 5%. This is why the best way to “eat green” is to eat fewer animals and more plants, regardless of where these products were produced. That being said, buying local, vegan plant-based diet foods is a great way to support our local economy and reduce our environmental burden.

In 2019, 37 of the world’s leading scientists published the EAT-Lancet Report and Planetary Health Diet.¹⁸ The report encourages a global shift away from animal products toward a more plant-based diet for the sake of our environment, human health and in order to feed our growing population. Although some populations throughout the world rely on animal products as an essential part of their diet, most people in developed countries do not. When we go to the grocery store, we can choose beans instead of beef, plant-based milks instead of cow’s milk, and fill our cart with a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Doing so is not only better for our health but also the health of our planet.

YAYE Organics Meal Subscriptions Support a Vegan Plant-Based Diet

As detailed in the article above, the plant-based diet’s impact on the environment is significant for a number of reasons. At YAYE, we strive to make the earth a better place, while also bettering the health of every individual along the way. Our plant-based meal subscriptions are made with fresh farmed, nutrient-dense, and sustainable ingredients. When you sign up for our meal plans, you have the ability to choose from rotating plant-based meal options and the choice to cut down on packaging waste with our Reusable Container Program. Make a positive impact on your health and the environment with YAYE’s organic meal delivery services.

We should all love the earth – it is our planet. Here's a little inspiration from Lil' Dicky, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Zac Brown, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, Adam Levine, Shawn Mendes, Sia, Miley Cyrus, Lil Jon, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor and more. Have a great day YA•YE Gang!

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