Does eating plant-based really make a difference? Yes! Shifting to a vegan or vegetarian diet is one of the best ways to mitigate climate change and promote the health of our planet. By changing your diet to include more fruits, vegetables, and grains, and less meat and dairy, you can significantly lower your carbon footprint and protect the Earth’s future.
Reduce Pollution
According to a report by GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the 5 biggest global meat and dairy producers emit more combined greenhouse gasses than ExxonMobil, Shell, or BP. The meat industry in particular is two times more responsible for greenhouse gas emissions than the fruit, vegetable, and grain industry. That’s a whopping 57% of global greenhouse gas emissions resulting from meat and dairy production. Although it may seem daunting, by choosing not to support these industries you are one less person contributing to meat and dairy related pollution.
Save Resources
Switching to plant-based also saves resources! Food production is responsible for 80% of deforestation and is the greatest contributor to the loss of biodiversity. Out of all this agricultural land, the majority is taken up by meat and dairy. Raising livestock requires a lot of land, a lot of food, and a lot of water to grow that food. It actually takes 23% more water to create 1kg of beef than 1 kg of grain. The amount of land-use required to make your food can be reduced by 76% if you switch to mostly grains and vegetables.
There’s a reason vegetarian diets are gaining popularity. Eating plant-based is one of the simplest ways to reduce your environmental impact. According to research from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a global shift to plant based diets could reduce greenhouse gasses associated with food production by 70%. Here at Sun and Swell, we think those decisions matter. Everything in our Zero-Waste Pantry is not only vegan/plant-based, but packaged in 100% compostable packaging. We are just one small family company and you are just one consumer, but together we can make a difference.
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