Earth Week Climate Challenge #1: Green Your Food

Green your food. The food you choose is important. It’s important to your health, obviously. But it’s also important to the health of your family, your community—and your planet. It’s true. Choose your food wisely and you can make a difference for our climate. And if we all work together, we can make a real impact.

A study published in March shows that a global shift to a vegetarian diet would cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by nearly two-thirds. This clearly demonstrates the huge—and hugely damaging—impact that intensive meat production has on our climate. Of course, no one expects that the entire world will go vegetarian overnight. But if the world simply switched to a mostly vegetarian diet and reduced meat consumption to fit within current health guidelines, that could reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third.

So where to start? Spring is a great time to head over to your local farmers market, pick out some wonderful seasonal produce and add a vegetarian or vegan meal to your week. And if you’re already following a vegetarian or vegan diet, consider hosting a vegetarian dinner party for neighbors or starting a cooking group with friends. You’ll build community while you help the climate!