Plant-Based Diets and Sustainability

How do plant-based diets help the environment?

There’s no doubt about it. Large-scale industrial farming is unquestionably harmful for animals and for the environment. The more cheap meat and animal products are produced for mass consumption, the more resources are depleted and the more our climate is threatened.

Here are some of the main ways that eating a more plant-based diet can reduce your environmental impact:

Global warming

Factory farming is a major contributor to the global greenhouse gas emissions that hasten climate change, releasing methane as a result of livestock digestion, for instance, as well as nitric oxide pollution from fertilizer.

Going vegan could result in 87% fewer greenhouse gases compared to the average American diet heavy in meat and dairy.

According to research from 2022, if we were to collectively switch to a plant-based food system, this would cancel out enough greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors to effectively pause climate change for 30 to 50 years. (1, 2)

Deforestation

Livestock farming is an incredibly inefficient use of resources, including land.

According to earth.org, the primary culprit behind global deforestation is beef production, with the land being cleared for grazing and feed supply accounting for 41% of deforestation, or approximately 16.4 million trees felled per day. (3, 4)

This is further significant since forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it into the soil.

By decreasing the demand for animal grazing and the vast amount of crops needed to feed them, a plant-based movement could help prevent this level of deforestation.

Water usage

Our usable freshwater is in limited supply. And animal agriculture is inevitably going to require more water usage than plant systems, since water is required both for the animals themselves and to produce the crops that go toward feeding them. What’s more, animal agriculture is also a major polluter of our waterways as well. (5)

By switching to a plant-based diet, you could reduce your water footprint by up to 50%

Overall, it’s estimated that agriculture (including crops for feed) is responsible for 70% of freshwater reserves, with meat and dairy being responsible for 30-40% of those demands. (6, 7) When you consider that animal agriculture contributes to only 18% of the world’s calories, it doesn’t seem worth the cost.

By switching to a plant-based diet, you could reduce your water footprint by up to 50%. (8) As an example, a single pound of beef requires an average of 1,800 gallons of water to produce, while the same amount of tofu requires only 302 gallons.

Monocultures

Animal ag requires an enormous amount of feed, usually in the form of crops like corn and soy. This contributes to a great deal of monoculture farming (farming that only produces one type of crop), which can produce a high yield of food but is also associated with higher use of pesticides and fertilizer, an increase in soil degradation, and a decrease in pollinators and biodiversity, which are crucial to a flourishing environment.

Because roughly 75-80% of agricultural land is used toward animal agriculture needs, less reliance on animals for our food sources could free up land for more beneficial uses.

What is the most environmentally-friendly diet?

According to another metric, going vegan could result in 87% fewer greenhouse gases compared to the average American diet heavy in meat and dairy. (9)

Across the board, plant-based diets require less water, less land, and fewer resources, while polluting and emitting less compared to meat-centric diets. By reducing or eliminating the animal foods you consume, you stand to dramatically lessen your environmental impact.

This might look like a vegan or vegetarian diet, or it could look like a mostly plant-forward, flexitarian diet. Start wherever’s right for you, whether it’s meatless Mondays or switching to plant-based milks.

In order to stick with your plant-based goals, you’ll want to make sure your food tastes good, so be sure to use plenty of fresh herbs and spices

In particular, legumes like beans, chickpeas, and lentils are a great source of nutrient-dense, plant-based protein, and these crops even have nitrogen-fixing properties that benefit the soil. Because dried beans and grains are shelf-stable, they can also help reduce food waste from spoilage.

Other climate-friendly foods include nuts, seeds, mushrooms, grains, pseudo-grains like quinoa, root vegetables, algae like spirulina, citrus, apples, and anything home grown.

Reducing transportation and distribution emissions by focusing on local, seasonal foods produced on small, organic farms with regenerative practices is always your best bet.

Ways to get more protein on a plant-based diet

It’s a common misconception that you can’t get enough protein as a vegan or vegetarian, but you should be aware of your nutrient needs any time you introduce a major shift in what you eat. Other nutrients to be intentional about if you go plant-based include vitamin B12, vitamin D, and Omega-3s.

Because dried beans and grains are shelf-stable, they can also help reduce food waste from spoilage

→ In particular, since many plant proteins are not “complete proteins” containing all of the essential amino acids, it’s a good idea to eat a wide range of plants and combine sources to create complete proteins—like rice and beans, a classic pairing.

→ You might want to snack strategically, swapping chips for a salty snack like Chili Lime Cashews or a Nut and Seed Mix for an extra hit of macronutrients.

→ In addition, it’s a good idea to introduce a protein shake or smoothie if you need an extra boost of protein. We sell a variety of plant-based protein powders (like Vanilla Lacuma and Chocolate Maca) that are also refillable at our package-free stores or on re_ online.

→ In order to stick with your plant-based goals, you’ll want to make sure your food tastes good, so be sure to use plenty of fresh herbs and spices to build flavor in your meals! Try our Spice Bundle to start your zero-waste spice rack.

We’re not here to tell anyone what to eat. We serve everyone in our package-free locations, and we even offer staples like eggs, milk, and tinned seafood to help our customers find the most sustainable options available. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to eat sustainably, wherever they are in that process.

Sources:

1. This is how much meat and dairy hurt the climate | Vox
2. Rapid global phaseout of animal agriculture has the potential to stabilize greenhouse gas levels for 30 years and offset 68 percent of CO2 emissions this century | PLOS Climate
3. Earth.Org
4. Drivers of Deforestation - Our World in Data
5. Multi-pollutant assessment of river pollution from livestock production worldwide - ScienceDirect
6. AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture
7. The devastating water footprint of animal agriculture
8. Plant-Based Diets: Be Healthier while Reducing Your Water Footprint
9. Climate-Friendly Food Guide