Washington (GGM) Analysis | June 8, 2021 by Sarah J. Kings

Many of us know about the widely successful climate campaign #Change1Thing. The idea is fantastic. People need to feel empowered; we need to feel like there is something we can do to combat the massive problem we are facing. #Change1Thing does that! With each metal straw and every reusable bag, consumers feel like they are slowly turning the wheels in the right direction. Still, if you are looking at your latest zero waste purchase, and wondering if this is enough to reduce your carbon footprint, then you’re in the right place.  

Let’s think about plastic bags. These single-use shopping bags produce 6 kg of CO2 per kg of plastic used to create them. When you swap out plastic with your favorite reusable tote at the grocery store, you make an impact. However, you could quadruple that impact, only by switching up what goes in that tote as well—according to the Environmental Working Group, EWG, lamb and beef combined produce nearly 67kg of CO2 per kg consumed. In contrast, foods like tofu and broccoli produce only 2 kg of CO2per kg consumed. Foods like lentils are even more environmentally friendly, coming in at only .9 kilograms.

Environmental Working Group – Meat Eater’s Guide Report

Switching to a plant-based, vegan, or vegetarian diet is one of the most powerful changes you can personally make to combat the climate crisis. If this all sounds lovely to you, but you can’t quite see yourself being vegan just yet, that’s okay. Making one plant-based change to your daily routine can still have a significant impact. After all, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has reported that the greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture are comparable to those produced by residential and commercial activities. That means, if everyone ditched meat and dairy for the year, it would be like we all turned the gas and electric off in our homes and businesses for that year too! 

© Copyright 2018 – 2021. ALL Rights Reserved.

---