Ask the SM: Climate-Friendly Eating
“What does climate-friendly eating mean?”
The foods that we eat have a major impact on the environment. Food waste is a common topic for our team, but the growing, processing, and transportation of food is also incredibly important. Food systems alone account for 25-30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions! Climate-friendly eating is the shifting of our dietary habits towards foods that are less resource intensive and produce lower amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the best ways to adopt a climate-friendly diet is to prioritize plant-based meals. Animal proteins like beef, lamb, and pork produce significantly higher GHG emissions than plant-based proteins like beans and soy. In fact, 57% of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from animal derived foods, while only 14% comes from plant-derived foods!
Another way to eat climate-friendly is to eat local! Local foods require less transportation to get from farm to fork, while also supporting the local economy. Small and mid-sized farms also tend to have higher biodiversity compared to conventional agriculture, which improves the air, water, and soil quality while contributing to native wildlife and pollinators.
Lastly, you can adopt a climate-friendly diet by choosing sustainably or ethically sourced foods when possible. Sustainable certifications such as USDA Organic or Fair Trade indicate that a producer has undergone strict third-party auditing to ensure they follow sustainable agricultural practices.
Switching to a climate-friendly diet may seem intimidating, but it’s not all or nothing! Even small changes can make a big difference. If everyone in the U.S. went vegan for one day per week, it would have the same environmental impact as taking 7.6 million cars off the road!
Here are a few easy ways that you can adopt climate-friendly eating habits with CDS:
- Try a Coolfood Meal* or a dish from our daily vegan Plant Forward station in Chase and Top of Lenoir!
- Swap dairy milk for a plant-based alternative like almond, soy, oat, or pea milk.
- On Mondays, you can swap your regular burger for a Beyond Burger at Plant Forward in Chase.
- Use our Local Chalkboards to identify local products available in the dining halls.
- Try not to waste food! You can use the Pick Your Portion program to customize your plate based on your needs and hunger level.
*Click here to learn more about CoolFood Meals!