Everyone knows the age old adage “you are what you eat,� but with the ever-growing food industry, the environment is also being affected by what we eat. It is no longer solely our bodies that are positively or negatively affected by the food choices we have to make every day. This change in food consumerism has naturally pushed a huge focus on figuring out what industries are hurting Mother Earth and reaching out to consumers to be aware of their food choices. Despite how dauntingly large the food industry is, this is an issue that can be solved by the knowledge and choices of individuals.

Although delicious and often addictive, beef production is one of the worst things we have done to the environment. The production of beef has had a massively negative impact land, water, and energy usage. In regards to land use and compared to that of other meat production – chicken, fish, pork – beef production uses 28% more land per calorie consumed.¹ According the the World Research Institute, “One-quarter of the Earth’s landmass, excluding Antarctica, is used as pasture-land.â€�¹.² Much of said land includes area that was deforested, detrimentally, for usage.

On average, beef uses 1,800 gallons of water to produce only one pound of beef. The average American eats about 167 pounds of beef per year, while the rest of the world eats about 50-55 pounds per year.² Regardless of how necessary it is to use all this water for production, cities around the globe are facing water crises while there is not any sort of crises for the demand of beef – and likely there never will be. Finally, beef production uses a mass amount of energy both in direct energy – electrical energy – and indirect energy – feeds, machinery, building energy, and human labor. While traditional pastoralists – cattle farmers – do exist and use many native and responsible techniques to farm cattle, they only make up a tiny fraction of the worlds beef source. Overall there is just too much beef being produced for our earth to sustain.

Although not as significant as beef production, there are many other animal products that have a negative impact on the environment. Some of these products include cheese, salmon, tuna, chicken, and eggs. While not as inherently harmful as beef, these products are over-produced in many parts of the world and they are not produced in an environmentally friendly manner. There are often no techniques in place to minimize impact in water, land, or energy usage, although there are many options out there for more sustainable practices.

Unfortunately, there are also negative impacts in many non-meat foods. There are some foods that naturally take much more resources to produce than the land they are grown in can provide. For example, about 80% of the world’s almonds come from California which has been and is in a serious drought.³ A much more sustainable alternative would be to grow almonds in an area where water sources are more abundant than in that of a state which is half desert. Some other large-impact foods include rice, bread, and avocados, simply due to over-consumption and irresponsible growth techniques.

In addition to the initial production of all types of foods, there is also a huge industry in packaging. Millions of pounds of plastic are used each year to package all sorts of goods, some that don’t even need to be covered in plastic – certain vegetables, fruits, grains, breads, etc. An incredible amount of resources go into producing plastic for food products, most of which is unnecessarily wasteful.

All of this may seem incredibly daunting, but there are solutions and changes every individual can make to positively steer this course in a different direction! Ultimately creating more sustainable production methods is ideal, but in the meantime here are some steps any person can take to help:

– Be aware! This is the simplest way to become a positive – or neutral – force of change. Take a look in the pantry or refrigerator and examine what might have a large impact on the environment. Decide if any of it can be completely cut out or if any of these items have more sustainable alternatives.

– Buy local products. Products sold at farmers markets and local businesses almost guarantee a lesser environmental impact. This also will support a stronger local economy!

– Buy in bulk. Many grocery store nowadays offer bulk sections in which they sell all sorts of grains, rice, beans, chips, and much more! This allows for people to even bring in their own reusable containers to fill.

– Use reusables! There are so many options available including reusable produce bags, grocery bags, and containers or bags for items bought in bulk.

– Cut down on eating meat. Going fully vegetarian is not necessary (unless desired!), but it is vital that we all cut down on the meat eating. Try eating meat only once or twice a week at first, and see how it feels!

These are the easiest ways to contribute to a more sustainable environment through food choices. In a world that is only increasing in population, it is important to make these changes now so they can ultimately become the norm!

Craig Scott is the editor at Green & Growing. He loves to spend all the time he can outdoors and find every excuse to leave his house. He writes about everything from backyard DIY projects to what solar panel is most efficient. If you can’t get a hold of him, he’s probably on a trail or a boat. You can check out Green & Growing on Facebook.

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