Four Food Habits that Impact Climate Change

Four Food Habits that Impact Climate Change

When we think about the actions that impact climate change, most of us think of transportation, manufacturing, fossil fuels, and electricity (generation). But, believe it or not, our food habits are a major contributor to emissions and hence climate change. As a matter of fact, Drawdown, by Paul Hawken, has ranked Reduced Food Waste and Plant-Rich Diet as numbers 3 and 4 in the top 100 most sustainable solutions to reverse global warming! To get a sense of the other solutions that top the list, below are the top 10 from the book:

1. Refrigeration
2. Wind Turbines (Onshore)
3. Reduced Food Waste
4. Plant-Rich Diet
5. Tropical Forests
6. Educating Girls
7. Family Planning
8. Solar Farms
9. Silvopasture
10. Rooftop Solar

So, what can WE do with our food habits to slow climate change?

There are four primary areas in which we can have a significant impact:

1. Our Diet
2. Our Purchasing Habits (Food Mileage)
3. Our Food Waste Amount
4. Our Food Waste Actions

Our Diet:

Let’s start with our diet. Depending on the food that we eat, the energy (and hence emissions that impact climate change) required to grow, harvest, process, transport, and store that food differs significantly. The following chart from Shrink That Footprint shows the significant difference in emissions based on diet.

Diet impacts Emission Footprint

In general, meat and animal products (milk, eggs, etc.) require more energy than fruits and vegetables. And red meat requires more energy than white meat.

Our Purchasing Habits (Food Mileage):

The transportation of food is a significant contributor to food related emissions. As a general rule of thumb, food transported across the country (in the US), will use 10 times more energy than food sourced within a 100 mile radius. One study below aligns with this statistic. A meal in Iowa containing ingredients that were bought from the conventional food chain required 5-17 times more energy (and CO2 emissions) than a meal that was created using food grown/produced within a 74 km (average) radius.

Buying Local to Reduce Emissions

Certainly, it can be a big challenge to purchase all food from within a 100 mile radius, but if you focus on buying as much as possible from within that radius you will be doing your part to reduce the impacts of “Food Mileage”. Utilize local farmer’s markets, be conscious of “local” food in your supermarket, and maybe grow a few items in your own back yard!

Our Food Waste Amount:

We waste 33% of our food that is grown / produced worldwide (source: Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University ). Of that 33%, 2/3 is wasted before it ever reaches our home – but 1/3 is wasted within our homes. That means that we waste 11% of the food grown / produced worldwide in our homes. This is the part that we have direct control over. Typically, this waste is due to food spoiling in the refrigerator, molding bread, leftovers tossed, and plates that are not ‘cleaned’.

So, how does this wasted food impact emissions and climate change? If 11% of the food that is grown / produced is never eaten, we are wasting the energy (and hence emissions that impact climate change) used to product that additional food in the first place. By reducing our waste, we reduce the extra food required.

By being conscious of food waste and trying to waste as little as possible, we can dramatically reduce our impact on climate change. Try to use a system to ensure that food is rotated in the fridge and eaten before it expires, try to keep leftovers for a future meal, and try to limit your plate size to what you will actually eat.

Our Food Waste Actions:

Certainly, some food waste (in our homes) is unavoidable. We have carrot greens, melon rinds, egg shells, periodic spoiled food, etc. What we ‘do’ with that waste also has a significant impact on emissions and climate change. Essentially, we want to compost our food waste versus putting it in the garbage. Believe it or not, 51% of the garbage that is dumped in our landfills is compostable. The problem occurs with the waste in our landfills. When waste decomposes in our landfills, it gives off methane gas. Methane gas is another greenhouse gas similar to Carbon Dioxide – only 36 times more potent!

In a recent presentation from Dean Berg, Path To A Green Home, he explains the impact of Food Waste:

By composting our food waste, we keep the waste from producing toxic methane gas in our landfills.

Very few people will be or have a desire to be ‘perfect’ in all four categories. Like many things in life, you will want to prioritize and decide which areas are most important and achievable to you and your family. As part of the Home Sustainability Plan that we provide at Path To A Green Home, we assess your food habits and we provide various scenarios that will allow you to ‘pick and choose’ which combinations work best for you. Below is an example of one chart from our Home Sustainability Plan that provides a view into emission reduction based on adjustments in the four food habits.

Four Food Habits that Impact Emissions

We hope that you find the information on our site helpful and invite you to reach out if you have any further questions or if you are interested in your own personalized Home Sustainability Plan.