3 Environmental Impacts of a Plant-Forward Lifestyle
The growing popularity of a plant-based diet is not just because fresh veggies, tempeh and almond milk are more delicious than ever before. Though plant-based foods are tasty and full of nutritional value their environmental benefits have a huge impact. Here are three benefits to a plant-based lifestyle.
Reduces Methane and Nitrous Oxide Production
Subtle changes in diet can lower greenhouse gas emissions much more quickly than moving away from reducing fossil fuel burning technologies that are key contributors to carbon dioxide emissions (1). Methane alone has caused nearly half of the planet’s human generated global-warming.
Saves Water and Reduces Pollution
Animal farming uses about 70% of the world’s accessible water. Additionally, agriculture is the number one contributor to water pollution. Waste from cattle and other farm animals contaminates groundwater which largely pollutes run-offs to lakes (2). Changing what you eat largely impacts the amount of water pollutants and the accessible water usage.
Ensures Environmental Sustainability
A plant-based diet requires three times less resources than an average meat eaters diet (1). Raising animals takes a lot of land, over one-third of the earth’s land is used by animal agriculture. Additionally, it was noted that 71 percent of deforestation in South America was done by the beef industry (3).
We hope you feel inspired and capable of making an impact! Check out all our delicious vegan products: Germinal Organic products.
Earth, Down to. “Top 10 Reasons Why It’s Green to Go Veggie.” Down to Earth Organic and Natural, 6 Nov. 2019, https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/environment/top-10-reasons.
The Vegan Society. (2019). Water requirements. [online] Available at: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/environment/water-requirements [Accessed 14 Nov. 2019].
ChooseVeg. (2019). Does Eating Vegan Food Really Make a Difference? – ChooseVeg. [online] Available at: https://chooseveg.com/blog/do-vegans-really-make-a-difference/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2019]
