How much does the food we put on the table every day cost the environment? A calculator now exists to find out the ecological footprint of our diet, created by Essere Animali on the occasion of Settimana Veg.
On Friday 24 May, the second global strike for the future will take place. The topic is now a burning one, and we know we will have to change our lifestyle to contain global warming. But when it comes to the impact of food, opinions are divided and debates run hot. Is it really possible that what we eat has such a devastating impact on the Planet? And if so, how can we make more conscious choices?
Read also: To save the Planet, we all need to eat less meat
To help us navigate our everyday choices, Essere Animali presents the ecological footprint calculator. Created to raise awareness of the invisible cost of the food we eat, it is easy to use and highly intuitive.
It is a tool that compares the impact on the environment and on animals of every single serving of protein that ends up on our plate. The comparison proposed is deliberately limited to protein-based foods, as these are the only variable component within a balanced diet. There would be no point in reducing consumption of vegetables, fruit and grains: these are the building blocks of a healthy diet, and the advice for reducing pollution is to choose them local, loose, organic and seasonal.
The values taken into consideration are four: greenhouse gas production, land use, water consumption and the cost in animal lives. By eating even just one or two portions of beef a week, by the end of the year the bill is enormous. As much CO2 as a car journey of 853 kilometres produces, an entire football pitch of land used, enough water to keep one person drinking for 165 years, and, of course, the life of the animal too — raised, in the vast majority of cases, in the terrible conditions of an intensive farm.
That this kind of diet is unsustainable is now well established, which is why 2019 is shaping up as a year of institutional positions on the matter. Canada's new dietary guidelines, for example, encourage citizens to favour plant-based proteins and urge the market to make them more accessible to everyone, in cafés as well as canteens. Then there is the Eat-Lancet commission, which published a report based on a monumental review of the scientific literature to define the diet for planetary health — so called because it encompasses both people and the Planet. Their recommendation, too, is to base one's diet primarily on plant-based choices. The same goes for France with the Lundi Vert, New York with the Meatless Monday adopted by the city's schools, and so on.
Read also: The diet to save ourselves and the Planet, according to Eat-Lancet
How can we begin to follow a diet that is lighter on the environment? By joining Settimana Veg, for instance, running from 20 to 26 May. It is a seven-day challenge to try changing your diet. By visiting the website, you can sign up and download the free recipe booklet, featuring simple, nutritionally balanced suggestions. Fourteen savoury recipes, two sweet recipes, plenty of tips, and a community of thousands of people trying it at the same time and sharing their experiences.
We will discover that we can make a difference even in small things, and that incorporating plant-based alternatives and animal-free recipes into everyday life is simpler than it seems. And who knows — one veg week might just lead to another, and you never stop.