Edwards Church

United Church of Christ | Saxonville, Massachusetts

Plant-Based Eating: What Are You Waiting For?

by

Plant Based for Our Earth

 

Plant-based eating is becoming more popular, as people begin to make the connection between what they eat and their health, the animals, and the environment.

When we read Under the Sky We Make last year, the author had a list of the top things that one can do to slow climate change – things that could really have an impact. The first was fly as little as possible. The second was adopt a plant-based diet. And the third was get rid of your car. (I’m going from my memory here, but I’m pretty sure that was the conclusion she made.)

Now, if you’re like me, you don’t fly all that often, if at all, and getting rid of your car (or buying an electric one) may not be practical. BUT…you can have a direct impact on climate change at EVERY meal you eat. AND…it is not all or nothing…every meal matters!

Kimberly Nichols said, “…the single most important choice, both personally and systematically, to start moving our relationship with land and nature toward regeneration instead of exploitation is a shift toward more plant-based diets.” She even goes on to address how it is more about what you eat than where it comes from.

The website One Meal a Day for the Planet by Susie Amos (https://omdfortheplanet.com/why-it-matters/planet/) lists these 5 startling facts:

  1. Animal agriculture contributes 14.5% of greenhouse gases – more than all transportation combined – making it the #2 leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions.
  2. Animal agriculture is also the #1 contributor to extinction and biodiversity loss due to the land needed for grazing and growing feed for livestock.
  3. 17% of all global fresh water consumption is used for livestock and livestock feed.
  4. Beef creates 20x more greenhouse gas emissions & requires 20x more land than beans, per gram/protein.
  5. The livestock sector is the largest contributor to global water pollution and a major driver of the ocean’s 404 dead zones.

Okay. I’ll stop. There’s more, but you get the point. Animal agriculture is BAD for the environment. Despite fact #1 from the above list, I believe it is the #1 contributor to climate change, even above fossil fuels – actually much, much higher. Here is a link (https://climatehealers.org/the-science/the-facts/) from an engineer (Sailesh Rao), who created ClimateHealers.org. The facts are scary.

I don’t want to depress you. I want to empower you. You can create change. Every time you make a conscious choice in what you eat – a bean burger over a beef burger or soy milk (or any other plant milk) over dairy milk. You are helping to cool our planet. Susie Amos also gives these hopeful facts:

  1. If you eat just one plant-based meal a day for a year, you’ll save almost 200,000 gallons of water (that’s 11,400 showers!).
  2. If you eat just one plant-based meal a day for a year, you’ll save the pollution equivalent to about 3,000 miles driven in your car (roughly LA to NYC).
  3. And, if everyone in the U.S. reduced their meat and dairy intake by just 50 percent, it would be equal to taking 26 million cars off the road.
  4. Eating three plant-based meals a day for a year can save the equivalent of greenhouse gases generated from driving from New York to San Francisco four times.
  5. Shifting the world toward eating more plant-based foods could supply 30% more food to the planet’s growing population.

There are many ways to approach this shift. To have the largest impact on the planet, eliminate cows first (this means beef and dairy). They take up the most space, belch out the most methane, and eat the most grains (that could be fed to people). If you want to prevent the most animal suffering, eliminate eggs and dairy first (the females of these industries are treated horrifically, and the males are disposed of). If you want help figuring it all out, feel free to reach out to me. I would be happy to help you. I am a vegan lifestyle coach and educator (compassion.peace.hope@gmail.com).

Here is summer treat that I enjoy:

Cherry Nice Cream (2 servings)

By Laura Beck

 1 cup frozen sweet cherries (I use Trader Joe’s)

1 frozen banana (I freeze them in small pieces – like 4-5 from one banana)

1 tsp almond extract (you could use vanilla, if you prefer)

Soy milk (or any plant milk) to thin

2T Chocolate chips, optional

2T Walnuts or pistachios, optional

Combine cherries, banana, almond extract and a splash or two of soy milk in food processor, and pulse to combine. Add more soy milk a little at a time to achieve desired consistency (I like mine to be like hummus). Spoon into 2 small, freezer-safe containers. Note: It will get a little melty while you are doing this part. That’s okay, it’ll thicken again in freezer. Add 1T of chocolate chips and 1T of nuts to each container and stir to mix them in. Cover & freeze them. When I am ready to eat them, I like to pull it out of the freezer for several minutes so that it is a little softer to eat.

 

Laura Beck, for the Edwards Environmental Justice Team