Choosing Foods with Low Environmental Impact

What you eat can have a big impact on the environment. Below are some general tips to make your diet more eco-friendly.

The livestock industry uses a tremendous amount of land to sustain itself and a lot of energy goes into maintaining and growing healthy livestock (such as raising crops of food for livestock to eat). You can actually do a lot for the environment by cutting back on meat altogether. However, when you do choose to eat meat, know that chicken and pigs are among the most environmentally friendly animals. Both grow to market weight quickly and reproduce efficiently. They also do not produce nearly as much methane gas as other livestock.

When choosing fish, try to eat species with abundant populations that are easier to catch. The easier fish are to catch, the smaller the carbon footprint is created getting the fish from its habitat to your plate. If anything, avoid overfished populations. The Montery Bay Aquarium publishes data on overfished populations at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx. Use it to find out how certain fish are faring.

To be more eco-friendly when it comes to fruits and vegetables, the easiest thing to do is to switch to organics. Organically grown produce doesn’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides so it has a much lower impact on the environment.

Lastly, when buying your food, try to do it at local farmers’ markets. By buying locally, you reduce the energy needed to transport the food to the market. You also support your local farmers. Bon appetite!

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Choosing Foods with Low Environmental Impact