The Low Carbon Diet

On the heels of Earthweek, are you thinking about your carbon footprint? Have you considered how your diet impacts that footprint?

One of the most important personal choices we make in regards to energy consumption is the kind of car we drive. But the more overlooked personal choice — of substantial greenhouse gas emission consequences — is one's diet. In fact, the University of Chicago that found that more CO2 is released from the average American diet than from the average American car — unbelievable! Read the study.

In your effort to adopt a "low carbon diet", you can take some cues from Bon Appetit Management Company. They unveiled more details of the plan to reduce their carbon footprint that I referred to here in an earlier post.  Their goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of each of their 400 cafés by 25%. 

Their "Low Carbon Diet" will include:

• Reducing the use of beef by 25% – Livestock production is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. (Do we really need to consume a 12-oz steak in one sitting anyway?)
  
• Sourcing all meat and poultry from North America – 80% of the energy used by the food system comes not from growing food, but from transporting and processing it.
• Sourcing nearly all fruits and vegetables from North America, using seasonal local produce as a first preference and using tropical fruits only as “special occasion” ingredients.
• Serving only domestic bottled water and reducing waste from plastic bottles – Americans throw away 40 million plastic water bottles every day. (Tip: Get a good water filter)
• Reducing food waste – Goal of 25% reduction in three years or less.
• Auditing the energy efficiency of kitchen equipment – In home or commercial kitchens energy losses of up to 30% can be easily corrected for very low cost.
• In addition, Bon Appétit will introduce a carbon point system so that guests can calculate the impact of their personal food choices and thereby make knowledgeable decisions and/or adjustments to their own diet.

This is a fantastic effort of Bon Appetit to reduce their carbon footprint by tackling their area of expertise — food — head on.  They are an inspiration to all of us wanting to make sure our food choices are not only delicious and healthy but also earth-friendly.