What you eat is a huge factor in your personal Ecological Footprint.

 

Land availability is one of the main constraints on food production. Western diets play a large role in depriving the world’s poor of much needed food. The reason: livestock consume much more protein, water and calories than they produce. Not only does this lead to hunger, but loss of Biodiversity results from more and more wild land getting clear-cut. Studies indicate that a varied vegan diet requires about a third of the land needed for conventional western diets.

 

Fossil Fuels usage needs to be curtailed to slow Global Warming. Factory farming uses massive inputs of fossil fuels, used mainly in producing, transporting and processing feed.

 

Water increasingly is in short supply. Nearly half of all the water used in the U.S. goes to raising animals for food. Animal farms pollute our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. It takes only 1/3 as much water to feed a vegan as it does to feed a meat eater.

 

Sierra Club's Long Island group has adopted a Food Procurement Policy which requires the serving of primarily plant-based food, local and organic if possible, at local events.

 

Food is very personal; the idea of making changes to one's diet might seem too challenging. But please consider taking small steps: start with Meatless Mondays, or try using smaller portions. 89% of Americans are omnivores. Even if a fraction of this number start taking small steps towards a more local plant-based organic diet will have a tremendous effect.

 

There is no need to give up on tasty food: these days there are thousands of plant-based recipes online, and stores that carry huge varieties of beans, meat-substitutes, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and spices, and vegan
(plant-based) convenience foods.

 

Visit our Resources page and check out Healthy Planet and the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College. Both organizations offer 100% plant-based meals, and events with speakers on this topic.