There are endless ways in which you can combat climate change in your personal capacity. That being said, consuming less meat and dairy is probably the easiest and most effective. Livestock farming puts a tremendous strain on the environment – it is one of the leading causes of climate change. It is also one of the largest contributors to habitat destruction, deforestation, and uses enormous amounts of water. Additionally, evidence is now emerging that meat-rich diets are one of the leading causes of public health issues. Knowing how to eat less meat and cook delicious vegetarian meals is an easy skill to learn – and we are here to help!
What can I do?
Choosing to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet is the ideal situation, but we realise it’s a change many are not willing, or easily able to make. So, we challenge you to reduce your meat consumption by skipping meat for just one day of the week. The concept of Meat Free Mondays has been around for many years, and remain a popular choice. Key to this though, is that you do not compensate by adding more meat on other days!
If meat is your primary source of protein, the suggestion would be to cut back on one or two days of meat consumption. It not only gives your wallet a break, but it certainly helps your cholesterol, the planet and your carbon footprint too.
Make your pledge to eat less meat today
Why does it matter?
Livestock farming has an enormous impact on our planet:
- Water: It takes 15 500 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef. To put this into perspective – 1 400 litres of water are used just to produce the beef patties for a small burger like a Big Mac. By comparison, the production of vegetables uses only 2% of the water of beef, and 7.5% that of chicken.
- Food waste: 36% of all crops cultivated to feed to cattle, not humans. A quarter of all fish caught are used for fishmeal, not human consumption.
- Land use: Almost 80% of all farmland is used to grow the food that is used to feed livestock. Twenty-six percent of the ice-free land on Earth is used for pasture. Livestock farming is also the leading cause of deforestation, either for grazing land or to plant crops to feed to the livestock. Sixty percent of all farmland in the world is linked to the production of beef alone. This contributes just 2% of global calory consumption.
- Greenhouse gases: Livestock farming produces 7.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Agriculture is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gases in South Africa.
Unbelievably large amounts of land are cleared specifically for livestock farming – including rainforests and endangered habitats. And a full third of all available arable land is used for feedstock. That’s land that was once nature, and land that could be used for better food security, or for sustainable textiles.
How does this impact our oceans?
You might wonder what this has to do with the oceans. Livestock farming is also one of the largest sources of water pollution. Vast quantities of hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides are used on the animals to grow feed crops. These eventually run off into the rivers and streams and then heads to the sea. When these pollutants reach the ocean, they are responsible for enormous patches of excessive algal blooms. This results in vast dead zones where there is just no oxygen left for any life to flourish. To find out more about dead zones watch:
Myth-busting: Going meat-free is boring
Not at all! Skipping meat for a few days of the week not only means you save money, but it means that you can also choose better quality products when you do choose to eat it. In other words, less is more! You get to reward your inner gourmet by limiting your consumption!
Detractors of vegetarian diets often cite “complete proteins” as a reason that humans need to eat meat. The reality is that a varied, plant-based diet also provides all the necessary nutrients you require. After all, all the meat you eat is from animals that only eat plants! The key is variety – so be adventurous. Some great culinary meat alternatives (which are all cheaper than meat) to try out are: Mushrooms, cauliflower steaks, lentil patties, brinjals, legumes and beetroot. Soya and mycoprotein meat alternatives are nice, but lack the money-saving and adventurous qualities that make vegetarian recipes exciting.
Who can I follow?
Meat Free Mondays is a great source of inspiration if you want to know how to cook vegetarian meals. But don’t be held back – almost every cooking channel on YouTube features amazing vegetarian dishes, so use this challenge as an opportunity to be more adventurous in the kitchen!
