Next-Steps Toolkit
Benefits & Resources
Plant-based diets have been shown to promote human, environmental, and animal health in numerous ways and serve to alleviate many of the ethical considerations surrounding modern food systems. Learn more about the benefits and implications of our food choices by exploring the resources below.
BENEFITS & RESOURCES
Environment
Aquatic Agriculture
Commercial fisheries bring in approximately 160 billion pounds of marine catch around the world each year - or nearly half a billion pounds every day! This overfishing of our oceans has already caused devastating effects.
Environment
Deforestation
Agriculture is estimated to be the direct driver for around 80% of deforestation worldwide. Beef production is considered the main driver of forest loss across countries with the highest deforestation rates.
Environment
EcoFoodGuide
An environment-focused guide full of important facts about how food choices impact the environment -- plus recipes, tips, and resources!
Environment
Environmental Impact
Plant-based diets have been shown to have the lowest Carbon dioxide equivalent production per 2000kcal consumed, having the least environmental impact compared to other diets.
Environment
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Together, the world’s top five meat and dairy corporations are now responsible for more annual
greenhouse gas emissions than ExxonMobil, Shell or BP.
Environment
Land Usage
Shifting toward a plant-based diet can reduce the agricultural need for land. According to a study by the University of Oxford, "Moving from current diets to a diet that excludes animal products has transformative potential, reducing food’s land use by 3.1 billion hectares (a 76% reduction)."
Environment
Ocean Pollution
46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is comprised of fishing nets.
Environment
Overfishing
Commercial fishing is negatively affecting the biodiversity in our oceans so much that "unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood."
Environment
Water Pollution
According to the FAO, "The livestock sector is growing and intensifying faster than crop production in almost all countries. The associated waste, including manure, has serious implications for water quality."
Environment
Water Quality Loss
According to the FAO of the UN, "The livestock sector is one of the top three contributors to the most serious environmental problems, including water-quality degradation, at every scale from local to global."
Ethics
Zero Hunger
Worldwide, we produce enough food to feed everyone on the planet. Even still, "up to 811 million people still go to bed on an empty stomach each night".
Health
Chronic Disease
Plant-based diets have been associated with lowering overall and ischemic heart disease mortality, reducing medication needs, lowering the risk for most chronic diseases, and decreasing the incidence and severity of high-risk conditions.
Browse our complete collection of healthy and environmentally friendly recipes here: