by Jocelyn Hartley, our Creation and Justice Fellow from Disciples Home Mission and Green Chalice

When I think about pollution, images of cars, planes, and factories spewing black smoke into the air immediately spring to mind. What doesn’t usually come to mind is the jug of milk in my fridge. But around a quarter of global greenhouse gases–or climate change causing gases–are emitted by the agricultural industry. And greenhouse gas emissions are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the environmental impacts of agriculture; agriculture also contributes to deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination, and an increasing threat of antibiotic resistance.

You may be thinking, “Well, isn’t that lovely. The most basic part of my existence–eating–condemns me to a life of environmental degradation.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are many choices you can make to eat more sustainably. And what’s even better, making these sustainable choices will benefit your health as well. Today I’ll focus on just two important sustainable dietary choices you can make:

One, eat more plants than animals. This is really the most impactful way you can make your diet more sustainable. Producing meat and dairy requires much more land than producing the same amount of calories in plants. That extra land needed to produce meat and dairy often comes at the expense of biologically rich places like the Amazon rainforest. Additionally, cattle release huge amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is over 25 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide (those cow farts don’t just stink!). Check out this graph showing greenhouse gas emissions released when producing the same amount of various foods:

Two, eat a greater variety of foods. According to the World Wildlife Fund, 75% of the world’s food comes from just 12 plant species and 5 animals. Growing a more diverse range of foods reduces nutrient depletion of soils, making farmland more productive for a longer period of time. Try lentils as a protein instead of meat, or quinoa instead of wheat for a carbohydrate. Here’s a list of the Future 50 Foods, which have been identified as nutritious foods that have the potential to make agriculture more sustainable.

I know making these changes may seem daunting at first. Eating is such a basic part of our daily lives that it can seem scary or inconvenient to change how we do it. But remember, it’s not an all or nothing game–it’s ok to start small, and even to stay small if that’s all you can do. The important thing is to start somewhere. If you’re vegetarian, try doing one vegan meal a day. If you eat a lot of beef, try replacing it with chicken. If you eat a lot of the same foods, challenge yourself to cook with a new ingredient once a week. What’s important is to consider how we can eat in a way that’s more at peace with our earth, and to start moving in that direction today.

If you’re interested in learning more about agriculture’s impact on the environment and your health, I recommend watching the film Common Ground. It’s available to stream for free on Amazon prime.

Making Sustainable Dietary Choices that Work for You