Plant-Based Starts Here
Climate change is now at an ‘all hands on deck’ urgency. We cannot wait for governments and corporations to act. Perhaps the single greatest contribution we can make as individuals is to change our diet. The carbon footprint reduction of committing to at least 8 plant-based meals a week is on par with switching to a hybrid automobile for the average American family.
— Dr. Martin Heller, Research Specialist, Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan
Scientists at Tulane University and the University of Michigan have shown that adopting a plant-based diet is one of the most influential things individuals can do to combat climate change. Animal agriculture is responsible for more than 18% of greenhouse gasses worldwide, but switching just #8meals a week to plant-based offsets the same amount of carbon as a plane using 170 gallons of jet fuel.
Habits of Waste is focused on changing people’s habits by encouraging everyone to rethink wasteful behavior and drive systematic change. Their effective campaigns target those everyday routines we go through without even thinking and they are creating real results. We were proud to feature #8Meals at our Make or Break conference in November 2021 just weeks before COP26 was hosted in Glasgow.
Going vegan seems intimidating to most people because it is proposed as an all-or-nothing change. Through the #8Meals campaign, Habits of Waste is breaking this social norm and encouraging people to try being ‘imperfectly’ vegan. By rethinking our diets collectively, we are able to have a much larger impact than a few of us doing it perfectly.
The World Economic Forum has also taken notice of the campaign, and Habits of Waste has been recognized as a “Firestarter” and “Nutrition Disruptor” as part of their Consumers for Climate Action series.
How can I take action?
Habits of Waste has developed a FREE app that makes it easier to transition to a partially plant-based diet. Available to download on the Apple and Google app stores, the application provides access to hundreds of affordable, easy-to-prepare recipes, a calendar to help you schedule meals in advance, and a personal impact tracker that measures your carbon offset based on the number of plant-based meals you eat.
Start small – maybe use plant-based milk in your coffee in the morning and gradually build to having a plant-based lunch one day. Share your swaps on social media with #8Meals to encourage your friends to join you. There are so many ways to start introducing plant-based into your diet because it doesn’t have to be all or nothing!
