10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint Through Food Choices

By John Chappell, Eat. Drink. Better

A website recently delineated a simple list of 10 ways that you can reduce your environmental footprint through changes in your food choices. The list is fairly straightforward and involves changes that any person in any country can make to reduce their carbon footprint. Substantive facts for each item are also laid out and explained along with a brief description of how the change can affect the environment in a positive manner.

Here the list of changes you can make to your food choices to reduce your environmental footprint:

• Eat less beef, pork, and lamb.
• Eat out at restaurants less often.
• Eat fewer dairy products.
• Drink fewer soft drinks.
• Eat seasonal and local fruits and vegetables.
• Eat fewer packaged snacks and junk food.
• Upgrade to an energy efficient refrigerator.
• Eat wild fish that are not endangered.
• Drink less bottled water.
• Walk to your local farmers market or grocery store.

You can see the full list here.

The great thing about this is that none of these actions are difficult, expensive, or time intensive to perform. In fact each of these activities, by themselves or collectively will probably make you healthier, better fed, and even happier.

If you think about how you can reduce your carbon footprint and make yourself and your household more environmentally friendly, it’s going to be small changes like the ones listed. Not everyone has the desire or means to move off the grid and live in a self sufficient cabin in the wilderness, but small changes add up, and small changes are sustainable and can be built upon.

This is also by no means an exhaustive list, there are many other changes you can make to your food lifestyle and consumption habits to reduce your environmental impact, but these are definitely 10 ways to start and get the most bang for your buck.

Green Options Media is a network of environmentally-focused blogs providing users with the information needed to make sustainable choices. Written by experienced professionals, Green Options Media’s blogs engage visitors with authoritative content, compelling discussions, and actionable advice. We invite anyone with questions, or simply curiosity, to add their voices to the community, and share their approaches to achieving abundance.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Waltraud U.

11:43AM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Interesting - thank you !

send a green star

Dave C.

5:02PM PST on Jan 19, 2012

thanks....

Brenda T.

6:27AM PST on Jan 19, 2012

Wow! I'm feeling very virtuous ! Only problem being bananas!

Danuta W.

12:56AM PST on Jan 19, 2012

Thanks for sharing.

Natalie D.

2:54PM PST on Nov 7, 2011

Drinking bottled water can't be that bad, we recycle.

Spoorthi B.

9:48PM PDT on Aug 29, 2011

hi everyone, please sign this petition and help
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/heidi---a-girl-of-the-alps/

Robin R.

2:34PM PST on Mar 8, 2011

go veggie! good thing pop is gross too as that helps. they should definintely list something about a travel mug too though as most north americans are addicted to coffee - myself included.

Sylvia W.

11:41AM PDT on Oct 3, 2010

OK, lets see
Eat less beef, pork, and lamb. Check
• Eat out at restaurants less often. Check
• Eat fewer dairy products. None thanks to an allergy
• Drink fewer soft drinks. None - dislike them anyway
• Eat seasonal and local fruits and vegetables. Check - most home grown
• Eat fewer packaged snacks and junk food. Check - nice side benefit - healthier wallet!
• Upgrade to an energy efficient refrigerator. Check - the best I could afford
• Eat wild fish that are not endangered. Rarely eat fish, but enjoy fresh local trout occasionally
• Drink less bottled water. None
• Walk to your local farmers market or grocery store. This one is a problem, the nearest being 12 miles away, but I make the most of my trips, often car-pooling
Not too bad ;-)