Environmental sustainability has been a hot topic lately. You’ve likely heard of one’s carbon footprint, where our everyday activities, such as commuting, buying clothes and products and energy usage, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions entering the environment. Relatedly, we should also be cognizant of our foodprint. This is all the behind the scenes food production practices it takes for your food to get to your plate, from farming, to packaging, to transportation. This, in turn, impacts the environment – the soil, air and water. Our food choices affect not just our health, but the planet. So this Earth Day, here are some ways to reduce your foodprint:
- Bring your own mug/thermos when getting coffee, and skip the lid, straw and disposable stirrer as much as possible. Use a spoon instead.
- With delivery or takeout, decline plastic silverware, extra napkins and plastic bags.
- If you know you’ll have leftovers when dining out, consider bringing your own container and see if the restaurant will use it.
- Shop locally to reduce the “food miles” it takes for your food to travel.
- Buy in bulk to reduce packaging, such as a big family size container of yogurt instead of the individual containers, but only if you can realistically consume it before it goes bad.
- Meal plan before grocery shopping to reduce food waste, and “shop” your refrigerator and pantry first to reduce buying duplicates. You’ll save money, too.
- If you find your fresh produce goes bad before use, consider other forms: canned, frozen and dried count, too.
- Bring your own reusable grocery bags to the store, or bring the plastic bags from a previous visit for reuse.
- Compost food scraps to divert them from landfills.
- The lower you eat on the food chain, the less environmental impact. Consider going meatless a few days a week and have a plant-based protein instead, such as beans or lentils.
- Cook with the intention of having leftovers (also called planned overs). Making extra servings will reduce the energy (and time and effort) needed to make another meal. Consume within three to four days.
One point worth mentioning is meat alternative products. While we tend to think of plant-based food as healthier, many of these plant-based meats are ultra processed. And as we know, a diet high in processed food can lead to health concerns. If you did want to cut back on meat consumption, you’re better off with natural plant-based proteins, such as nuts, beans and seeds. The products made to resemble and taste like meat are often high in fat and sodium.
Just adopting a few of these habits can add up over time and make a big difference. Want to know how large your foodprint is? Check it out on the foodprint quiz at foodprint.org: https://foodprint.org/quiz/ or on Harvard’s foodprint calculator: https://harvard-foodprint-calculator.github.io/
Along with that, you can find out what your water footprint is, too, with the FoodPrint’s water calculator: https://foodprint.org/eating-sustainably/water-footprint-calculator/
Incorporating sustainability in how you shop, cook, and dine out are easy ways to take action and support the environment.
Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County, An Equal Opportunity Institution.
