Drive too much? Go vegetarian!

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have come up with another fun fact for us vegetarians to share around the water cooler or at a cocktail party. Although it's not quite yet common knowledge, more and more people are coming to understand that a plant-based diet is better for the health of the planet than one that includes meat. I've blogged in the past about how vegetarianism is better for the environment than hybrid cars, but Christopher Weber at Carnegie Mellon has taken it a step further and done some rather interesting math. According to his calculations, which are based on the amount of carbon emissions produced during food production and transport, eating locally produced food can help reduced one's personal planetary footstep, so by all means, shop locally and enjoy your Farmer's Markets, but reducing your meat intake, and red meat in particular, does even more. Swapping your hamburger for a veggie burger just one day per week will save as much carbon energy as is produced by driving 1860 kilometers. So, if you've been thinking about the environmental effects of that long commute to work everyday, or are thinking about investing in a hybrid car, from an environmental point of view, you'd be better off just becoming a vegetarian.

In summary, here's your fun fact of the day: Eating meat just one day a week for one year is environmentally equivalent to driving 1860 km or 1156 miles, about the distance from Los Angeles to Seattle.

News Link: Food miles don't feed climate change - meat does
See also: How to Become Vegetarian

Photo courtesy GoVeg.com