Protect the Planet, One Plate at a Time

Small shifts in what we eat can cut emissions, save water, and restore land—without sacrificing flavor.

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ENVIROMENT

What we eat affects the air, water, and land we all share. Animal-heavy diets require vastly more land and water and create more greenhouse gases than plant-forward patterns. The good news: choosing more plants is one of the most effective personal climate actions—and it tastes great.

Infographic titled ‘Environmental Impact: 100 Grams of Protein’ comparing the environmental effects of different protein-rich foods. The chart displays multiple horizontal bar graphs for metrics including greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂ equivalent), acidification, eutrophication, and land use. Foods listed include beef (both beef herd and dairy herd), lamb and mutton, crustaceans, cheese, pig meat, farmed fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, groundnuts, pulses, peas, and nuts. Across all categories, beef and lamb have the highest environmental impacts, with long bars indicating significantly greater emissions and land use. Other animal products such as cheese, pork, and poultry show moderate impacts, while plant-based proteins like tofu, legumes, peas, and nuts have very low impacts with short bars. A smaller comparison at the bottom shows cow’s milk versus soymilk, with cow’s milk having higher impacts. The overall message highlights that plant-based protein sources have substantially lower environmental impacts than animal-based foods. A caption on the left asks, ‘Which protein-rich foods will you choose?’ and a legend indicates a range from low-impact to high-impact producers.

Even the lowest-impact animal proteins exceed the average impacts of plant proteins across emissions, land, and water.

Shifting toward plant-forward meals can dramatically reduce a person’s food-related carbon footprint.

Bar chart titled ‘Climate Impacts of Different Diets’ comparing greenhouse gas emissions across six dietary patterns. Horizontal bars show emissions values decreasing as diets become more plant-based. A diet high in meat (more than 3.5 ounces per day) has the highest impact at 15.9 units, followed by moderate meat consumption (1.75–3.5 ounces) at 12.4, and low meat consumption (less than 1.75 ounces) at 10.3. Pescatarian and vegetarian diets have lower impacts at 8.6 and 8.4 respectively, while a vegan diet has the lowest impact at 6.4. The visual clearly shows a stepwise reduction in climate impact as meat consumption decreases. An Eat for the Earth logo appears in the corner, and a small caption cites data from Oxford University research.
Infographic titled ‘Water Usage by Crop (represented in gallons per pound)’ showing the amount of water required to produce various foods. The graphic uses wave-like shapes of different heights to visually compare water usage. Beef has the highest water footprint at 1,846 gallons per pound, followed by pork at 717, chicken at 518, and cheese at 606. Plant foods require significantly less water, including walnuts at 47, wheat at 169, carrots at 14, cherries at 127, watermelon at 181, lettuce at 18, asparagus at 201, apples at 74, tomatoes at 14, and potatoes at 25 gallons per pound. The large peaks for animal products contrast with much smaller waves for most plant foods, emphasizing that meat and dairy production generally require far more water than plant-based foods.

Most water we “use” is embedded in food; animal foods are far more water-intensive than plants.

Pie chart titled ‘How the World’s Land is Used’ showing the distribution of global land by category. The largest portion is livestock at 28%, followed by forests at 26%. Barren land makes up 19%, glaciers 10%, shrubs 8%, and cropland 7%. Very small portions are built-up areas and freshwater, each at about 1%. The chart visually emphasizes that livestock occupies the largest share of land use globally, slightly more than forests, while land used for crops is relatively small. A legend on the right labels each category with corresponding colors, and an Eat for the Earth logo appears in the corner.

Animal-based foods require much more land, driven by feed crops, while plant foods free space for nature.

What You Can Do

Eat More Plants

Add beans, lentils, and veggies to your meals-small swaps make a big impact.

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Reduce Food Waste

Plan meals, love leftovers, and store smart to save resources.

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Spread the Word

Share what you’ve learned—help others eat for their health and the planet.

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