Your diet can make a difference to the environment – as well as your health! We evaluate recent science and greenhouse gas impact of eating a more plant-based and/or organic and/or local diet, as well as implications of grass-fed versus grain-fed beef, aquaculture, and greenhouse foods, and the impact of discarded food. We also describe tasty options to green your diet in a healthy way.
| Action | Climate Change Impact | Other Environmental and Personal Impacts |
| Plant-based diet | 4+ tons/year (70% of diet) | Environmental Benefit; water use, water eutrophication, land use Health benefits: Reduced chance of heart disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, lung, liver and kidney diseases, Parkinson’s disease, etc. |
| Organic foods | Fruits, vegetables: <=2/3 ton (20-25% of diet) | Environmental Benefit: Water eutrophication, wildlife & pollinator survival Health Benefits: Reduced allergies/asthma, chance of cancer |
| Reduce food discards | <=1 ton (30% of diet) | Benefits: Reduced cost and cooking |
| Local Foods | <=1/3 ton (10% of diet) | Benefit: Local business and farmers |
| Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed beef Aquaculture Greenhouses | Not quantified, but scientific research is discussed | Research evaluates environmental impact of traditional versus alternative methods of farming. |
Calculating your impact: Use the spreadsheet under the tab: Calculate Your Footprint. We provide an Excel spreadsheet that enables you to easily estimate the greenhouse gases, water use, and land use for you and your family’s diet.
References
HLPE. (2014) Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security
and nutrition of the committee on World Food Security [Internet]. Rome: High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security. Available
from: http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe.
Lincke, S. & Wolf, J. (2023). Dietary modeling of greenhouse gases using OECD meat consumption/retail availability estimates. International Journal of Food Engineering, 19(1-2), 37-48. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijfe-2021-0352
Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992.
Ritchie, H., Rosado, P., Roser, M. (2022) Environmental Impacts of Food Production. Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food.
USDA (2025) Agricultural Baseline Database – Visualization: U.S. Agricultural Baseline Projections. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) Economic Research Service From: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-baseline-database/visualization-us-agricultural-baseline-projections.