Plant-based Diets to Increase Sustainability

Alyssa AtkinsonOhio University

What constitutes a plant-based diet?

- Vegetarian, vegan diets are common- Decreased consumption of animal byproducts- Decreased production of animal byproducts- Increased consumption/production of plants

Background Photo. Flowers, taken by Alyssa Atkinson.

(Graça, Calheiros, & Oliveira, 2015).

Why go Plant-based? Positive Effects: Environmental Economical Health Ethical(Alsaffar, 2016).

Sustainable Diet [digital image]. doi:10.1177/1082013215572029

Environmental Impact: Animal meat production requires more

resources Livestock-51% of GHG emissions Destruction of land Pollution of atmosphere Meat has worse impact

Figure 2. High impact of meat and fish on the environment.The Double Pyramid [digital image]. doi:10.1177/1082013215572029

(Alsaffar, 2016).

Economical Cost to feed animals is

immense Higher co2 emissions and

energy cost Can feed more people with

plants Plant diet can sustain seven

billion That is the entire global

population

Figure 3. High Co2 emissions of meat and dairy. Chen, Tucker, Badami, Ramankutty, & Rhemtulla. (2016). GHG Emissions [digital image]. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.143

(Alsaffar, 2016).

Health

Meat is high in fat Leads to obesity Links to cancer and heart disease Plants are completely natural Plants contain essential nutrients

(Alsaffar, 2016).

🌽

Animals are mistreated to produce profits Farmers must keep up with demands Animals suffer when killed Animals have low quality of life

Ethical

Background Photo. Chickens have little room for movement. ASPCA. (2016). Farm Animal Welfare [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.aspca.org/ animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare

(Graça, et al. 2015).

Global Impact

Sustainability of water and land resources

One in eight are currently hungry

End world hunger Create a healthier

America

Figure 4. High water usage by meat and dairy. Chen et al., (2016). Water Footprint [digital image]. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.143

(Alsaffar, 2016).

Switch to Plant-based Diets to…

Increase sustainability of the environment

Promote a healthy economy Increase individual health Promote ethical treatment of

animals Eventually end world hunger🌎

(Alsaffar, 2016).

Reference List Alsaffar, A. (2016). Sustainable diets: The interaction between food industry, nutrition,

health and the environment. Food Science And Technology International, 22(2), 102-111. doi:10.1177/1082013215572029

ASPCA. (2016). Farm Animal Welfare. Retrieved from http://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare

Chen, D. M., Tucker, B., Badami, M. G., Ramankutty, N., & Rhemtulla, J. M. (2016). A multi-dimensional metric for facilitating sustainable food choices in campus cafeterias. Journal Of Cleaner Production, 135, 1351-1362. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.143

Graça, J., Calheiros, M. M., & Oliveira, A. (2015). Attached to meat? (Un)Willingness and intentions to adopt a more plant-based diet. Appetite, 95, 113-125. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.06.024