Happy Earth Day! Global warming is a heavy subject that I grapple with daily. But I see Earth Day as a chance to be lighthearted and to celebrate nature, while finding motivation in knowing that each of us can make a difference in protecting our planet’s ecosystems.

I’m going to ask you to stomach some culinary puns, in the celebratory spirit of Earth Day, because one simple way to take a bite out of the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating our planet is with our food choices.

The world's food systems are responsible for more than one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (FAO 2021) that are fueling global warming. Earth-friendly food choices can help address and ameliorate the causes of the climate crisis. 

This message has been digested by some of the young people who are leading the push for global warming solutions. For example, students at South Mountain Elementary School in South Orange, NJ, are developing an appetite for environmentally sound food choices. The school’s student council officers starred in an Earth Day video to encourage their classmates and everyone in their community to chew on the connections between food and the environment.

Earth-friendly food choices

If you are inspired by the ideas that these young students have put on the menu, you can follow their lead with these simple steps.

• Reduce meat and dairy consumption: Producing animal-based foods accounts for greenhouse gas emissions that are almost double the emissions from cultivating food from plants (Xu et al, Nature 2021). You don’t need to completely stop eating meat and dairy to make a difference. Consider trying “Meatless Mondays” or “Vegan Vednesdays”, and start thinking of meat as a treat to be enjoyed only on special occasions—like turkey on Thanksgiving!

• Choose food made or grown locally: For those of us in the Garden State, a fruit or vegetable grown on a New Jersey farm will taste fresher than one from a faraway locale, and will avoid the pollution and resource use associated with shipping it hundreds or thousands of miles. Also look for food that is appropriate to the season: consider that a buying strawberries in January means they must either be shipped from afar or grown in a greenhouse, using a lot of energy. 

• Avoid food waste: Wasting food means wasting all the resources that went into producing it, and needlessly generating greenhouse gases that are changing Earth's climate. Cut food waste by buying only what you will eat, storing food carefully so it won’t spoil, and packaging and refrigerating your leftovers to finish later. You can even make a new dish from your leftovers: throw the scraps into omelets, fried rice, wraps, soups, ramen, or grain bowls. 

• Avoid unnecessary packaging: Look for foods with minimal packaging. When possible, buy items in bulk to minimize packaging waste, and take advantage of food items (like produce) sold loose rather than pre-packaged.

• Compost: Composting your inedible food scraps keeps them out of the waste stream. Don't throw away those banana peels and onion skins – put them in a compost pile or container outside, along with any lawn and garden waste, and nature will break them down over time.

• Choose reusable containers and utensils: Store food in reusable containers rather than single-use plastic bags. Eat your food with reusable utensils, and cloth—not paper—napkins. Take a reusable travel mug to your coffee shop, and bring reusable containers to take home any leftovers when you enjoy a meal at a restaurant. 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t have to feel like you’re staring down a six-course meal. Just by incorporating some of the steps above, your food choices can help the planet—on Earth Day and every day.