We’re Flipping the Switch to Plants this Earth Day
- by bonappetit
This Earth Day, we are flipping the switch to plants to lower our individual and collective carbon footprint! We are challenging our guests to use this Earth Day as an opportunity to consider climate-friendly alternatives throughout our cafés. Going to the grill? Flip the switch from a beef patty to a bean burger. Getting a coffee? Try flipping the switch from dairy to oat milk.
On Monday, April 22nd, our guests will join the challenge with their own flip-switch scorecard. While perusing meal options, guests can look for signage calling out climate-friendly alternatives to carbon intensive options. After a day of flipping the switch on your choices, they’ll add up the carbon emissions their choices saved over the course of the day, as well as the potential impact of those switches to reduce their personal carbon footprint over an entire year.
Why does food have such a significant carbon impact, you might ask? Emissions are created at several points throughout the food system, from carbon-intensive fertilizers used for farming, energy inefficiencies required to produce animal feed, and methane released during the digestive processes of ruminant animals. However, according to recent research comparing diets high in plants and diets high in animal foods, switching to a predominantly plant-forward diet can decrease your carbon emissions by up to 75%!
The evidence is clear that food systems are inextricably linked to climate change. While addressing the climate crisis can feel overwhelming, flipping the switch to plant-based alternatives one day, and one meal, at a time can add up to significant carbon emissions savings. Join the challenge with us this Earth Day, and you might even discover a new favorite that just so happens to be great for the planet!