The Herb Stop Blog
Happy Earth Day! How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Food
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about all the ways we can’t make a difference when it comes to protecting our precious planet.
However, there are many small steps we can take that make significant impacts on our planet with only a little effort.
One of these steps is by reducing our carbon footprint.
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
According to the official Earth Day organization, diet change is a significant way to fight climate change and make a staggering difference in greenhouse gas emissions.
Here are a few interesting facts from the official Earth Day organization about climate change and meat consumption:
- Worldwide meat consumption has increased by 20% in the last 10 years.
- The meat industry produces almost 20% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than the entire transportation industry produces.
- A single pound of beef takes around 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water to produce.
Go Meatless Once A Week
Meat consumption contributes more to man-made greenhouse gas emissions than the transportation industry in its entirety does. To help reduce greenhouse gas, the Earth Day organization challenges us to go meatless once or twice a week.
Our individual impact can feel minuscule.
However, just skipping one burger a week is the equivalent of not driving your car for 230 miles when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
If a family skips meat and cheese for only one day a week, it’s equal to not driving your car for five weeks!
Everyone has different comfort levels and food they are able and willing to eat. However, in honor of Earth day and protecting our planet, we challenge you to try something new and make a meatless dish.
Cooking at home
Cooking at home allows you to have more control over what you’re eating, is much more budget-friendly than eating out, and is better for the environment.
According to Forbes, cooking at home takes far less energy and resources than eating out, plus home-cooked meals are less processed and more nutrient-dense as a whole.
Another study found that it’s nearly five times more expensive to order delivery food from a restaurant than to cook a meal at home. Even meal kits can be up to three times as expensive as making a meal from scratch.
As a whole, cooking at home is better for the environment, our wallets, and overall health.
One of the biggest barriers to cooking at home can be a general lack of planning and creativity. After working a long day, it can be difficult to muster the energy to cook, especially if you have no idea what you will be cooking.
To help with this, we recommend jotting down ideas for meals that you’d like to make that week and making them in large portions so that you have great leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day!
Here are some of our personal favorite products to spice up and make cooking at home easy and delicious!
Spice Blends For Quick, Easy Meals
Don’t waste time measuring out many individual spices to create a great meal. Instead, try one of these fantastic spice blends to save time and create a delicious, cohesive dish quickly!
- Mushroom Mix Seasoning: Making a delicious dish with mushrooms? Add this to your mushrooms, soups, stews, or simply when sauteeing mushrooms for enhanced flavor. For extra inspiration, check out this delicious mushroom recipe from Leilah’s kitchen here.
- Adobo Seasoning: Looking for that perfect all-purpose seasoning with a southwestern flair? Our Adobo Seasoning contains an incredible blend of onion, black pepper, garlic, oregano, sea salt, and turmeric. This seasoning is ideal for adding depth to any dish, from meats and poultry to beans, rice, and veggies!
- Everything Blend Seasoning: This seasoning is just about perfect on everything! Add this to bagels, eggs, veggies, salads, and avocados to enhance their taste with a delicious savory flavor created from a handful of seeds, garlic salt, and onion.
- Veggie Grilling Seasoning: Use this as a rub on the veggies of your choice and toss with a little oil before grilling. We promise you won’t be disappointed with this savory seasoning blend! Absolutely delicious on vegetables with a touch of heat to make your vegetables the star of the show.
- Salad Sprinkle: Sprinkle this blend onto your salads, vegetable dishes, or dips for a little zip that complements all vegetables.
Salts
- Garlic Salt: Above all else, garlic salt may be the most convenient and delicious combination of two seasonings - sea salt and garlic. Use garlic salt generously on any kind of dish! From salads, pastas, stir-frys, tofu, vegetables, sauces, breads, and more, this seasoning really complements everything.
- Hot Garlic Salt: If you enjoy some heat, try this version of our garlic salt with added cayenne!
- Himalayan Coarse Pink Salt: Rich in minerals and trace elements, Himalayan salt is another must-have for cooking. Absolutely scrumptious and available in both coarse and fine varieties.
- Smoked Applewood Salt: Perfect for adding a BBQ flavor to salads, veggies, pastas, and sandwiches, our Smoked Applewood Salt gives a light woody flavor to spice up your dish.
Sugars
- Coconut Sugar Crystals: If you’re looking for an alternative to cane sugar or a sugar with a low glycemic index, look no further! Coconut sugar is hand-harvested and can be used in a 1:1 replacement ratio for cane sugar to add some sweetness to your dish.
- Strawberry Sprinkle: If you love strawberries as much as we do, this is a must-have! Try adding this to salad dressings, marinades, desserts, and milkshakes for a delightful strawberry taste.
- Pine Needle Sprinkle: Do you prefer zing and tartness over pure sweetness? Our pine needle sprinkle is for you! Great for both savory and sweet dishes, our Pine Needle Sprinkle brings a boost of tartness to any dish.
We hope this gave you some great ideas for spicing up your cooking while reducing your carbon footprint.
If you’re looking for more cooking inspiration, check out our previous piece on Vegan Black Bean Burgers and Orange Walnut Tarragon Salad Dressing. You won’t be disappointed!
Happy Earth Day!
Tschau mittenand,
Natalie & Leilah