Day 15 – We are half way through Veganuary. This is the month where people are inspired to try vegan, in hopes that lifelong habits will occur. I highly respect vegans and their dedication to help preserve the environment and better the condition of the planet. For me and my family taking on a vegan lifestyle would be beyond difficult. Personally, I could probably get over the loss of meat, but I would definitely struggle without the dairy items. So, I thought we would try to at least eat more vegetarian meals.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report on August 8, 2019. One of the topics the report highlights is the need to preserve and restore forests, which soak up carbon from the air, and peatlands, which release carbon if dug up. Cattle raised on pastures created by clearing woodland are particularly emission-intensive. This practice often comes with large-scale deforestation, as seen in Brazil and Colombia. Cows also produce large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as they digest their food.

The report states with high confidence that balanced diets featuring plant-based and sustainably produced animal-sourced food “present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation while generating significant co-benefits in terms of human health”.

By 2050, dietary changes could free up several million square kilometers of land, and reduce global CO₂ emissions by up to eight billion tons per year, relative to business as usual, the scientists estimate.” – Nature

Now, trying to reduce meat consumption when the head chef of the house is a meat lover, is a rather tricky situation. So, I came up with the idea to have vegetarian dinners while the chef was at the firehouse. That leaves us with a third of our meals meatless, per month.

Last year, on average we had 25 dinners that included meat, per month. Out of those 25 dinners, 9-10 meals included beef. This month, there are 19 dinners that include meat and 4 of those meals include beef.

I will continue to sneak in a few vegetarian meals when the chef is home, in hopes to get our numbers even lower. I now that these changes will not only help the planet but will benefit our overall health.

Tomorrow, corporations that are making the extra effort to produce products that will better the world in which we live.