A couple of weeks ago, our school had Family Green Night. The school opens up its doors in the evening and families are invited in to explore a bunch of different activities and displays related to the environment.
I was in a classroom (with my great friend and yoga teacher, Karen) that focused on plant-based eating. Why plant-based eating?
As my kids will tell you, eating vegan is better for the Earth, better for us and definitely better for the animals.
For Family Green Night we focused on giving some basic information from the United Nations and the Humane Society of the United States about the environmental impact of livestock farming.
We also had computers set to nature.org so families could calculate their carbon footprint. We had tips and substitutions to make it easier to eat veg, and we had lots of cookbooks with scrap paper so folks could jot down appealing recipes.
The art teacher helped kids put together their own cookbooks featuring plant-based recipes, too.
What about folks who aren't interested or ready to adopt a wholly plant-based (vegan) diet?
Try eating only foods that come from plants one day a week. (Or even one day a month.) It will significantly impact your carbon footprint. You also might find that you're eating more fresh produce as a result. You also might discover that you LIKE eating this way and maybe you'll change up a few more meals during the week.
To make it easier, I have been sharing our family's Monday menu so that you can see what the reality of a family's vegan diet can look like (even with dietary restrictions).
Here's what we're eating today:
Breakfast -- Crispy Brown Rice with non-dairy milk and strawberries and bananas.
Lunch -- Leftover black bean and sweet potato enchiladas from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet cookbook.
Snack -- Zucchini Bread and non-dairy yogurt
Dinner -- Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Chickpeas
Dessert -- Coconut-milk ice cream
What are you eating?
Happy Cooking!
Kim
Find more tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.
Kim and Megan, I'm an omnivore but enjoy lots of vegan days and even more vegetarian days. Since my husband is the one not willing to give up meat entirely, I am often vege/vegan all day until dinnertime! To his credit, he has cut back on meat consumption and so has reduced his carbon footprint, as you suggest. Keep up the good work!
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