Not only is red meat the least healthy meat to consume, but red meat is responsible for ~2.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per household per year, while fruits/vegetables and cereals/carbs are both responsible for <1 metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions per household per year. Chicken, fish, and eggs are responsible for even less.
According to a recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, foregoing red meat and dairy just one day a week achieves more greenhouse gas reductions than eating an entire week's worth of locally sourced foods. That's because the carbon footprint of food miles is dwarfed by that of food production. In fact, 83 percent of the average U.S. household's carbon footprint for food consumption comes from production; transportation represents only 11 percent; wholesaling and retailing account for 5 percent.
www.waterfootprint.org
A new website has compiled data on how much water is needed to produce consumer goods ranging from tea to T-shirts. It is also home to a water calculator that helps users figure out their overall water footprint. The beverage that uses the least water is water itself. One cup of coffee requires approximately 140 liters to produce. In contrast, one kg of corn requires 900 liters of water to produce and one kg of beef requires 16,000 liters of water.
