Today we are facing one of the greatest challenges we have ever known as a species. We have to find a way to ensure that our planet does not succumb to our current lifestyle. We also want to make sure that we can do this in a humane way, so that these changes do not create a gap between people who have the resources for this and people where it is more difficult.
We believe that, in order to do this, we must once again be closer to nature and therefore more efficient and conscious in our use of its resources. This means that it is important to recognise which products are a so-called 'luxury' and which are not. One of the easiest ways to do this is to change your diet.
Our diet accounts for 70% of fresh water consumption, 71% of usable land and up to 26% of our contribution to global warming. And that's just the beginning. Determining the impact of our food is not easy, because we want to look at the whole life cycle of a product and our food is part of an ecosystem. So what contribution are you going to make to which product? Are the gases released by the fertilisation of a field caused by the animals that produced the manure, or is it there because it is needed for agriculture; are these gases therefore caused by cattle or by the plant for which we use this manure?
So the exact calculation leaves some room for discussion, but a few things are fixed. Eating vegetables that are local and do not need to be kept for a long time requires less energy for transport and cooling. Eating food that is not packaged and prepared in advance causes less pollution and landfill. Cattle produces methane and require a huge amount of raw materials before slaughter, which makes the necessary input for meat and animal products much higher than for vegetable products (per calorie though). But what about our nutrients?
Since animal products require much more input, it is also logical that these products contain more nutrients per kilogram. However, a lot of research is going on today to find out the real truth about this and whether we need these nutrients in such large quantities.
What if I tell you that it is really possible to make this change and that it is beneficial for the climate and for your health? Because our lifestyle has improved enormously over the last 100 years, we have lost some contact with nature. We no longer know when tomatoes grow, because we find them in supermarkets all year round. This is the result of our new, faster lifestyle, which - don't get me wrong - has done a lot of good things. But it has also alienated us as a society from nature, the seasons and ourselves. So eating differently also means pushing the brakes, looking around and wondering what you are doing there.
So, like us, do you really want to have an impact? But do you want to do this at your own pace, without condemnation and by making the adjustments you are comfortable with? Then be sure to follow us, because we are working on a plan that can outline for you where you can make improvements and how you can do this in a way that is sustainable and good for our planet.
Not convinced yet? Then let David Attenborough convince you with his documentary 'A Life On This Planet'. We'll see you back here!