The sustainability secret Rethinking our diet to transform the world

To feed a person on an all plant-based vegan diet for one year requires just one-sixth of an acre of land. To feed that same person on a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy requires three times as much land. To feed a person on the average diet eaten by an American citizen, with high consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs, requires eighteen times as much land. This is because you can produce 37,000 pounds of vegetables on one and a half acres, but only 375 pounds of meat on that same plot of land. The comparison doesn't end with land use. A vegan diet produces half as much carbon dioxide as an American omnivore, uses 1/11 the amount of fossil fuels, 1/13 the amount of water, and 1/18 the amount of land. After adding all this up, I realized I had the choice--every single day--to save: Over 1,100 gallons of water 45 pounds of grain 30 square feet of forested land The equivalent of 20 pounds of carbon dioxide And one animal's life. Every. Single. Day. Excerpted from The Sustainability Secret: Beyond Cowspiracy by Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.