Americans have been eating less meat over the last decade. The reasons, according to one survey, are price and health. The environment did not rank. But the fact is, it is only a small mental hop to understanding that because health and the environment are linked, health decisions can also be environmental activism.
Personal Health Is Environmental Activism
One of the most difficult parts about spurring action on environmental challenges is always motivation. Things like plastic pollution, deforestation, and even climate change feel far away. And even if we acknowledge them, the effects of our efforts against them can be hard to see. However, we can make it all personal, immediate, and desirable by recognizing that what is healthiest for the environment is usually healthiest for our bodies.
Eating Less Meat
Since 2005 meat consumption in America has gone down.1 According to Civil Eats, one survey revealed that the reasons for this were price and health, which is no surprise.2 Americans are fairly well informed about the potential downsides of overeating meat while undereating things like fruits, vegetables, and nuts. As a result, we’re seeing the shift in the market.
What is important now is to make explicitly clear that this shift in health habits has an environmental payoff. Meat is one of the most environmentally costly agricultural products.3 Any reason to cut back on meat consumption is good for the environment. Doing it for better health, which one can experience on a personal level, is a perfect opportunity to motivate individuals towards more environmental habits. In short, if health is cited as a reason, then environment is not far behind. We need only hammer it home.