Laura Shaughnessy is the former managing editor at Dockwalk.
Cool Food is an initiative by World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research nonprofit organization that builds solutions to urgent environmental issues.
While 2020 was one of the most devasting years to date for many people, 2021 is one for positive change, especially where food is concerned.
An article on Today.com touched on the impact of our food choices on climate change. Did you know that food production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions? Considering there’s no getting around food production, the best we can do is to eat more responsibly.
Perhaps that’s why Panera Bread partnered up with Cool Food, an organization that helps reduce your carbon footprint. Now, Panera patrons can use their menu to choose meal options with a lower carbon footprint.
Cool Food is an initiative by World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research nonprofit organization that builds solutions to urgent environmental issues. Using their ingredient list, WRI calculates a meal’s carbon footprint (e.g., they analyze the agricultural supply chain and land used to make the meal). Animal-based foods make up two-thirds of all agricultural global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Cool Food. One easy swap would be to consume beans instead of beef, which emits 20 times the greenhouse gases.
Essentially, eating a plant-rich diet is the best thing you can do. As talented, resourceful superyacht chefs, creating deliciously creative, plant-based dishes should be easy. The more you can eat something with a lower carbon footprint, the healthier you (and the planet) will be.
This column is taken from the February 2021 issue of Dockwalk.