I've discussed this topic with a friend before and have my own views, but I was curious as to what you guys thought:
I live up in the north part of the U.S., where our growing season is pretty short, and our winters can be harsh. We get a decent variety of fruits and veggies that grow up here, but in order to get a strong variety of plant-based foods, a lot of what I eat will come from all over the world. Avocados and quinoa come from South America, most fruits come from California and Florida, just to name a few. And during the winter, I rarely see local foods, if at all at the supermarket.
If it's true that to stay healthy on a plant-based diet you need to consume a variety of foods, then (it seems) that there's a necessary environmental cost to that lifestyle as well. Now I'm not saying there aren't bigger things that impact the environment negatively, but I think this is something to think about. Maybe in the future when we live in a world of 100% renewable energy sources (I can dream right?) this won't be an issue, but for today's world would it be sustainable if everyone adopted this type of diet?
I live up in the north part of the U.S., where our growing season is pretty short, and our winters can be harsh. We get a decent variety of fruits and veggies that grow up here, but in order to get a strong variety of plant-based foods, a lot of what I eat will come from all over the world. Avocados and quinoa come from South America, most fruits come from California and Florida, just to name a few. And during the winter, I rarely see local foods, if at all at the supermarket.
If it's true that to stay healthy on a plant-based diet you need to consume a variety of foods, then (it seems) that there's a necessary environmental cost to that lifestyle as well. Now I'm not saying there aren't bigger things that impact the environment negatively, but I think this is something to think about. Maybe in the future when we live in a world of 100% renewable energy sources (I can dream right?) this won't be an issue, but for today's world would it be sustainable if everyone adopted this type of diet?
Last edited: