One big way individuals can reduce their carbon footprint is by limiting their meat consumption. Furthermore, collective action is better than individual action; what you feed large groups of people has a big impact. For that reason dining halls and cafeterias should pay more attention to their levels of emissions.
Meat production is a big source of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. When these reach high concentrations in the atmosphere, heat gets trapped in the atmosphere, thereby warming the planet. Most human-caused emissions come from burning fossil fuels for energy. Major sources of greenhouse gases include agriculture, industry and transportation.
Overall, food production is responsible for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and livestock and fishery emissions account for 30% of that. This is from manure and pasture management, fuel use and methane. Cattle are the largest agricultural source of methane, on average each cow produces 220lb a year from belching. Beef emits 25kg of carbon dioxide per 100 grams of protein, tofu emits just 1.6kg of carbon dioxide per 100 grams of protein. As a result, beef emits over 15 times the amount as tofu. It is true that eating a fully plant based diet does still use a lot of resources, but it is nowhere as much as a more meat-heavy diet.
Under their new dining provider, Chartwells, Connecticut College is claiming to make advancements towards a more climate-friendly dining experience by introducing a more planet-friendly menu at the smaller dining hall, Jane Addams (JA). This is what they say about the menus at JA: “Planet Eats is the first-of-its-kind dining hall where the food is climate-friendly, healthy, and plant-forward… From low-carbon food education to fair trade certification, we are committed to transparency and responsible sourcing. The menus for Planet Eats have been designed to have 40% less dairy and red meat compared to our other core menus.”
Conn has made a good step with the “Planet Eats” menu at JA, but what exactly does “40% less dairy and red meat compared to our other core menus” mean? There are no exact numbers on the website – even if they are willing to share, they are not readily accessible. They make a lot of claims, and should back them up with hard evidence. Based on their menus, JA still serves beef often. Reducing dairy and red meat is good, but reducing meat or animal products in general would be even more beneficial. Especially because it is a secondary dining hall, it could be a good experiment. They could try a vegan day or full meal every week, alongside education about the health and environmental benefits.
Another aspect of sustainability is education, this is something the Conn community could have more of. Many of my peers are unaware of the real impacts of our decisions, especially regarding food; and that JA even has this goal. If the school is not publicizing it enough, we as students must speak up and make it clear this is something we support. Not sharing this information with the community is an example of greenwashing, or having empty claims of sustainability. We should ask for more transparency on where our food comes from.
There are existing movements that have succeeded at colleges in the past, Chartwells themselves have tried a “Plant Forward” menu. At some of their campuses, they have held one-day vegetarian or vegan takeovers, alongside just providing more meat-free options. Another important factor is making sure the food is actually appealing. This goes along with education, making sure people are aware of what they are eating, and the effects.
The Meatless Monday campaign is another movement students can get involved in. This can be run on many levels: as a personal challenge, or as part of a larger movement. In their college food service guide they stress that you do not have to get rid of meat, it is important to just highlight plant-based options and provide more of them.
In order to cut emissions, action must be taken. We should let Chartwells know this is something the Conn community is interested in. This can be done by sharing this information with others, to gain more attention. Then, join together and ask student government or administration to listen.
This movement should extend beyond just one school. Chartwells is the dining service provider for many colleges in Connecticut: Albertus Magnus College, Eastern Connecticut State University, Post University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, and Trinity College. If students at all of these institutions take these actions, real positive change can occur.
Sophie Mulvihill is a senior economics major at Connecticut College, interested in the distributional causes and effects of climate change.