The health consequences of being overweight are well-documented. In subtler ways, it also affects your environmental impact. Even small choices leave some type of impression. With over 60 percent of Americans overweight, it is easy to see how this can build up.
Getting Around
If you’re overweight, it might be more difficult to get around. You may find yourself getting winded easily from even small trips. Unless you consciously fight the urge, you may find yourself taking the easy way out.
You might park as close as you can to the store entrance. You may drive rather than walk for those errands less than a mile from your home. You might use the escalator or elevator instead of the stairs. These minor choices mean you are contributing more to your carbon footprint than had you been fit.
Food Choices
A healthy diet includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains. These foods contain fewer calories than meats and also carry less of an environmental burden.
Eating meat involves an energy-expensive route from the farm to the processing plant to the grocery store. A study by the the University of Chicago quantified the ecological cost of a diet rich in meat at 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
The average carbon footprint for Americans is just over 28 tons. At almost nine percent, the cost of a meat-rich diet puts it nearly on a par with the ecological cost of driving your car. It is three percent less than your contribution from your home’s electricity.
The takeaway message is this. Controlling your weight is a matter of balancing your caloric intake with energy expenditure. A healthy diet can reduce your risk for disease by helping you lose weight. Your choices will also benefit the environment.
You cannot eliminate your carbon footprint. It’s a matter of survival. However, you can make conscious choices that can minimize your contribution. Making the decision to control your weight provides an effective means for accomplishing this purpose. Not only will your quality of life improve, but in some small measure, so too will the environment profit.
