The PB & J Campaign

“You recycle. You choose organic. You save energy. Now take at-home environmentalism to the next level”

So challenges the people of the PB&J campaign, a effort organized by private citizens to encourage the public to eat more plant-based meals as a means to save energy.

They are not actually saying that people need to constantly eat only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Instead, PB&J is an example of a simple, cheap, and most importantly, plant-based meal that can be consumed to save energy.  The campaign states that every meal in which you opt for a vegetarian plate, you will reduce your carbon footprint by the equivalent of 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide. They also point out a scientifically affirmed yet rarely known fact: eating vegetarian is one of the best ways to help the environment.  So much so that eating a hamburger in a Prius is worse off for the planet than eating a salad in an SUV.

The reason for this is due to all the energy that is required to feed, house, and kill animals that are eaten by humans.  Pigs, cows, and the like require a great deal of protein and carbohydrates in order to convert energy from the plants they eat.  That is, these animals are inefficient at using energy from the food they eat, and thus it is more effective to eat plants directly than to eat animals that eat plants.

Because animals waste the food they are given, everything used to take care of these animals is also wasted.  The land, machinery, transportation, and water needed to grow and feed animals is not being used effectively.  Therefore, eating a plant-based meal doesn’t only reduce carbon emissions.  It also saves water and saves lands.

It is an interesting way to get people to eat less meat.  Instead of arguing about animal cruelty or health reasons, the issue at the heart of the campaign is energy use.  Simply put, more energy is used in the process to consume a carnivorous meal than a vegetarian one.

The campaign is not aggressive or superior.  They are not promoting a strictly vegetarian lifestyle.  They are simply informing the public of the facts and explaining what is saved when one meal is switched from meat-based to plant-based. People are encouraged to sign up at the website to track how much energy they are saving every day.  You can “take the pledge,” and state how many plant-based meals you will eat during the week.  As you go you will see exactly how much emissions, water, and land you are saving by this simple act.

For much more information, useful links, and to take the pledge, visit The PB&J Campaign.

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