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Is cheese the more sustainable option?
A 2023 survey revealed that the issue of second-most concern to shoppers was animal cruelty (the first was the desire for “non-toxic” products). Which means there are many of you eager for tips on how to avoid meat from factory farms. Earth 911 has produced a guide that you can find here.
If climate concerns are also on your list, you’ll be interested in this question (below) from a reader about whether meat or cheese has the biggest negative impact.
And finally, tomorrow is Sun Day, a day to celebrate the most exciting clean energy innovation and stand up to fossil fuel interests. Find an event near you.
I know that meat consumption is bad for the environment. I’ve cut way back on meat but am not quite a vegetarian. Instead, I’m eating a lot of cheese. But a friend told me that’s just as bad as meat? Is it? (Please say “no.” Vegan cheese is … ugh!)
– Kaya
Dear Kaya,
At the age of 22, Dot spent a semester at a tiny school in Villefranche, a small village perched atop a cliff in the south of France, with spectacular views of the Mediterranean. I was broke, but who cared — I was in France! Each week, I would scrounge together what few francs I could and buy a baguette, some creamy Camembert, and a bottle of Beaujoulais nouveau. I might have been living a cliché but it felt like the height of luxury.
And so it is with le coeur lourde that I share the climate impact of cheese, which is … mauvais.
How mauvais? Keep reading. And discover how you can still say cheese sustainably.
