In this podcast episode we talk about plant-based food and its impact on the environment compared to meat production. Discussions include the impact in terms of environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity, well-being of animals and soil pollution. Although we focus on the environment, the guest speaker Kristina Mering also brings attention to health benefits of choosing plant-based food. Furthermore, future of meat production and developments of plant-based meat production are introduced. Together with the guest speaker we also discuss important aspects of approaching people in order to evoke behavior changes that would benefit the environment.
This episode was hosted by Carol Suurevälja and Kristina Mering, the founder and the CEO of non-profit organization Nähtamatud Loomad (Invisible Animals) as a guest speaker. The episode has been brought to you as a part of Tallinn University’s LIFE project supervised by Terry McDonald, recorded by Avo Ulvik and produced by Artyom Grigoryan. All other activities during preparation, production, and promotion phases were done by Amaliya Khachatryan, Anthony Dike, Artyom Grigoryan, Carol Suurevälja, George Konuwa, and Maliheh Keshmiri.
Apply for volunteer work:https://nahtamatudloomad.ee/tule-vabatahtlikuks
Learn more:
- Aleksandrowicz, L., Green, R., Joy, E., & Smith, P. (2016). The Impacts of Dietary Change on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use, Water Use, and Health: A Systematic Review. PLoS One, 11 (11), 1-16.
- Crimarco, A., Springfield, S., Petlura, C., Streaty, T., Cunanan, K., Lee, J., Fielding-Singh, P., Carter, M. M., Topf, M., Wastyk, H. C., Sonnenburg, E. D., Sunnenburg, J. L., & Gardner, C. D. A randomized crossover trial on the effect of plant-based compared with animal-based meat on trimethylamine-N-oxide and cardiovascular disease risk factors in generally healthy adults: Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternative Trial (SWAP-MEAT). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 122 (5), 1188-1199. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa203
- Macdiarmid, J. I. (2021). The food system and climate change: are plant-based diets becoming unhealthy and less environmentally sustainable? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 81, 162-167.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/food-system-and-climate-change-are-plantbased-diets-becoming-unhealthy-and-less-environmentally-sustainable/525CDD9FC618E5488A5B931669FA7493 - Potter, H. K., & Röös, E. (2021). Multi-criteria evaluation of plant-based foods – use of environmental footprint and LCA data for consumer guidance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280 (1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124721
- The Good Food Institute. (2019). Plant-based meat for a growing world. Available at: https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impact-of-meat-vs-plant-based-meat/
- Xu, X., Sharma, P., Shu, S., Lin, T-S., Ciais, P., Tubiello, F. N., Smith, P., Campbell, N. & Jain, A. K. (2021). Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods. Nature Food, 2, 724-732.
All music samples used in this episode was composed by Artyom Grigoryan.
