5 Earth-friendly ways to eat better in Austin
By Melissa Gaskill | September 7, 2014
You can make your dining more earth-friendly without turning into a forager, giving up meat or
doing anything else drastic. A few small changes here and there are all it takes. Here are five Earth-
friendly dining habits.
Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile 3235 E. Cesar Chavez Austin
1. Eat less beef
A recent study found that emissions of greenhouse gasses from livestock are rising and that beef cattle account for far more than other types of animals. Methane and nitrous oxide account for about 28 percent of greenhouse gas totals. Methane is released as a byproduct of animal digestion, and nitrous oxide enters the atmosphere from decomposing manure. When other researchers looked at the environmental costs per nutritional unit produced, eating beef is on average about 10 times more costly than other animal-derived foods, including pork and poultry. Crossing beef off your menu would help keep our planet healthier.
Can’t imagine a summer without red meat? There are alternatives that taste just as good and are easier on the Earth. Longhorn meat doesn’t create the same amount of emissions; locally, Boggy Creek Farm sells meat from Dear Run Land & Cattle Co. near Buda. Sheep is also a better choice, representing 9 percent of livestock emissions versus the 54 percent that come from beef cattle, as is goat (4 percent).
You have options when dining out, too. Jacoby’s Restaurant, open now, serves goat and lamb. The menu at Swift’s Attic lists braised Windy Hill goat shoulder.