Greencap Eco-News  |  Issue 3  |  January 2022

The Environmental Impacts of Eating Meat

As part of Greencap's commitment to all things sustainable, we are pleased to send this regular communication where Greencap's own Eco-Sustainability Committee team members provide interesting facts, quick eco-tips, and recent environmental news.

This issue includes loads of interesting information on the environmental impacts of eating meat, the versatility of mushrooms, and air pollution.

Did you know?
🐄 More greenhouse gas emissions are caused by livestock than transport? 🐄 

By eating less meat and animal products we can all make a positive contribution to limit destruction of rainforests and native animal’s habitat and even slow climate change.
There are a number of ways you can go vegan - it doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach!

One Meal A Day

Much  in the same vein as the popular Meat Free Mondays  (founded by former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney in 2009), OMD (one meal a day) (developed by Suzy Amis Cameron) is a similar concept of having at least one meal a day be completely vegan.

Breakfast is a great start, as it is the simplest meal of the day to incorporate more fruit and vegetables without making too much of an effort. Smoothies, porridge, toast, fruit salad, even fry-ups are all so easy to veganise! 

The meat and dairy alternatives have also taken huge leaps and bounds in the past 5 years, with some of them being almost indistinguishable from the original. So, try a V2, Beyond, Impossible or local variety of plant-based meat or cheese next time you’re at a restaurant or cooking on the barbeque. 

For A Month

Veganuary is a movement where people go fully vegan for the month of January. Will you take up the challenge? There’s not much of January left, so to do a one-week challenge is even easier! The Vegan movement is not only a diet, but a lifestyle movement that aims to reduce harm on animals as much as possible. Veganism not only incorporates thinking about the food we consume, but also what make-up we purchase, what clothes we wear, what businesses we buy from, and more.  

You can calculate your impact at the Vegan Calculator. For example, being vegan for only 1 month saves 30 animals, 84 square metres of rainforest, 124, 917 litres of water, and prevents 273 kilograms of CO2 going into the atmosphere! 

Vegan Top Tips:  

• Try meat alternatives (such as plant-based meats, or mushrooms and pulses for more healthy and environmentally friendly choices)
• Choose 1 meal a day to be completely plant-based 
• Research the impact and be informed (recommended:  Simon Hill’s Plant Proof Podcast)  
• Choose local plant-based brands to reduce environmental impact even further (such as v2Food or Lauds)
   

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They also have antibacterial and antiviral properties that could be used in the future development of effective medicines for humans, after successful trials on mice. 

If that wasn't impressive enough, fungi could also hold the key to halting and beginning to reverse climate change, helping our decimated rainforests and jungles restore, as we start to understand how much work needs to be done in this space. 

⛓️ Impact of Increased Working From Home (WFH) ⛓️

What can we do as individuals to reduce pollutants in the air? 

Population density in Melbourne and Sydney and an over-reliance on cars thanks to unreliable public transport systems, even during lockdowns, hampered any real lasting decrease in pollution levels. However, it may not all be doom and gloom, with the rapid rise of remote work, we may not see the long-term positive impact that lockdowns have created for a few years yet. This may also help to prevent major infrastructure challenges that are destined to hit Australia as populations also increase in major cities around the country.  

Considering that the majority of air pollution comes from big industry, is there anything an individual can do to make a real difference? Looking into this big question comes with all the answers we can expect and have all heard before.

However, there were a few interesting ones: 

• Fireworks cause huge pollution, so avoid anywhere close to fireworks for your own health and support events that don’t use them and use an alternative (such as a lightshow) instead. It is also encouraged to report illegal usage of fireworks in a domestic setting in Australia 
• Support charities, causes and endeavours that are replanting our worldwide forests and jungles, such as: Halfcut (the Daintree) and ReforestAction (the Amazon and worldwide) 
• Consider being buried in a sustainable coffin, such as one made out of mushrooms, wood or cardboard, that breaks down and helps the environment regenerate
• Try to buy products packaged in glass, paper or recyclable/recycled materials rather than plastics. Mass consumer demand helps shift industry norms. 

Greencap's Eco Sustainability Committee also consistently champions the reduction of waste generated from business activities and promotes ways in which both the business and us as individuals can make a difference to reduce pollution.

Examples include:

• Commitment to purchasing majority of our power from Greenpower
• Transition of fleet vehicles to Hybrid Electric Vehicles 
• Numerous recycling initiatives (including the standard paper and plastic, to e-waste, batteries, bread tags and our closed-loop Terracycle recycling programs for asbestos single-use AIR cassettes and PPE hard hats)
• Clean Up Australia Day - Gold Business Supporter
   

Experts in Indoor Air Quality

Greencap's scientific staff use state of the art equipment and technology to evaluate a broad range of air quality parameters in the building environment - on behalf of both our clients and our team members working in Greencap offices across Australia.

From basic thermal comfort parameters such as temperature and humidity through to potential atmospheric contaminants such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and VOCs;  Greencap can provide assessment of indoor air quality and practical recommendations for ensuring healthy buildings. Our engineering capability includes assessment of mechanical systems, ventilation airflows, and contaminant dispersion analysis (SafeTraces™) to review efficiencies and opportunities for improvements in indoor air quality.

Greencap - working towards making our world safer

​Further reading:

•  Watch Netflix documentary ‘Fantastic Fungi’ for a visually stunning deep dive into topic and further resources

• A New Era of Agriculture: How Soil and Mushrooms can help solve the Climate Crisis

• The Proof is in the Plants by Simon Hill - a complete breakdown on why moving towards a more plant-based diet is better for your health, the environment and the animals

• NutritionFacts.org - A comprehensive, science based website covering everything  that anyone could want to know about plant-based eating, broken down into short digestible videos