To effectively communicate the power of a plant based diet and lifestyle to help stop and reverse climate change while supporting our local community in becoming ever more vegan-friendly. Any comprehensive plan to address climate change would not be complete without the inclusion of plant based solutions, upon which our survival depends(1).

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On average, each American will eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime(2). Twenty-one thousand animals to feed a single human being! To meet consumption needs that great, livestock farming has become the largest anthropogenic user of land, contributing to soil degradation, dwindling water supplies, water and air pollution, and species extinction”(3,5) and is responsible for nearly 51% of global greenhouse emissions(4).

But the problems caused by animal agriculture are not confined to the land. The damage being done to our seas through industrial fishing is leading to reef destruction, warming seas, species extinction, and species decline, which is already stressing the dolphin, whale, and sea turtle populations(5).

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that animal agriculture is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems”(6) - from the local to the global and from the air to the soil to the seas.

Remaining reliant on the animal agriculture industry to feed us, to clothe us, to make our bags, our products, our shoes, and our pet food is untenable. Something has to change - and that something has to be a shift toward eating more plants and significantly fewer animals(1).

By shifting our consumption practices away from the use of animals and toward the sustainable use of plants, we assist in reducing greenhouse gases emitted by the animal agriculture industry and contribute to the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere(7).

Adopting a plant based lifestyle is therefore one of the most impactful actions we can take to ensure a healthy, beautiful, livable planet for our children. But not just our children: by prompting the global economy to prioritize growing plants for human consumption instead of as feed for livestock, we also increase the likelihood that future generations all over the world will experience food security(1).

The Plant Based Solutions team hopes to inspire excitement around living a healthy vegan lifestyle, where taste, quality, and convenience are not sacrificed. As such, we’ve kicked off with two campaigns: Firstly, we are bringing vegan food trucks to the Palisades on a regular basis to make some of the most delicious vegan fare that already exists readily available to our community members. We are also assembling the vegan food offerings that are available in town and will soon publish and distribute a Plant Based Palisades Menu that will create easy-access to plant based foods that also support our local establishments. Soon, we will be partnering with local food providers to offer more vegan-friendly options and substitutions.

We understand that food is emotional, generational, and, in many families, sacred. Food practices must also be practical, appealing, healthful, and achievable. Even when we intend to make the healthiest choices for ourselves and the planet, it can take time to adopt new ways of feeding ourselves and our families.

With all of that in mind, it is the goal of the Plant Based Solutions team to approach our local community with respect and deference as we seek to empower our friends and neighbors to become effective climate activists with every bite they take and every purchase they make.

Every heart and home makes a difference when it comes to reducing the harmful impacts of the animal agriculture industry. We hope you’ll join us in making a difference for our planet! The Plant Based Solutions Team is excited about the Palisades’ future as a leader in climate change activism across all the sectors represented in the Resilient Palisades organization!