On Earth Day, Jennifer Channin looked out her kitchen window while eating breakfast to see the morning light beam down on her home solar grid, the only mark on an otherwise untouched blanket of green in her lawn. Most would agree that Channin is doing her part for the planet. And she is, but not just because of the renewable power or rolling hills of native plant life in her backyard. It’s also because of the plant-based meal on her plate.
As executive director of the Better Food Foundation, a non-profit promoting plant-centered diets through psychology and incentives, Channin works to increase climate-friendly eating at institutions around the globe–not just at her own breakfast table. She shared her insights for driving dietary change with Stanford students at a seminar event hosted by the Stanford Animal & Food Law Society (FoodSoc) on April 22. Emily Zinkula, a Stanford law student and FoodSoc leader, co-organized the event with the goal of introducing a wide range of students to the foundation’s work. “We wanted to call attention to food norms,” Zinkula says. “I think the big thing here was that we wanted to get undergraduates and law students together and have a broader coalition… hopefully get some ideas going.”
Channin started her talk by asking students to consider what the Earth means to them. She reminded attendees that though people tend to think of the outdoors, one of the most important daily interactions that individuals have with the environment is through meals. “What’s really powerful about food system work is that it affects everyone,” Channin reflects.
Agriculture accounts for a third of all global greenhouse gas emissions, with meat and dairy production disproportionately impacting the environment compared to plant-based crops. Animal farming not only generates significant amounts of methane but also requires widespread deforestation for livestock and feed production and is highly energy intensive in the transportation and packing processes. Yet, even as institutions like Stanford look to accelerate their sustainability transitions, meat continues to be featured prominently in dining halls, at catered events, and more.
“Since I got to Stanford four years ago, one of the things that surprised me most was how little plant-based diets were discussed on campus,” shares Sofia Vera Verduzco, a coterminal student in sustainability science. Growing up in Mexico City, she says, Verduzco expected a “leader in sustainability” like Stanford to be far ahead of her hometown in terms of climate-friendly eating but has not found that to be the case. “This is why I was very excited to come to this chat… I really believe interventions like these can make a big impact on campus and lead to systemic change.”
The Better Food Foundation aims to shift food culture and normalize plant-based meals by studying the psychological principles that influence eating habits and then applying those findings to help consumers reduce their meat intake. Their research shows that small changes on menus can have major effects on consumer decisions. For example, increasing the total number of plant-based choices available, placing such options higher up on menus while offering meat and dairy options as optional sides rather than mains, and changing the title of dishes to focus on taste can all make consumers more likely to choose climate-friendly options. The organization works with over 500 universities and restaurants to implement these strategies and has observed a 37 percent reduction in institutional greenhouse gas emissions at these locations simply by shifting perceptions of plant-forward meals to lower meat consumption.
Channin encouraged attendees to join the DefaultVeg Internship Program, a Better Food Foundation effort to support students in leading dining transitions at their schools. “A lot of the time, people feel rather powerless to make any sort of difference in these issues,” comments FoodSoc leader and law student Zoe Robertson. “The purpose of this event was to show people really that they can make a concrete change, if not individually than at their institutions.”
A law school lecture hall may seem a less appealing place to celebrate nature than the great outdoors. However, the students who traded sunshine for Room 280B’s fluorescent panel lights this Earth Day were rewarded with many ideas for environmental action—along with delicious sesame tofu bowls that were good for the planet and palate alike.
