February Environmental, Health, and Social Agenda

“A 2018 study by researchers at the University of Oxford showed that producing a glass of dairy milk results in almost three times more greenhouse gas emissions than any plant-based milk and it consumes nine times more land than any of the milk alternatives. (Land is required to pasture the cows and grow their feed, which the animals belch out in the form of methane.)

Dairy contains cholesterol and human bodies can produce it by themselves so the added cholesterol is definitely unhealthy! Also, keep in mind that dairy's vitamin D is added artificially.

However, vegan options have drawbacks of their own...

Less preferable alternatives:

Unfortunately, “almonds require more water than any other dairy alternative, consuming 130 pints of water to produce a single glass of almond milk.” Additionally, “satisfying continual demands for larger almond crops is also placing unsustainable pressures on US commercial beekeepers. Nearly 70% of commercial bees in the US are drafted every spring to pollinate almonds. Last year, a record number –over one-third of them– died by season’s end as a result of these pressures and other environmental threats.”

Most coconuts grown for their milk lead to deforestation (“Between 2007 to 2014 rainforests in Indonesia were clearcut at the rate of three acres every minute to make way for coconut palm trees.”) and unfair labor practices (coconut pickers are often paid less than a dollar a day). Fortunately, Fair Trade certified organic coconut products are more environmentally and socially sustainable.

Rice grown for milk consumes massive quantities of water. Also, bacteria growing in rice paddies emit large quantities of methane (a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide). In addition to these issues, rice milk is nutritionally empty compared to other plant milks.

Preferable alternatives:

Hemp and flax milks are produced in such small quantities that they do not have significant environmental footprints.

Hazelnuts grown for milk are wind-pollinated, sequester carbon (temporarily), and are grown in naturally moist areas.

Soy grown for milk has very low environmental and social footprints if it is grown organically in the US or Canada. If a soy milk’s origin is unlabeled or specified as being sourced from a tropical country, there is a high chance that rainforest was cleared to grow soybeans that were used to produce it. Read the container! Additionally, soy milk is very healthy and its consistency is quite dairy-like. Fears of its endocrine disruption potential are baseless unless it is consumed in far greater quantities than a human could manage. Also, animal milk is full of animal hormones that are far more likely to cause endocrine disruption than the hormone-like substances that are present in soy products. As a matter of fact, these substances are healthy for most women.

Oat milk has a very small environmental footprint as most oats used for milk would otherwise be used as animal feed. One problem with oat milk is glyphosate contamination but certified glyphosate-free brands are available.

I have made almond and soy milk from scratch and I highly recommend looking into it rather than sticking to premade commercial plant milks. All you need is water and a mesh bag.

All plant milks are preferable to dairy, so there is no need to focus on the details unless you want to be as environmentally responsible as you possibly can!

In addition to milk awareness, I encourage everybody to consider planting a vegetable garden after the last frost occurs in your location! It is a wonderful way to bond with your food and the outdoors. It also provides an obvious use for compost. If you plant a garden, it will be good for your physical and mental health. Also it is a way to develop more self-sufficiency, so any survivalist friends or family will approve even before you share your produce with them!

Thank you for reading this dispatch and happy February from Forest and Turbeaux!

Reference (that cites additional references): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/28/what-plant-milk-should-i-drink-almond-killing-bees-aoe