100ml of cow's milk will contain around 3.4 grams of protein, versus 0.5 grams in almond milk. The New York Times reported that according to the Water Footprint Network, almonds require six times . The rush to ban plastic straws and the resulting outcry from disability campaigners (who, for various medical and practical reasons need plastic straws), crystallised how the social impact of green initiatives needs greater consideration. Overall, I think the debate between the ecological and nutritional benefits of dairy milk and plant-based milks is very interesting. Popular crops like walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios drink just as muchsometimes more, evenbut the almond industry receives more criticism because almonds are in higher demand. Water use is similarly higher for cow's milk: 628. The bad news is that almonds sold in the U.S. are generally grown in California, whereas other crops, such as dairy and oats, have a wider distribution and can be sourced more locally. Londons Spring restaurant, for instance, was using 3,600km of clingfilm a year. Food Navigator, 2020. In South America, soy farming (mostly for animal feed), is driving deforestation and the destruction of Brazils Cerrado grasslands. Oat milk was so novel in the mid-2010s that it wasn't even named in a comprehensiveMintel reporton plant-based milk sales from 2012 to 2017. "World Agricultural Production." University of Missouri Extension. According to Gustins article, members of the National Milk Producers Federation do not approve of plant-based milks being labeled as milks, as they are using the positive nutritional branding of milk and using it for a product other than dairy milk, as the name was originally intended for. 6, 2015, pp. As a frequent consumer of almond milk (my personal favorite is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk, or on occasion their chocolate almond milk), I was interested in looking at how the carbon footprint of almond milk production and consumption compares to that of dairy milk. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Chapter 2: Crop Water Needs, Water-Indexed Benefits and Impacts of California Almonds, Methane: A Crucial Opportunity in the Climate Fight, 2015 Agricultural Chemical Use Survey: Oats, Groundwater, Rivers, Ecosystems and Conflicts, As California Almond Acreage Grows, Trees Bring Benefits to Agriculture, Environment, Community, Life Cyclebased Assessment of Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Almond Production, Part II: Uncertainty Analysis through Sensitivity Analysis and Scenario Testing, The Other Side of Almonds: A Light Carbon Footprint, Summary of Pesticide Use Report Data - 2017, Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Methoxyfenozide Disrupts Honey Bee Colony Activity and Thermoregulation, Seasonal Guide to Environmentally Responsible Pest Management Practices in Almonds, Migratory Management and Environmental Conditions Affect Lifespan and Oxidative Stress in Honey Bees, Why Bees Matter: The Importance of Bees and Other Pollinators for Food and Agriculture, Declining Bee Populations Pose Threat to Global Food Security and Nutrition. "Relative Toxicities of Pesticides Used in Almonds to Natural Enemies and Honey Bees." United States Department of Agriculture, 2016. Grass Fed vs. "Why Bees Matter: The Importance of Bees and Other Pollinators for Food and Agriculture." The findings are important for evaluating the . Almond Board of California, 2016. But new research published in the Yales, Visit the Yale School of the Environment homepage, Connecting people, forests, and forestry for a sustainable future. References l'occitane almond milk concentrate. Hemp, as a crop, is well-known for its sustainability, and its seeds are a nutritious base for milk. Hemp milk: 26. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018. Statista. United States Department of Agriculture. Because almond milk is mostly water, there are only a few servings of almonds in each glass. A delicious healthy plant based recipe from my kitchen. 37, 2016, pp. We collaborate with Project Apis m to help honeybees thrive during and after almond bloom. The almond farming industry continues to make efforts to reduce their water consumption, while the dairy industry not only uses large amounts of water, but also is one of the highest industry contributors to green house gas emissions. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Hemingway was referring to a study that found it takes 1,611 US gallons, not litres, of water. According to the federation, plant-based milk manufacturers are unfairly capitalizing on this. 113, no. According to a 2016 fact sheet published by the organization, almond growers had reduced their water usage by 33% over the two decades prior. In others, though, almond milk's environmental flaws far outweigh those of its grain-based counterpart. The plant-based milks are fighting over other titles. 368, no. Clingfilm: not all bad, but think about longer-term food storage. This product is dairy-free and lactose-free. As for so many daily decisions, especially at the grocery store, a lot depends on price. Cashew Milk vs. Almond Milk: Which Is More Environmentally Friendly? Research by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has shown that low-fat milk options are. 60., doi:10.1186/1476-069X-9-60. To pollinate almond orchards, honeybees must wake from their winter dormancy up to two months earlier than they would wake naturally, which puts added stress on the increasingly fragile invertebrates. "Groundwater, Rivers, Ecosystems and Conflicts." Required fields are marked *. Growing peas requires up to six times less water than almonds, and this milk alternative has a much smaller carbon footprint than dairy. Despite the heavy water usage toll of almond milk production, the nut milk is a much more ecologically conscious choice than dairy milk when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Trying to decide between oat milk and almond milk for your latte? The beauty of oat milk is that its namesake cereal grain grows all around the world, from Russia to Australia, from Canada to Spain. What isn't included, however, is the emissions generated by the leftover pulp. Usually 90% less, tofu originating from deforested Brazilian pastures has a carbon footprint twice that of chicken. "The Almond Conference." An advertisement in support of the DAIRY PRIDE Act, encouraging the FDA to place tighter restrictions on what can be labeled and sold as a milk. It is a compromise, but soy milk seems to leave the smallest footprint on the environment. Almonds and almond milk have a lower carbon footprint than cow's milk, but almond milk has a higher water footprint. Hemingway describes a situation in which farmers are ripping up relatively biodiverse citrus groves to feed rocketing demand for almonds, creating a monoculture fed by increasingly deep water wells that threaten statewide subsidence issues. A seven-ounce glass comes in at about 0.4 pounds of carbon dioxide. Because almond trees are particularly susceptible to bloom and foliar diseases, they are often sprayedwhen they are in bloom. Chapter 2: Crop Water Needs." That almond orchards are so geographically concentrated means the product must also travel great distances, generating more greenhouse gas emissions. While it's still touted as a more sustainable choice than dairy milk, the beloved beverage's footprint is becoming increasingly detrimental to the perpetually parched state of California. 12019/Pixabay Dairy milk is typically 3.5 times more emissions-intensive than alternative milks. Farmers will often use water from rivers for irrigation, too, which has left many fish, crustaceans, and mammals starved for habitat, hydration, and prey. "Life Cyclebased Assessment of Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Almond Production, Part II: Uncertainty Analysis through Sensitivity Analysis and Scenario Testing." Elizabeth MacLennan is a fact checker and expert on climate change. Grand View Research. Manufacturers can label any bottle that can feasibly be recycled as recyclable. The term almond milk refers to a plant milk made from ground almonds and water filtered with salt. Park, et al. It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?! That would mean the seeds travel 3,000 miles from the Central Valley to the opposite end of the countrya distance that would cost the average car about 2,670 pounds of CO2 emissions,based on EPA estimatesthen across the countryagainfor distribution. The dairy industry is responsible for 4% of all total greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans, according to Georgina Gustin of Inside Climate News. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Many of the state's growersof which there are 6,800, according to the Almond Board of Californiahave resorted to ripping out portions of their almond crops on account of the worsening drought. In terms of combatting immediate environmental pollution, the 5p plastic bag charge has been a huge success. Though almond orchards take up slightly less space than oat fields, one must consider that oats are generally rotated out every year to make room for other crops whereas almond trees live for 25 years and must be cared for year-round. Alternate between milk types so that the impact is not so concentrated in a single sector. Every litre of cow's milk uses 8.9 square metres per year, compared to 0.8 for oat, 0.7 for soy, 0.5 for almond and 0.3 for rice milk. Food waste is composted by anaerobic digestion to produce biogas and fertiliser, but, first, any packaging has to be removed. This article was amended on 5 September 2018. This means non-CO2 gases are weighted by the amount of warming they cause over a 100-year timescale. They grow abundantly throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia. One of the top five insecticides used,methoxyfenozide,is toxic to bees. The protein in dairy is also a more 'complete' protein source, which means it has the full profile of essential amino acids. The University of California's Integrated Pest Management Guidelines say not to allow two others, bifenthrin and abamectin, to "drift to plants that are flowering"because of their bee toxicity. Of course, there are other issues around sustainability that mean you may still want to support British sheep farmers, but that starkly illustrates how food miles are no measure of a products green credentials, and that there are no easy answers to global warming. To put almonds' water consumption further into perspective, one orange requires14 gallonsof water, a cup of coffee 35 gallons, one potato 100 gallons, a glass of dairy milk 48 gallons, and a half cup of tofu 61 gallons. Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. She holds a degree in Journalism from Ohio University. The claim that almond milk takes 20x the water compared to dairy is false. California Department of Pesticide Regulation, 2017. Almond milk has lower greenhouse gas emissions and uses less land than soy, for example, but requires more. Scientific Reports, vol. "If you just make pea milk the way. "Water-Indexed Benefits and Impacts of California Almonds." The Ethics of Small Animal Agriculture. Almond milk is produced by blending almonds with water (and any other necessary ingredients that manufacturers use), and then straining out the almond pulp. Our willingness to jump on the latest eco-trends and unquestioningly accept reassuring labelling can lead to unintended consequences. "Land-Use Change Reduces Habitat Suitability for Supporting Managed Honey Bee Colonies in the Northern Great Plains." Coconut milk: 20. She holds a degree in Journalism from Ohio University. . One quarter-pound hamburger alone is the equivalent of460 gallons of H2O. Since it requires less water, I might see how I can purchase it for everyday use. Almond milk appeals to the more health-conscious crowd because it contains only a third of the calories of oat milk, half the fat, and a half of the carbohydrates. California Department of Pesticide Regulation,2017. 2019. Marvinney, Elias, et al. Kiwi lamb is reared at such a low intensity that, even after shipping, it uses less energy. It is mainly being destroyed for soy for livestock to consume as well as cattle farms for beef. Look for the B Corp certification, which ensures the product meets the highest standards of sustainability and transparency. Almond farming generates slightly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than oat farminga kilogram of raw nuts generating a reported 1.6 kilograms carbon dioxide equivalent. | 11 5, 2022 | physical anthropology class 12 | ranger file manager icons | 11 5, 2022 | physical anthropology class 12 | ranger file manager icons U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021. According to their reports, the amount of water it takes to grow a pound of almonds has been reduced by 33% since 1994. Solution: want to eat green on the go? To make matters worse, almond trees drop their leaves annually, and all the nitrogen stored in that organic material can be leached into soil and groundwaterespecially if it's hit with a sudden shower. Sources used when writing this blog post include, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24012018/almond-soy-milk-non-dairy-climate-change-impact. But One Water is no ordinary bottled water: the company is carbon neutral and its profits fund clean-water projects in the developing world (17.4m so far). Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk. The . That's roughly the same amount of water required by soybean, rice, and potato crops. 10430-10435., doi:10.1073/pnas.1603481113. But, reports from SoDelicious, a manufacturer of almond and coconut milk products, have proclaimed that farmers have been working hard to reduce the amount of water needed to grow almonds and produce almond milk. Poore, J. and T. Nemecek. Is Honey Vegan? Dairy milk takes twice as much water as almond milk. We want to shop and eat sustainably. It took a year to turn peas into something delicious. Crop rotation increases nutrients in the soil and helps combat erosion. Sales of almond milk shot up by 250 percent between 2011 and 2016. Herbicides were applied to 51% of planted acres, fungicides to 9%, andinsecticides to 4%. Youve probably heard that the production of California almonds requires an immense amount of water about a gallon per almond. In 2014, it represented 1.5% of the exported footprint of international traded crops; and among the main producers, it accounts for 5% of their collective agricultural crop production footprint. In reality, says Friends of the Earths Emma Priestland, weirdly designed or coloured bottles are likely to be sifted out at recycling sites and will end up in landfill: Robinsons Fruit Shoot bottles are made of easily recycled Pet, but because [one version] is solid purple, its difficult to recycle. 1019-1029., doi:10.1111/jiec.12333. 20., doi:10.3390/insects10010020. For instance, almond milk tends to have significantly less protein than soy or pea milk, while some milks are fortified with nutrients like vitamins D and B12. We fully support One Water, says Alexander Clark, an environmental coordinator at the university. U.S. Department of Agriculture. I tend to drink a mixture of almond and cashew myself, but I`ve had oat milk before in coffee at a shop before, and it was yummy! in Society, Start-up, Tech. Unsweetened Almond Milk: Made from just almonds and water, this creamy, dairy-free milk alternative is delicious and nutritous without added sugar; Enjoy with coffee, cereal, oatmeal and smoothies and in sauces, soups and baking recipes . In some cases, says Malk founder August Vega (who has a. http://www.almonds.com/sustainability#water. Carbon footprint Kilogram / Protein / Calories Per kilogram By stage of supply chain Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food Emissions are measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq). Plant-based milk is a booming market, representing15% of the entire milk category. 3, 2019, pp. The use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers can contaminate soil and groundwater with a toxic compound that, if consumed in large quantities, candilate blood vesselsand lower blood pressure. Watson, Elaine. Simone-Finstrom, Michael, et al. Science, vol. By way of inspiration, here are some of the ways we get it wrong on ingredients, storage and recycling and a few surprisingly easy solutions. 14, no. Ideally, buy one made from recycled materials (eg Eco-Bottles), and use it. If separated, opaque colours can be recycled by chemical recycling, but that increases the cost, effort and energy required, she says. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Plus, almond treestemporarily store carbonthroughout their 30-year lifespans. bonkers 1,611 US gallons (6,098 litres) to produce 1 litre, resource intensive and less than 40% of bioplastic is designed to be biodegradable, deforestation and the destruction of Brazils Cerrado grasslands, no measure of a products green credentials, The best of 2018: were resurfacing some of our top stories of the past year. United States Geological Survey. Of course, almond trees depend on honey bees for pollination. Keep them handy. This culture of monocropping provides no opportunity for ecological balance or biodiversity. USDA data from 2015 showed that fertilizers were applied to 76% of acres surveyed throughout the 13 top oat-producing states. Growing them is good for the soil and requires few resources compared to growing other grains. Fulton, Julian, et al. Dennehy, Kevin. Just one seed needs a reported3.2 gallonsto reach milk-level maturity, and nearly 1,300 gallons are needed to grow a pound. Insects, vol. Mintel, 2018. In its initial production, compostable packaging is more eco-friendly than traditional plastic packaging, but, at the moment, it is no silver bullet. "But it's still less carbon intensive than cow's milk is." "Plant-Based Products Replacing Cow's Milk, But the Impact Is Small." e0204635., doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204635. Have you ever tried oat milk? Environmental Protection Agency. I was reading up on it and found that oats require even less water to grow. 1, 2019, pp. Only1,123 adult winterChinook salmon were counted in Sacramento Valley, less than 1% than the number of returning salmon during the 1960s. Think about using a microwave, too, advises Kazer: For smaller portions for one or two, compared to the hob, the energy use is a lot lower.. This chemical element is directly linked to production, and in an orchard environment, the trees typically receive it through fertilizers. Year-round pollination cycles deprive the bees of an important dormancy period in which they rest to regain their energy for the next bloom season. Large-scale industrial agriculture and pesticide exposure were blamed for the massive die-off. Endangered Species They Now Sell Chocolate! 6, 2016, pp. "Oats and Barley." Copyright 2021, Yale University. One gallonof oat milk takes an estimated 13 gallons of water to produce, but that's just its embodied water contentnot including the water used to turn the oats into milk. Almond milk has its own downside. As a crop, oats requirebetween 17 and 26 inches of waterper growing season, with one growing season lasting four to five months. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. Many street food vendors have switched to bioplastic which sounds like an ethical choice. According to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation,almond orchardswere treated with more pesticides than any other local crop in 2017. Almonds, on the other hand, can have a carbon footprint 10 times smaller than dairy milk's. A clear-cut choice for consumers with an environmental conscience, then? Compostable products have no gas value, says a spokesperson for waste recycler ReFood. The carbon footprint of milk does vary from country to country. A myriad of harmful chemicals is sprayed on almond orchards throughout the year to prevent invasions from ants, mites, leafrollers, and the voracious peach twig borera major almondtree enemy.