How green is your diet? Try our Green Eater Meter to find out.

If there are times you find yourself avoiding headlines or dreading the news, you’re not alone. It can be hard to watch what’s happening to our planet today. There’s no longer any question that climate change is underway, and we’re already seeing the effects — from hotter temperatures, to more extreme weather events. Last year’s UN report on climate change warned that we have to act now to limit the worst effects of global warming.

It’s easy to feel hopeless. But the truth is, you can make a difference. Even small, personal changes you make in your daily life can have an effect that benefits our planet and all its living things. In a recent report published in The Lancet, scientists confirmed that one key way to fight climate change is with a plant-based diet. That’s because meat and dairy have a huge carbon footprint — animal agriculture is the number two contributor of all carbon emissions, more than all transportation combined. Eating less meat and dairy and more plant-based foods has multiple benefits, including reducing greenhouse gasses, saving forests and vital habitats, and improving your health.

Did you know that if everyone on the planet adopted a plant-based diet, we could cut our greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and return five billion football fields of land to natural forest? And going plant-based isn’t just good for our planet. Shifting to a more vegetarian diet could also supply 30% more food to feed our world’s growing population.

We know change isn’t easy. One way to keep yourself motivated is by reminding yourself daily that you’re making a difference. Check out our new tool, the Green Eater Meter that helps you calculate in real time how your food choices translate to environmental savings.

Trade your butter for vegan butter? You’ve saved 16 gallons of water with every tablespoon you spread on your toast. Swap black beans for ground beef? Every taco you eat is the equivalent of saving more than 10 miles driving in a car.

So make a change today. It’s a rewarding — and delicious! — way to make a difference for our planet.