With climate change becoming an increasingly prevalent worry for South Floridians, many are starting to change their habits to reduce yearly carbon emissions. One of the areas seeing the most change is diet.
According to Professor Philip Stoddard of Florida International University, food is about a third of our carbon footprint. The largest contributor is the production of beef and traditional dairy products. Animal agriculture tends to emit much more carbon dioxide.
In response, many South Floridians are adopting more plant-based diets.
For people who are really trying to cut their emissions, shopping at farmers’ markets and vegetable stands for produce is becoming the new normal.
Alexa Gonzalez, for instance, likes to go to farms such as the Strawberry Fields of Kendall to buy produce.
Another South Floridian, Rene Ramos, decided to start growing food in the parts of his yard ravaged by a storm. He now cultivates tropical fruit that thrive in South Florida’s climate to avoid introducing anything invasive.
