Only 4% of Canadians are aware of the most effective climate change solution: poll

Apr 19 2021, 8:02 pm

The choices we make every day — from the clothes we wear to the foods we eat — have the potential to make a positive impact on our planet and its fellow inhabitants.

Sometimes it can be hard to see how those little everyday decisions add up to something bigger, but we’re here to reassure you that they definitely do — as abstract as they may seem at times.

In fact, one of the most impactful things you can do in your day-to-day life is reconsidering what’s on your plate. Something as seemingly small as shifting to a plant-based diet — even if it’s just for certain meals or days — can make a real impact when it comes to combatting climate change.

A recent self-directed poll organized by Earth’s Own — a local brand dedicated to making yummy plant-based food and drink products — in partnership with Strategic Navigator, found that only 4% of Canadians know that the single biggest thing you can do as an individual to fight climate change is to eat a plant-based diet.

In fact, only 26% of Canadians cited eating a plant-based diet as having a significant influence on fighting climate change. In contrast, 30% stated that a plant-based diet has little or no impact.

The study, which included a sample size of culturally diverse Canadians aged 18 to 64, asked people to identify and rank climate-friendly behaviours based on their positive environmental impact.

Surprisingly, those who participated in the poll ranked actions like recycling, taking public transit, using less plastic, and reducing electricity use, as being more effective than eliminating — or reducing — meat and dairy from their diets. While all of these habits are super important, it also goes to show there may be a gap of knowledge when it comes to which ones make the biggest difference.

Did you know switching to a plant-based diet can reduce your carbon “food-print” by 50%? So let’s put it into practice and imagine a world where everyone filled their plates with plant-based foods. Not only would we reduce our carbon footprint, we’d also reduce land use by over 75% and water use by close to 20%.

This is why people, especially millennials and Gen Z’s, are continuing to seek out brands that reflect the causes that matter to them most and making the switch to plant-based alternatives.

The Plant Challenge

OK, now for the fun part: Vancouver-based Earth’s Own is launching The Plant Challenge, the brand’s latest move in its ongoing mission to reduce our carbon food-print by changing the way the world eats.

Getting involved is super simple, just in time for Earth Day on April 22, they’re calling on all Canadians to choose plant-based foods for each of their meals. Just for one day — how hard could it be?

To inspire others to join, Earth’s Own is also inviting those eager to take on the challenge to broadcast their journey in The Plant Challenge online. To spread the word, you can head over the @earthsowncanada to share their call-to-action post and tag up to five friends to take the challenge with you.

You can also feel good in knowing with every share, 25 cents (up to $25,000) will be donated to the Earth’s Own Plant Project — a fund dedicated to supporting groups and organizations working to fight climate change by inspiring a shift to plant-based eating.

To recap, all you have to do is:

Step 1: Commit to The Plant Challenge by sharing Earth’s Own’s call-to-action on Instagram, using the hashtag #ThePlantChallenge and tag up to five friends to join in.

Step 2: Choose plant-based foods for every meal on Earth Day.

For access to a variety of helpful resources, meal inspiration, and to learn more about protecting the planet one plant-based meal at a time, you can visit earthsown.com.

Earth’s Own commissioned and paid for this national online survey from November 30 to December 3, 2020 among a general population sample of 1,000 adults aged 18 to 64.

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