Yesterday’s post gave a quick primer on the importance of looking after our environment. It ended with a rather obvious finding: we need to reduce our material consumption. 

It also made a less obvious point: reduced consumption can genuinely improve our lives. 

Today’s post shows how a more sustainable life can boost your health and longevity. 

Excessive animal-rich diets

Producing food for nearly 8 billion humans is our single biggest impact on our planet. Agriculture is the leading cause behind the three most badly breached planetary boundaries discussed yesterday and is also a major contributor to climate change. 

To make matters worse, the rich world consumes about 50% more food than the recommended daily allowance of about 2300 kcal. Food waste explains some of this excess, but the main reason is that we simply eat too much, creating the extremely costly global obesity epidemic. 

There’s no point in sugar-coating things: Consuming a typical animal-product-rich diet of excessive calories is unethical. It simultaneously destroys our health, our welfare systems, and our planet. 

Moderate plant-rich diets

The solution is straightforward: eat less and rely more on plant-based foods. Not only will this help save the world, but it will also add many healthy years to your life. 

Of course, the major obstacle comes from our primitive food cravings that demand instant pleasure regardless of whether it destroys ourselves, our society, and our planet. 

This is where a healthy environment comes to the rescue. If you want to do your part, but continue to struggle with these irrational cravings, please build yourself such an environment. 

Mobility by muscle power

Another way of boosting health by saving the planet is by moving yourself around using muscle instead of fossil power. 

As discussed earlier, making the most of this great benefit will require a home in a strategically selected location. Walking/cycling needs to be convenient and safe, and, ideally, nature should be close by. 

Such a location also brings enormous financial benefits, which is where we’ll pick things up tomorrow.