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How much does your diet contribute to global warming? It's an interesting question that finds a nexus with vegetarianism and transportation costs:

Shifting just one day per week of red meat consumption to chicken, fish, or eggs achieves a reduction equivalent to 760 miles of driving. Shifting one day of red meat per week to fruits and veggies is the equivalent of 1,160 miles of driving. Swapping red meat entirely for other meats reduces the equivalent of 5,340 miles of driving. And going fully vegetarian is practically like giving up a car: 8,100 miles of driving. And when you think about it, this is good news for most of us. Cutting down food miles can actually be rather difficult. Cutting back on meat is fairly simple.

It's very clear that cutting down in red meat consumption cuts your carbon footprint considerably. Not only are you cutting down your demand for "Killer Cow Emissions," but you'll be cutting down on your artery-clogging fat intake. And in case you need some ideas on how to make the shift to a more veggie-friendly diet, you can read this recent article from cookbook author and food writer, Mark Bittman in the NY Times:

Let's suppose you've decided to eat less meat, or are considering it. And let's ignore your reasons for doing so. They may be economic, ethical, altruistic, nutritional or even irrational. The arguments for eating less meat are myriad and well-publicized, but at the moment they're irrelevant, because what I want to address here is (almost) purely pragmatic: How do you do it?

I'm not talking about eating no meat; I'm talking about cutting back, which in some ways is harder than quitting. Vegetarian recipes and traditions are everywhere. But in the American style of eating -- with meat usually at the center of the plate -- it can be difficult to eat two ounces of beef and call it dinner.

Cutting back on meat is not an isolated process. Unlike, say, taking up meditation or exercise, it usually has consequences for others.

The keys are to keep at least some of your decisions personal so they affect no one but yourself and, when they do affect others, minimize the pain and don't preach. (No one likes a proselytizer.)

The article goes on from there, and TerraPass has written about him, as well:

The tips aren't all that surprising. Just solid good sense. Buy less meat. Stop making protein the center of the plate. Learn some new recipes.

You can even watch the following 20 minute video of Bittman giving a talk at a recent TED presentation:

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