Mayor Eric Adams Commits to Reducing City’s Food-Based Emissions

A recent greenhouse gas inventory conducted by New York City revealed that the city’s top three sources of emissions are buildings (34 percent), transportation (22 percent), and food (20 percent). Mayor Adams and Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala have now published the city’s first comprehensive inventory, which also includes emissions from food production and consumption.

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After assessing the inventory, Mayor Adams and MOFP Executive Director Kate MacKenzie announced a pledge to reduce the city’s carbon emissions from municipal food purchases by 33 percent by 2030. The city is also encouraging private sector partners to reduce their food emissions by 25 percent. This effort aligns with NYC’s Lifestyle Medicine strategy and highlights the significant impact of food on the city’s climate emissions.

New York City’s public hospitals and schools have already taken the initiative to reduce their food-based carbon emissions. NYC Health + Hospitals plans to serve 850,000 plant-based meals this year and reduce its emissions by 36 percent by February 2023. NYC public schools introduced Plant-Powered Fridays to promote healthy eating habits among students.

Mayor Adams has launched the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge, urging private, institutional, and nonprofit sector leaders to reduce their food-based emissions by 25 percent by 2030. MOFP, Coolfood, and Greener by Default will assist participants in measuring and reducing their purchase carbon footprint.

In 2022, NYC joined London and 13 other cities in signing the “C40 Good Food Cities Declaration” to increase access to plant-forward and nutritious food and halve food waste. The C40 network consists of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s largest cities, all committed to addressing Climate change through local action.

We, as individuals, can contribute to the fight against climate change by making conscious decisions about our food choices. By consuming more plant-based meals and reducing food waste, we can significantly lower our carbon footprints. We encourage everyone to join Mayor Adams’ Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge and make a positive impact on our planet. Together, we can build a brighter, healthier, and more sustainable future for all!

Solution Not Pollution Sweatshirt by Tiny Rescue: Climate Collection

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Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
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• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!