Action Guide

Before you get started

The ESRAG Plant-Rich Challenge is a guided journey toward better personal and planetary health. Research has shown that plant-rich diets can prevent, treat and in some cases even reverse chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The environmental benefits include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, deforestation, air and water pollution, water depletion, soil degradation, animal exploitation, emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and food insecurity. 

Plant-rich diets favor fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Adopting plant-rich diets has been cited by Project Drawdown as the second most impactful solution to prevent irreversible climate disruption!

Challenge participants receive a cookbook and pantry list, daily emails filled with additional recipes, relevant information, guidance, support, ideas, resources, encouragement, and practical tips, to help them incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. It is not monitored or graded, and participants can take in as much or as little as they like at their own pace. The Challenge is offered as a free community service and participant information will not be shared for any marketing or commercial purpose.

Pre-Challenge Action Planning Guide

Pre-Challenge Considerations

⇨  What size Challenge would you like to host? 

⇨  Who will help you?

⇨  How will you promote your Challenge?

⇨  How will you finance your Challenge?

⇨  Will you start with a kickoff event or limit your Challenge to online only?

What size Challenge will you host?

Will you host a Challenge for just your club, or would you like to take it to the next level and include other clubs in your area or Rotary District? Will you offer it to like-minded groups, or your entire community?

Who will help you?

Will your club/district/zone sponsor your Challenge? Does your club have a committee or interested members who can help you? Are there groups in your community with similar interests, such as health,food, environment, sustainability, climate, etc. that would like to partner with you? 

How will you promote your Challenge?

• Digital flyers – email, social media, newsletters, websites (Rotary club/district/zone & other organizations such as Audubon, climate, gardening, farmers, native plant societies, land trusts, etc.)
• Guest editorials or blog submissions (example)
• Presentations to your club and others. LINKS
• Paid advertising
• Poster distribution – restaurants, grocery stories, libraries, schools/colleges/universities, hospitals/clinics, athletic clubs/gyms, outdoor stores/bike shops, senior centers, museums, offices of environmental groups, chambers of commerce
• Creation of a local resource guide (example)
• Will local restaurants offer and/or promote plant-based dishes during your Challenge?

How will you finance your Challenge?

You can host a Challenge at no cost if you plan to only share the daily emails and advertise online. If you choose to host an in-person event of some kind, see the adjacent panel for potential expenses. Will your club or foundation offer funds? Is there a member in your club who would like to financially sponsor your Challenge? Are there like-minded groups or businesses that would contribute?

Create a Community of Support

Interest in plant-rich diets has been increasing at a rapid rate. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover how many club members or people you know are interested in learning more about how to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. Consider joining our Facebook page or creating your own, or any other method of sharing recipes, grocery store finds, and other resources. Consider hosting an event that includes a plant-based potluck to try different dishes. 

What’s Next?

How will you continue to promote the many health and environmental benefits of plant-rich eating?

• Promote the Challenge with healthcare organizations in your area/region?
• Present to schools – culinary arts, home economics, science, agriculture classes? 
• Offer cooking demonstrations in community education classes? 
• Host tables or activities at events such as farmers markets, Earth Day celebrations, food banks, World Hunger Day October 16th? 
• Host events such as ESRAG food security summits? 
• Schedule around international, national, or local events? New Year’s resolutions? Use your creativity!

If you host a kickoff event, will you:

• Charge a fee/donation or raise funds at this event? Often museums, libraries, and event centers offer space at no or low cost to non-profit groups.
• Offer the program in an online or hybrid format to enable remote/online participation?
• Create a stand-alone event or attach your Challenge to a Rotary district or zone event? A film screening? (Eating Our Way to Extinction, Forks Over Knives, are excellent choices.) New Year’s resolutions? Veganuary or Earth Day? A club, organization, or community celebration?  
• Include displays, literature, giveaways or raffle prizes? (food labeling guides, culinary items?) 
• Invite ESRAG or local guest speakers and/or panelists who are knowledgeable in the field of plant-based diets and their impact.
• Offer plant-based foods to participants? (It’s preferable to offer whole-food plant-based proteins.) 
• Seek partnerships/sponsorships with/from local grocery stores, businesses, or community organizations for funding and customer promotion? 
• Offer childcare?

Some suggested activities: A screening of the film “Fern Gully” or “The Lorax.” Story readings of The Lorax, Gwen the Rescue Hen, Sprig the Rescue Pig, Esther the Wonder Pig. 

Practical Tips

How to Register Challenge Participatns

Participants must be 18 years or older. 

Decide on a registration deadline at least one week prior to the start date of your Challenge. You can register your Challenge participants in whatever manner works best for you as the organizer, however we recommend creating an online sign-up using Google forms. Google forms can be set to send confirmation emails to registrants, and will collect and organize responses, making it easier for you to create your email distribution list. Depending on your group and circumstances, you can use a paper sign-up sheet to collect names, and contact information and add this information yourself to your online form, or whatever format you’ve chosen. We can help guide you through this process if needed.

Local partnership with vendors can be arranged.

Post-Challenge Tasks

• Share your success: Post on social media, submit articles for blogs and newsletters. Describe your Challenge (event) for those not in attendance.  How many people participated? Any testimonials to share?
• Thank Yous: Be sure to write a note of thanks or acknowledge in some way your volunteers, donors, and others who contributed to your event.

Daily Emails

Decide which email address you will use to send out the daily emails – club? personal? other? We’ve created sample outgoing messages for you to copy and/or personalize in whatever manner works for you.  

Create an email distribution list/group for your participants. We suggest sending emails each day between 7- 8:00 am. Most email programs have a scheduling feature that allows you to schedule all the emails in advance.  For example in gmail, click the arrow on the send button to bring up scheduling options. (example at right)

Approximately one week prior to the first day of your Challenge send the Challenge cookbook which includes a pantry shopping list. This will enable your participants to have items on hand to be able to start on day one.  Day 16 includes a digital folder that contains all the Challenge documents for your participants to refer to and/or share at their leisure.

We are happy to help! Complete the registration form on our website, or contact the PRD Task Force at [email protected]!

Talking Points

Why are plant-rich diets important?

What we eat has a profound impact on planetary and human health. 

• Food Insecurity

Reducing consumption of animal-based foods among the world’s wealthier populations could free up significant amounts of land, likely enabling the world to feed 10 billion people in 2050 without agriculture further expanding into forests.

• Potential to Reverse Chronic Diseases

Plant-rich diets have been shown to prevent, treat, and sometimes reverse chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, some cancers and autoimmune disorders.  

• Future Pandemics and Antibiotic Resistance

Experts warn that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), more commonly referred to as “factory farms,” are setting the table for the next pandemic. Scientists warn that crowded conditions and prophylactic use of antibiotics are creating an environment ripe for viruses and bacteria to evolve and jump from animal to human populations (avian flu, swine flu). Around 65% of antibiotics used in the US are administered to livestock. 

• Climate Change

Project Drawdown cites plant rich diets as the #2 or #3 most impactful solution to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from the global livestock industry range from 14.5% to 51% (and even higher) of total global emissions. The global livestock industry is responsible for 32% of global methane emissions (compared to 35% from fossil fuels) and at least 53% of global nitrous oxide emissions. Methane and nitrous oxide trap 80+ times and 300+ times more heat in our atmosphere than CO2, respectively. These two gasses are responsible for the rapid pace of global warming, and are relatively short-lived in the atmosphere compared to CO2, which can persist for centuries.  For example, methane only lasts in the atmosphere for about 12 years. By reducing demand for animal products such as meat/dairy/eggs/fish, we can immediately begin to slow the pace of warming and buy time for development of large-scale energy solutions. Marine sediments are the world’s largest pool of carbon storage and the commercial fishing practice of bottom trawling contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. 

• Deforestation, Biodiversity & Habitat Loss

The global food system is the #1 cause of biodiversity loss since ecosystems are destroyed to produce food, especially animal products. 77% of the world’s farmland is used to graze livestock and grow livestock feed. 34% of global crop production goes to feeding livestock. Yet, the livestock industry produces only 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of protein. Cattle grazing for beef is the #1 driver of tropical deforestation globally at 41%. The next largest driver is soybean and palm oil production. 76% of soybean production is for animal feed. According to the  2022 Living Planet Report, wildlife populations declined by 69% globally and 94% in Latin America between 1970 and 2018 (72% of deforestation in Brazil is from cattle ranching). The WWF cites agriculture and fishing as two of the leading drivers of nature loss. Seafood consumption has doubled in the past 50 years and 94% of ocean fisheries are overfished or maximally-sustainably fished. More than 80% of Indian Ocean dolphins may have been killed by commercial fishing since 1950 and shark and ray populations have crashed more than 70% in the last 50 years due to commercial fishing.

• Water Depletion & Pollution

Nearly 75% of global freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production..The largest user of water in the U.S. is the cattle feed industry. Run-off of contaminants like manure from Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs), as well as pesticides and fertilizers used to grow animal feed around the U.S. have contaminated 34,000 miles of U.S. rivers and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. This toxic runoff also causes eutrophication (growth of algae and oxygen depletion for living organisms) and has resulted in fouled beaches and dead zones along coastlines.

FAQ’s

Q: Don’t I need to eat animal products to survive?

A: No. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the world’s largest organization of nutrition professionals) published a position paper on vegetarian diets in 2016 and stated: “It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes…Vegans need reliable sources of vitamin B-12, such as fortified foods or supplements.”

Q: Where will I get my protein?

A: Plant foods contain plenty of protein for our bodies. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) states, “A diet rich in grains, legumes, and vegetables provides all of the protein our bodies need, without the large amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol found in animal foods.” See the PCRM Starter Kit.

Q: Don’t I need dairy products for calcium?

A: According to PCRM, “By eating a varied plant-based diet, you’ll get all the calcium you need to build strong bones without the added health risks of milk and other dairy products. Leafy green vegetables, beans, fortified juices, and plant milks are all great sources of calcium.”

Q: Do I have to take supplements on a plant-based diet? If so, why?

A: Anyone adopting a whole food plant-based diet needs to take a vitamin B12 supplement since plant foods do not contain vitamin B12. NutritionFacts.org provides specific research-based supplement recommendations. Please check with your doctor if you have questions about dietary supplements. B12 is produced by bacteria. It is possible that humans used to obtain it via the soil on/in our food or otherwise in our natural environment. Because many animals in the industrial farm system are seldom, if ever, in their natural environment, they are often supplemented with vitamin B12 directly or, in the case of ruminants, supplemented with cobalt which is required for bacteria in their rumen to produce vitamin B12. 

Q: What about getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids?

A: A common perception is that fish oil provides the best source of Omega-3s. However Omega-3 fatty acids are available in plant foods such as walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, edamame, seaweed, and algae. Other green leafy vegetables and beans also contain small amounts. Find out more at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Vegan algae-based EPA/DHA supplements exit. As with any major dietary change, please speak to your doctor if you have questions about adequate omega-3 consumption.   

Q: What will happen to farmers and other workers in the animal agriculture supply chain if we switch to plant-rich diets?

A: A global shift to plant-rich diets will disrupt the animal agriculture industry. However, if we begin to devise strategies now to help livestock farmers and feed crop growers to transition their livelihoods to new, sustainable businesses (see Transfarmation & Dairy Farm Transition) they will be able to take advantage of emerging opportunities in sustainable food systems, capitalize on carbon sequestration on their land, and grow crops to supply the booming plant-based food industry. In May 2020, the founder of Impossible Foods said that the plant-based meat industry will need the millions of workers now employed in animal agriculture.

Q: What about people who live in food deserts and don’t have access to nutritious plant foods?

A: This is definitely a systemic problem in nations like the U.S. Many vulnerable communities don’t have access to grocery stores that carry a large variety of nutritious plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. This is a critical social and health inequity that must be addressed. That said, more and more low income communities are working on food justice and food access.

Q: Shouldn’t we focus on bigger issues like fossil fuel emissions or plastic?

A: Fossil fuel and plastic use are just two of many important and urgent issues that need addressing. The solutions to these climate change contributors need large-scale solutions that require technical expertise and agreement by multiple entities. Industrialized animal agriculture contributes more to climate change than all transportation combined (as well as being the leading cause of terrestrial and marine biodiversity loss). But these greenhouse gas emissions can be addressed by all of us right away because every meal is an opportunity to reduce our environmental impact on the planet. Eating a plant rich diet, by far, has been proven to be one of the most powerful DEMAND SIDE climate solutions. The great news is that many of us can do this TODAY. Unlike green energy, dietary shift doesn’t require trillions of dollars of investment, political consensus, development of new technologies nor decades of implementation. We can do it NOW.

Q: Isn’t producing certain plant foods like rice and almonds worse for the environment than producing animal-based foods?

A: No. Whether food products are environmentally sustainable or not depends on not one, but several factors, mainly, the greenhouse gas emissions they emit, biodiversity harm, water depletion and pollution, soil degradation and land used to produce them. For a handful of plant based foods, it is true that certain parameters are high. However, in most cases, production of animal foods causes more harm. For example, producing 1 kg of beef generates about 60 kg of CO2 equivalents (CO2eq) vs. about 4 kg of CO2eq for 1 kg of rice. In the U.S., irrigation of cattle feed crops (including alfalfa and grass hay and haylage, corn silage and sorghum silage) consumes 23% of the nation’s water. Almond production uses 2% of the nation’s water.

Q: Do I have to go full vegan and give up all animal products to make any difference at all?

A: No. Any reduction in consumption of animal products is helpful, but the more the better. For example, if every American cut out just ¼ pound of beef per week, it would be like taking 10 million cars off the road for one year. 

According to the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, each day a person eats a plant-based diet, they save:

1. 1100 gallons of water
2. 45 pounds of grain
3. 30 sq. ft. of forested land
4. 20 pounds of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gasses
5. 1 animal’s life

Not only does humanity need to drastically and rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we also need to find viable strategies for pulling existing CO2 out of our atmosphere. One of the safest, most viable, 100% natural and 100% clean ways of doing this is to allow nature – trees, foliage and soils – to naturally-absorb CO2. This is a natural process that has been happening for eons. A study published in Nature in 2020 found that if the world were to cut meat consumption by 70%, land currently used for pasture and feed crops could theoretically be returned to nature for regrowth of native forests and grasslands. The resulting carbon sequestration potential (332 Billion metric tons of CO2 by 2050) would provide humanity with desperately-needed time to roll-out green energy systems and infrastructure without exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Importantly, researchers found that even if we returned all of the land currently used for livestock back to nature today, we could still produce more than enough protein for every human being on earth using the remaining cropland. This would also restore habitats and watersheds for species at risk of extinction and, theoretically, allow nature (our life support system) to flourish once again.