We beat ourselves up all the time. “Oh, I forgot to bring my bag to the store today. I’m an idiot!” or “If I had managed my time better, I wouldn’t have had to take a cab/my car to this place; I could’ve walked or ridden my bike and now I’m killing the planet. Waaaah!”

It takes time for new habits to form, so be patient. In time, these things will become second nature. If you’ve read about Rory Freedman and Emily Deschanel’s Dream Earth Day, and GirlieGirl Army’s list of Greenest Living Tips; you are half way there!

Did you know that you help the environment today by incorporating more vegan habits into your life? Simply by chowing down on a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich for lunch today you can greatly reduce your footprint on Mammazon Earth! According to the PB&J Campaign, a PB&J will keep global warming at bay! Here’s some info to show you just how much green cred you’ll earn this year by reducing or eliminating consumption of animal products.

Every time you made a vegan choice, even if it wasn’t the most convenient thing or what you really wanted at that particular moment, you helped the planet in these ways:

• You’re saving mad amounts of land. According to a United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization report, almost a third of the land on earth is used for grazing and animal feed. By taking out the middle man (farm animals), you preserve natural habitat.
• You’re saving the rainforest. 80% of deforested areas of Brazil are now used for cattle ranching.
• You’re saving more plants by eating more plants. Farm animals eat tons more plants than you do. You have to give a steer 8 kg of grain for him to gain 1 kg of flesh. By taking out the middle man and eating your own plants, you save more plants.
• You’re saving tons of water. All that thirsty feedgrain is depleting our freshwater resources, and even organic dairy cows drink 25-50 gallons a day, according to the Horizon Organic website.
• You’re keeping water clean and safe to drink. Hogs in North Carolina produce more fecal waste than people do in North Carolina each day. The poo gets sprayed onto fields and runs off into rivers and streams, killing fish and contaminating groundwater.
• You’re preserving the biodiversity of the ocean. A third of the ocean’s species are in collapse. Projections indicate that by 2048, all species will be in collapse. Ocean fish are fed to farmed fish. By withdrawing support of the fishing industry, you are saving the ocean.
• You’re cooling the planet. Farm animals contribute more to climate change worldwide than the entire transportation sector. Switching to a vegan diet for a year saves more greenhouse gas emissions than switching from a normal car to a hybrid.

The Earth ADORES a PB&J!

Nosh on a delicious falafel/ burrito/ pasta for your dinner tonight, and know you are saving the planet from gloom and doom one tasty bite at a time!

Marisa Miller Wolfson is the Outreach Director for Kind Green Planet, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching people about healthy, humane, eco-friendly living. She’s currently in post-production for her documentary about veganism and is co-drafting a city council resolution to lower NYC’s global warming “foodprint.” She also loves coaching people on plant-based living through Vegan at Heart, a free email mentoring program for treehuggers, animal lovers, and health nuts who consider themselves vegans at heart but not necessarily in practice.