On Saturday night, I had a huge craving for a burger. I don’t eat burgers a ton, but primarily so my pants will continue to fit than for any directly green reason. I visited one of my favorite Boston spots and the burger was delicious. But I also decided I needed to figure out one thing. How not green, really, is that burger?

Honestly? Worse than I expected.

1. Livestock farming generates 18% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions & by comparison, all the world’s cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Worse than cars and planes? Had no idea….

2. The average person in the industrialized world (that’s you and me!) eats 176 pounds of meat versus 66 pounds in the developing world. Scientists believe that if every American cut their meat consumption by 20%, it would be the same benefit on global warming as switching from a regular sedan to a Prius.

Why is livestock farming so bad? Primarily, the land it takes to graze and feed the animals. The demand for land is a major contributor to deforestation, which in turn impacts global warming. But it is also the methane and nitrous oxide, which comes from the manure and yes, the farts. We already know the health effects of red meat range from clogged arteries to obesity, but also, unless you are eating organic meat—there are the antibiotics and hormones to contend with. Here’s an easy to read article with the gory details from Time Magazine.

While I now understand why vegetarian/vegan eating is big among super green people, there is honestly no way that I’m going to forgo red meat and pork altogether. I understand the green benefit. Not practical. So what to do?

Cut Back.

Practical? Yes. I estimate we are down to about 88 pounds per adult per year — or down 50% versus the average and maybe 25% versus where we were. Perhaps no coincidence, I’ve lost about 10 pounds in that time and our dining out/grocery budget is lower. So at least for me, it’s been good for the planet, health/wardrobe AND the wallet. I call that the hat trick of green living!

Here are a few ways we’ve been able to do it:

1. Dark turkey burger is a good substitute for ground beef. Not necessarily for burgers—but we use it for tacos, pasta dishes, and anything else that calls for ground meat. If you can’t take the plunge immediately, try going 50/50.

2. Go ethnic a few nights a week–we’ve had fun with Vietnamese and Mexican chicken/vegetarian dishes–and my standby lunch is chicken tikka masala. I’ve yet to be able to appreciate Tofu–all recipes/recommended dishes welcome!

3. Rethink your relationship with carbs. I was on a low carb diet for years and hated it, even though it seemed to work. I’ve been really enjoying my new found relationship with pizza and pasta—they are, relatively speaking, green foods!

4. Eat more (sustainably raised) fish. I don’t generally like fish. I know it’s good for me, but I don’t like fishy tasting fish and then the mercury and pollution freaked me out. But the Monterey Aquarium has a wallet sized “good fish” list , regionally tailored, that is helpful and I’ve found a few I like–particularly Tilapia.

5. When you do eat meat & pork, choose as healthfully raised as you can. Go for organic meat–or at least without antibiotics & hormones—and ideally from family farms versus factory farms. If that doesn’t feel “in the budget”, consider recipes that stretch smaller quantities of meat further. I’m a big believer in stir fries & entree salads.

6. Eat that burger—just not that often AND when you do, make sure you love it! What cutting back on red meat has done is make me appreciate it more when I do eat it. So that burger was delicious. I loved it–and I’ll definitely eat another one.

Just not this week….