WHAT IS BOYCOTT BEEF?

Animal agriculture, and in particular the production of beef, is the single largest anthropogenic source of methane. As a greenhouse gas, methane is 28x as potent at trapping heat as carbon dioxide: meaning it accelerates polar ice depletion, which increases freshwater deposits in oceans, disrupting currents and causing the wacky weather we’ve been seeing — including stronger hurricanes and widespread drought. 

Globally, beef agriculture contributes to deforestation and land use change, which increases the rate of emissions, as there are fewer trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

Lastly, the process to raise, slaughter and transport beef is energy-intensive; and most of that energy comes from fossil fuels. Pound for pound, the emissions footprint of cows is three times that of the next biggest agricultural emitter measured, which is chocolate; and ten times that of chicken.

Not unless you want to! Let’s remember that vegans are people, like the rest of us; and there are many super-cool vegans including Billie Eilish, Sadie Sink; even strong men like Colin Kaepernick and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many of them enjoy cuddling animals, which you may, too; and a lot of them are committed to keeping the earth clean and beautiful. Some of them get a bad rap for being preachy and pressuring others to conform to their values, but they do not have the market cornered on that front.

Candidly, for those of us who have soy, wheat or other plant allergies (hi), animal sources may still be a way to meet our daily protein needs. The good news is there are many much lower-carbon sources of animal protein than red meat, such as fish, eggs and chicken. Giving up beef is an easy way to fight climate change, improve your health outcomes, and save money. It’s a win-win-win.

Beef goes by a lot of names. Watch out for these next time you’re at the store: brisket, ground beef, hamburgers, hot dogs, pepperoni, pastrami, tallow, steak, chuck, loin, shank, rib, pot roast, filet mignon, short loin, sirloin, tenderloin, top loin, bottom loin and flank. Fortunately, most grocery stores group the beef products together, so you can give that section a wide berth next time you’re in there. 

At restaurants, beef can go by the names we mentioned as well as appear in foods like burritos, tacos, empanadas, carne asada, chorizo, bistecca, Milanesa, tartare, and others. Ask your server! The good news is, tacos are just as delicious when they contain chicken, shrimp or fish as when they include beef (and are easier to chew?!). Plenty of menus have options to swap in chicken or veggies.

So glad you asked. There are additional items on the market that derive from dead cows, some of which are harder to avoid than others. Cow products may appear in everything from tennis rackets to cosmetics, all the more reason to investigate the sourcing practices for your favorite products. (You should do that anyway!)

We’re working on creating a resource that documents cow-based products in more detail. The easiest thing to do for now? Make sure you keep an eye out for beef ingredients in your pet’s favorite food!

Our merch store has two goals: to raise money to continue to fund operations for Boycott Beef’s website, and to raise awareness. That means some of the money from our merch store goes back into the business, otherwise known as operating costs. What’s left over is called profits.

100% of profits from our merch store go to climate action, including biodiversity-aware reforestation projects (to combat land use change from agriculture) and the installation of solar panels for low-income, American communities through Habitat for Humanity. In the interest of transparency, as our movement grows, we are committed to releasing quarterly reporting to reveal the exact business functions to which our income from merch goes — so you know how your money is being spent.

All the things! Did you know 72% of global emissions come directly or indirectly from consumers? That means the things you recognize, such as how you light and heat your home; but also what you buy and how those products were manufactured (and where), to say nothing of how you dispose of them.

We’re so excited that you want to learn about how to be a responsible consumer! We’re working on content to flesh out the story of how to lower your personal emissions, but in the meantime: why don’t you download the Klima app to measure your carbon footprint? (No affiliation, just mad appreciation!) There, you can learn some strategies that you can use right now to reduce your climate impact.