🥦 Vegan Footprint Calculator
Find out how much CO2 you save each year by swapping meat and dairy meals for plant-based ones.
What this calculator does
This tool estimates how much your greenhouse gas footprint drops when you replace meat or dairy meals with plant-based alternatives, based on how many meals you swap per week and for how many weeks of the year.
How the estimate is calculated
Different animal products carry very different emissions per meal, largely driven by land use, feed, and methane from livestock. This calculator uses widely-cited average figures: roughly 5.5 kg CO2e saved per meal when replacing red meat (beef or lamb) with a plant-based option, about 2.0 kg CO2e for poultry or pork, and about 1.3 kg CO2e for dairy- or egg-based meals, since these tend to have a lower per-meal footprint than red meat but are still notably higher than plant-based dishes. A mixed-diet option averages these at about 2.8 kg CO2e per meal.
The water-savings figure applies a commonly cited average of about 1,000 liters of water per meal saved, reflecting the water intensity of livestock feed and processing, and the tree-equivalent figure assumes a mature tree absorbs about 21 kg of CO2 per year — both meant to give a relatable sense of scale rather than exact accounting.
- These are general dietary planning and educational estimates, not personalized nutrition or environmental audit figures.
- Actual impact varies by specific food choices, farming practices, and regional supply chains.