Most of us these days know a lot of the things that contribute to our carbon footprint: gas, cars, electricity, etc… The problem is, how do you give up things like transportation and power, and still live a normal life? Sure, we’d all love to bike to work everyday, but for a lot of us, that’s just not an option. You can carpool; you can remember to turn the lights off; you can unplug appliances you’re not using; and you should do all of these things, but they only make a small impact on your carbon footprint.

Something you might not realize is there’s actually one single thing you can do that will reduce your carbon footprint more than any of the things I’ve already mentioned, combined! You might not like it, but millions of people worldwide are already doing it, and living perfectly happy and normal lives. Ready? Give up meat. That’s it. That’s all you have to do to counter all of the other things you do that put more C02 in the atmosphere.

In an article published on Scientific America back in 2009, the author points out that producing a 1/2 lb. of hamburger beef is equal to driving a 3,000 lb. car 10 miles. Just think about that for second… That means that driving to your nearest McDonalds actually puts less greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than the meal you get. If that’s not enough to blow your mind, how about this: Not does one hamburger create more C02 than an SUV, it takes 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make one hamburger.

Every hamburger you eat is literally thousands of gallons of water we won’t get back. If you want to take things even a step further, you could go vegan — no animal products whatsoever. It’s not just beef cattle that are destroying the environment; it’s livestock of all varieties. Milk, cheese, and eggs… even leather and wool… all that stuff takes a tremendous amount of resources to make because you have to keep the animals alive, and just like people, animals consume a lot.

So, there you have it. If you want to practically wipe away your carbon footprint, all you have to do is change your eating habits. It might sound hard, but again, it’s a lot easier than trying to remove yourself from society and technology — and it’s good for you!.