We Americans love our pets, and our lives are deeply enriched by their presence.  Together, we care for some 163 million dogs and cats—and they have their own unique carbon paw prints.  The most important contributor is the food we feed them.  Because so much pet food is protein sourced, our pets alone account for 30% of the greenhouse gases emitted by US meat and dairy production.  Even as we humans are advised to cut back on meat and dairy products, the same advice applies to our pets, not least because over half of them are overweight.  What we serve our pets has consequences.  Producing a pound of chicken or tuna typically generates between 6-7 lbs. of carbon emissions.  Making a pound of beef edible, on the other hand, releases 27 lbs. of carbon, and a pound of lamb generates over 39 lbs. of carbon.

–St. John’s Care of Creation Group