Avocados are Bad For the Environment & We Are Crushed

My roommate came home from her class the other day and said that she learned that it takes a whole bathtub of water to produce one avocado. After hearing all the rave of avocados for their health benefits, I never expected them to be bad for the environment. I decided to do my own research, and I have determined that our obsession with avocados is in fact, unhealthy for Mother Earth. 

Okay, so my research is pretty varied. Some articles say to avoid them completely, while others suggest indulging in moderation. Point is, avocados are still bad for the environment at the speed in which we are consuming them. Here is what I’ve gathered:

Avocados indeed require much more water than other plants to grow – they need at least twice as much water as oranges. To put that into perspective, avocados are typically grown in climates and countries that are suffering from severe water scarcity. 

Avocados should not be consumed far away from where they are grown –  locally grown is best. When avocados are shipped far away from where they are originally grown, the carbon emissions can prove astronomical. Given that they are so popular in most American diets today, and most states do not have the climate to grow avocados, this can and will cause major repercussions in the future. 

Avocados bring in $, but at the cost of deforestation. This part of the research may be outdated due to possible new legislation. However, some avocado farmers have been cutting down forests in order to create more farms for avocados. This of course would have extreme effects on the animal and plant populations who depend on these woods for food, shelter, and other habitat needs. 

Avocados are still better for the environment than dairy or meat products – Although avocados are bad for the environment than other plants, they still are way better than breakfast foods like eggs or sausage. Avocados are also better than out of season vegetables, as well.

Moral of the story: Avocados should not be put into our everyday routine, but they’re definitely better than the typical breakfast meat and eggs. Try swapping one day of avocado toast out for some overnight oats or an acai bowl. Moderation is key! 

• avocado toast
• avocados
• breakfast
• chicago
• climate change
• depaul
• food
• health