The carbon paw print of pets

The environmental impacts of our furry friends

If pets were important to us before the pandemic, they’re even more indispensable now: they’re our non-judgmental, loyal, ever-present companions that love us unquestionably and listen without ever interrupting.

But pets, like their human servants, have a carbon foot – or paw – print:

• The biggest part is pet food, which is often high in meat content.  Meat production, particularly red meat production, has an enormous carbon footprint.  If you feed your pet human-grade meat, that footprint is even larger.
• If you live in an urban area, you likely stoop-and-scoop like a good neighbour – nice, except that it means pet poop (which is organic) is combined with plastic bags (which are recyclable) to create a noxious blend whose only option is the trash bin.
• If you have an indoor pet, you likely have a litter box – which results in lots of spent litter and pet poop in your trash, which is then delivered by a fossil fuel-powered truck to a landfill where it will take up space and burp methane, another powerful greenhouse gas.
• Finally, treats, outfits, toys… they all have an environmental impact.

So what’s a responsible, eco-friendly pet owner to do?

• When possible, choose pet food that is higher in plant based ingredients and lower in animal- or seafood-based ingredients.  It’s the single biggest thing you can do to reduce the carbon paw print of your pet.  In particular, resist the notion that pets need human-grade meat (or that they even know the difference).
• When possible, choose pet food that comes in paper bags rather than cans, and go for the biggest size that makes sense for your lifestyle, to minimize packaging.  Bonus points if you can find a local source of pet food in bulk.
• Consider collecting your pet’s poop in paper bags (because many ‘compostable’ plastic bags really aren’t very compostable), and then composting it yourself; here’s a helpful how-to article from an authoritative source.
• Try to use compostable litter for your indoor pet, and then divert it from your trash by composting it.
• Minimize treats; just give them love instead, because it’s carbon free – and the world could use more of it!
• Size matters: if you’re between pets or considering getting one, think small – because a pet’s carbon footprint tends to be proportional to its size.

For more on this, check out this informative article from the folks who bring you TED Talks.

Enjoy your pet – but please also help it do its part toward a more sustainable world!