I made Almond Milk and Energy Bites!

I made “making Almond Milk Low Waste” a part of my 2019 Climate Resolution. It was an attainable sustainable goal.

I recognize making almond milk is more water-intensive than other types of non-dairy milk, but its environmental impact is better than milk from a cow.

The graph pictured shows different kinds of milk and their environmental impacts through three lenses: Emissions (kg), Land use (sq m), and Water use (L). Dairy milk is by far the worst across the board.

Emissions (kg) include animals farts and vehicle emissions. The distance the milk has to travel to the market and any middle man to get to your fridge exacerbate the product’s emissions.

Land use (sq m) is how much land the plant or animal uses to produce the milk. Cows require land for their food to grow, it requires land to graze. Compared to plant-based kinds of milk that bloom where they are planted.

Water use (L) how much water the animal drinks or how much the plant uses to grow. Additionally, the amount of water that is used to make the milk.

I would also love to address that the Almond nut is expensive. (~$12.99)

Milk prices differ by state. In California, a gallon of dairy milk costs $2.69 in 2018.

The almond milk 32oz I buy at the store in the carton is $1.99. Its shelf-life closed in a pantry is a couple of months-year. When you open it the carton, you then have two weeks to drink it.

I haven’t completely done the math, but it seems more expensive to make it at home. Also, the batch should be consumed within 3-4 days, which is less than its carton counterpart.