We’re building a simple way to see how diet changes can add up over time.
The Difference compares dietary patterns using published average CO₂e footprints and shows the estimated impact of switching from one pattern to another over days, months, or a year.
About
Food choices are personal — but the climate impact of dietary patterns can be compared using research averages. This site is meant to be a clear, friendly starting point for exploration.
We focus on: transparency (show the sources), simplicity (a few inputs, instant results), and usefulness (real-world equivalences that make “kg CO₂e” easier to visualize).
We run this project independently, with voluntary contributions to help cover hosting and support continued development and use low CO₂ servers to reduce our footprint while running the site 🌿.
Note: results are estimates for education and comparison — not exact personal accounting. Real emissions depend on what you eat, how much, and where food comes from.
Motivation
- •Make trade-offs tangible with everyday equivalences.
- •Encourage small steps — even a few meat-free days can matter.
- •Stay transparent about assumptions and limitations.
Who we are
We’re Kiera and Jack — an environmentally conscious couple who wanted a simple, transparent way to compare the footprint of different diets.
The Difference is built to be practical and easy to use, with research-based averages and clear methodology. Our goal is to help people explore the impact of small changes — without guilt, judgement, or paywalls.
We share occasional updates and new features here:
Support The Difference
If you’ve found this tool useful, a voluntary contribution helps cover hosting and supports continued development — improving the calculator, adding better equivalences, and refining the mobile experience.
- •Keep the site online and fast
- •Add more equivalences and data sources
- •Improve accessibility and usability
Contributions are optional and do not unlock features — they simply help support development and long-term maintenance.
Support
Voluntary contribution via Stripe to help cover hosting and support continued development.
Support the projectOptional — no paywalls. Not tax-deductible.