Chesapeake Bay Foundation: “If everyone in the Chesapeake Bay drainage area consumed only the recommended amount of protein, the associated reductions in nitrogen pollution would be equivalent to what is needed to save the Chesapeake Bay. That is one of the findings of an exercise by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the University of Virginia (UVA) to estimate the collective impact of specific lifestyle and household choices on nitrogen pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. “Food production, particularly of meat products, is responsible for more nitrogen emissions than any other footprint component. What’s more, the typical U.S. citizen consumes roughly 30 percent more protein than he or she needs” said Dr. James Galloway, Professor of Environmental Sciences, at UVA. “If everyone in the watershed consumed only the recommended amount of protein, reductions in nitrogen emissions would be substantial.” This and similar conclusions supplement the launch of CBF’s new and improved “Bay Footprint calculator,” a collaborative effort with scientists from UVA, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program. This simple online calculator asks individuals to report how many portions of meat, seafood, and milk products they consume; the type of house they live in; property and landscaping they have; and the size of their utility bill, among other information. The calculator estimates the nitrogen pollution associated with these activities. Users can then run additional scenarios to estimate the benefits of changes in their behavior. The new calculator can be found here www.cbf.org/bayfootprint and takes less than five minutes to use…”