Los Angeles’ forward-thinking food scene meets climate action this November as Dashboard.Earth—the leading mobile app rewarding Angelenos for daily climate adaptations—introduces the city’s inaugural Plant-Based Dining Month.
Teaming up with the Plant-Based Treaty—the landmark international treaty putting food systems at the heart of combating the climate crisis—along with a roster of vegan restaurants, Plant-Based Dining Month is rewarding Los Angeles residents who choose sustainable, plant-based meals throughout the month.
Crossroads Kitchen
The campaign, which overlaps with World Vegan Month, highlights some of the city’s finest plant-based restaurants, with exclusive offers at celebrity hotspot Crossroads Kitchen, Culver City’s vegan sushi destination Kusaki, West Hollywood’s Pura Vita, Eagle Rock’s Beewali’s, and The Vegan Joint. All participating locations will offer free menu items or discounts to Dashboard.Earth app users.
Crossroads, the celebrated Mediterranean-inspired chain backed by musician Travis Barker, is giving away its hearts of palm calamari appetizer to five app users every night as part of the campaign.
“We’re so excited to participate in Dashboard.Earth’s Plant-Based Dining Month campaign to help Angelenos meet their climate goals,” says Crossroads founder and head chef, Tal Ronnen. “Crossroads Kitchen exists to prove no one has to choose between delicious food and doing good.”
The award-winning vegan sushi restaurant Kusaki will offer free appetizers for all meals totaling more than $50. “Kusaki is so excited to be part of the Vegan Restaurant Month campaign with Dashboard.Earth,” says Pearl Steffie, owner and head chef at Kusaki. “As stewards of this planet, we believe in leaving the smallest yet most compassionate footprint possible.”
Dashboard.Earth is leveraging the Plant-Based Dining campaign to support its climate adaptation efforts throughout Los Angeles. App users earn tickets toward weekly prizes by taking actions like eating plant-based meals. Other climate actions available in the app include composting, reducing water use, and taking public transportation.
Matt Herter | Kusaki
Last month, the app served as the tech partner for SoCal Transit Week, and helped to avoid more than 5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, ultimately taking the equivalent of 433 cars off the road for the weeklong campaign.
“At Dashboard.Earth, we believe that small, everyday actions—like choosing a plant-based meal—contribute to significant, collective impact,” Gayatri Roshan, founder and CEO of Dashboard.Earth, said in a statement.
“With Plant-Based Dining Month, we’re thrilled to align with the vibrant culinary community in Los Angeles, offering Angelenos delicious ways to engage in climate action while being rewarded for their efforts.”
Environmental benefits of a plant-based diet
Switching to plant-based meals can have a profound environmental effect. The United Nations reports that going fully plant-based could reduce annual emissions by up to 2.1 tons per individual, while vegetarians see a reduction of up to 1.5 tons.
Even minor dietary shifts, such as reducing meat intake, have measurable impacts. For instance, cutting meat consumption to less than 1.7 ounces daily has a comparable environmental impact to taking eight million cars off the road each year.
Pexels
According to Ellen Dent of the Plant Based Treaty, eating plant-based is a crucial action everyone should take to help mitigate the climate crisis, “since our food systems alone can push us past climate thresholds we won’t be able to recover from.”
Dent says the International Panel on Climate Change estimates a person eating plant-based can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50 percent.
“Dashboard.Earth is such a great app to help users take action and to be more mindful of our daily consumption habits,” said Samantha Lau, a Los Angeles-based campaigner for the Plant-Based Treaty. “A simple tool to remind ourselves that we have the power to be more sustainable, especially with what we choose to eat three times per day.”
Linda Pianigiani Photography | Pura Vita
This collaboration isn’t just about enjoying plant-based meals as a climate action; it’s also supporting local, and several women-owned businesses that prioritize sustainability.
Tara Punzone, founder and head chef of Pura Vita, the first vegan Italian restaurant in the US, sees this as a pivotal moment for conscious dining. “I started Pura Vita to give Los Angeles a destination for authentic Italian food that is comforting, cruelty-free, environmentally conscious, and of course, delicious,” she said. “We’re so thrilled to support Angelenos who are making plant-based meals part of their daily climate actions.”
Throughout November, participating restaurants will be featured on the free Dashboard.Earth app, allowing users to locate plant-based eateries and redeem special offers as they commit to climate-friendly dining. Each day of plant-based meals also earns Angelenos tickets toward weekly prizes including eco-friendly products, gift certificates, and cash.
