The slightly gross, totally heroic guide to saving the planet — one crunchy cricket at a time.
🤢 YOUR GROSSED-OUT LEVEL WHEN YOU ARRIVED:
Great question! (We were hoping you'd ask that instead of just running away screaming.)
Cows burp and fart out loads of greenhouse gases. Bugs? Barely any! Crickets produce nearly 100x fewer greenhouse gases per kilogram than beef cattle.
100x less CO₂ than beef!Raising a pound of beef takes over 1,800 gallons of water. Insects need a tiny fraction of that — basically a puddle.
Up to 95% less waterGrowing bugs needs 8x less land than beef farming. You could fit an entire bug farm inside your garage!
8x less land than beefCrickets are up to 70% protein by dry weight. That's like finding a whole chicken gym in a bug the size of your thumbnail.
70% protein by weight!Up to 80% of a cricket is edible — compare that to only 40% of a cow. Even their poop makes great fertilizer. (Yes, we said poop. You're welcome.)
80% of the bug is foodAbout 2 billion people worldwide eat bugs regularly. That's roughly a quarter of Earth's entire human population snacking on insects right now.
2 billion bug eaters!He was terrified of bugs as a kid. Now he's one of the world's most famous entomologists. Plot twist! 🐝
"Really incredible things can come in small packages. As a kid who was always the smallest in my class, it was exciting to see the cool stuff a small creature could do."
— Dr. Samuel "Dr. Sammy" Ramsey, Entomologist, National Geographic Explorer & University of Colorado Professor
Dr. Samuel Ramsey — nicknamed "Dr. Buggs" — is an endowed professor of entomology at the University of Colorado Boulder and a National Geographic Explorer. He was scared of insects as a child, just like you! His parents took him to the library to read about bugs, and fear turned into total fascination. Now he travels the world studying bees, stink bugs, and giant jungle insects to figure out how bugs can help save the planet. He even has a YouTube channel called Doctor Buggs. Cool? Yes. Gross? A little. Worth it? Definitely.
We rated each bug on a Gross-O-Meter. The lower the gross score, the easier it is to start your bug-eating journey. You're welcome.
These are real recipes. We're not even sorry about it.
Replace ¼ of your flour with cricket flour in any cookie recipe. They taste EXACTLY the same. Tell your little sibling after they say "mmm, yummy!" Results guaranteed hilarious.
Beginner Bug Chef 🐛Melt dark chocolate, sprinkle in roasted mealworms, a pinch of sea salt, and let cool. Looks fancy, tastes amazing, and technically saves the planet. You're basically a hero.
Planet Saver Level 🌍Season roasted crickets like taco meat: cumin, chili, garlic. Stuff in mini tortillas with cheese and salsa. The crunch makes total sense in a taco. Your parents will be confused in the best way.
Full Bug Hero 🏆You don't have to eat a live cricket right now. (Unless you want to. We won't stop you.)