Pasta with Rapini and Goat Cheese
On Sunday, I outlined in this blog how plastic production and waste contributes to climate change.
One argument against a plastic-bag ban, as my town is considering, is that it will be a burden for low-income customers. I am sympathetic to people for whom that is the case, but as addressed in the U.S. government's 2018 "Fourth National Climate Assessment," low-income communities will likely be the most hurt by climate change.
Low-income and other vulnerable communities lack resources to prepare for and cope with climate disruptions, the report noted. Picture people who may be unable to afford to heat or cool their homes as extreme temperatures become more frequent. They may rely on community infrastructure, such as public transportation, that could be compromised in a natural disaster caused or made worse by climate change. They may lack sufficient property insurance to recoup damages from extreme weather events caused or made worse by climate change, and lack the financial means to modify their property to protect it from extreme weather events. It may be prohibitively expensive for them to address the health problems that may accompany climate change.
On top of this, climate change will probably affect low-income people disproportionately, because they may lack the means to live in places that aren't vulnerable to things like flooding or pollution or power outages.
I spoke last night at our town council meeting in favor of the plastic bag ban (want to see me speaking? I start speaking at 1:38 in this video: http://ec4.cc/c22a9232). If a person doesn't have access to reusable bags or the five cents to buy each one, my hope is that our community will find ways to help them with that. But I also hope we look at the bigger, longer-term picture of the benefits of this proposal, and pass the ordinance.
Before the meeting, I fueled up with a dish I have made many times: "Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese," from Saveur. Sometimes I look at this recipe and it doesn't sound good, then I make it and am pleased by how easy is, and then I eat it and I'm reminded that the blend of flavors is sort of genius. I put plenty of goat cheese on it. I also love that it's an all-in-one dish with a vegetable and a carb. Rapini (broccoli raab) is a bitter green, but boiling it first takes away just enough of that bitter character.
One argument against a plastic-bag ban, as my town is considering, is that it will be a burden for low-income customers. I am sympathetic to people for whom that is the case, but as addressed in the U.S. government's 2018 "Fourth National Climate Assessment," low-income communities will likely be the most hurt by climate change.
Low-income and other vulnerable communities lack resources to prepare for and cope with climate disruptions, the report noted. Picture people who may be unable to afford to heat or cool their homes as extreme temperatures become more frequent. They may rely on community infrastructure, such as public transportation, that could be compromised in a natural disaster caused or made worse by climate change. They may lack sufficient property insurance to recoup damages from extreme weather events caused or made worse by climate change, and lack the financial means to modify their property to protect it from extreme weather events. It may be prohibitively expensive for them to address the health problems that may accompany climate change.
On top of this, climate change will probably affect low-income people disproportionately, because they may lack the means to live in places that aren't vulnerable to things like flooding or pollution or power outages.
I spoke last night at our town council meeting in favor of the plastic bag ban (want to see me speaking? I start speaking at 1:38 in this video: http://ec4.cc/c22a9232). If a person doesn't have access to reusable bags or the five cents to buy each one, my hope is that our community will find ways to help them with that. But I also hope we look at the bigger, longer-term picture of the benefits of this proposal, and pass the ordinance.
Before the meeting, I fueled up with a dish I have made many times: "Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese," from Saveur. Sometimes I look at this recipe and it doesn't sound good, then I make it and am pleased by how easy is, and then I eat it and I'm reminded that the blend of flavors is sort of genius. I put plenty of goat cheese on it. I also love that it's an all-in-one dish with a vegetable and a carb. Rapini (broccoli raab) is a bitter green, but boiling it first takes away just enough of that bitter character.
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| Rapini before cooking |
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| Rapini after cooking |
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