We Can Beet Climate Change

A couple months ago, I volunteered to give blood at a blood drive. During the screening before the donation, the health care worker found that my blood pressure was too low for me to donate, and she turned me gently away. I am lucky to be a generally healthy person, even if blood barely moves through my body, so this incident wasn't alarming. But something else about the experience bothered me: I was simply disappointed that I couldn't help people by giving my blood. 

I like to soften the hard truths in this blog with sweet pics

An urge to do something for humanity is also the reason I have reduced my meat and dairy consumption over the last couple of years. It's not heroic, by any stretch of the imagination. It takes scarcely more effort than letting someone put my extra blood in a bag every now and then. While my new plant-based diet required me to reorient some lifelong habits, in the end it is just a matter of making particular choices when I pick recipes, buy groceries, and order from restaurants.

Change is hard, for most of us. But let's balance our natural resistance to change with our human instinct to help others. When faced with evidence that our animal-based diets are a factor driving the climate crisis, let's respond with the intelligence and grace of evolved* creatures, and make different choices for the larger good, at least sometimes.

You could choose beets over beef! I recently made "Beet and Lentil Salad With Cheddar" (NYT Cooking; subscription required). It was easy and tasty, and so healthy that it gave me a bonus feeling of virtuousness.

If the salad leaves you feeling TOO virtuous, though, you could counter it with a pan of brownies featuring half a pound of butter and a cup and a half of sugar.....but also your leftover beets! "Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies" (Sacramento Magazine) are mouthwateringly fudgy. I could not taste the beets, thank goodness.

John Kerry, the US President's climate envoy, recently ducked a question about the role of lifestyle changes in addressing climate change. His response implied that reducing meat consumption would diminish Americans' "quality of life." (Heated has opinions about the interview, but also a complete transcript so you can draw your own conclusions.)

Here's the response I'd prefer to hear from any influencer who is asked a question about how to reduce America's greenhouse gas emissions: "America has an opportunity to be the global leader in fighting climate change. Our policymakers can incentivize clean energy and responsible use of natural resources; our corporations can find innovative paths to greater sustainability; and American individuals can take simple actions right now that reduce their environmental footprints - like prioritizing plant-based foods in their diet, pursuing energy efficiency in their homes and waste reduction in their daily lives, and exploring alternatives to transportation modes that rely on fossil fuels. And when individuals take those actions, they support markets for sustainable products and services, which encourages economic growth."

That's where I'll leave you on this Vegan Vednesday. Tune in next time to learn whether I have success in making vegan buns for the Impossible Burgers we'll be grilling tonight!

*Example of an un-evolved response to evidence that fossil fuels are another driver of climate change (Politico): "Some truck owners are blocking [electric vehicle] charging stations at convenience stores. States in recent years were forced to adopt new laws after coal rolling — the practice of modifying trucks to spew black soot and fumes, also known as Prius repellent — gained popularity amid rising Tesla sales."