Author(s): Alejandra Schrader; Gunhild Stordalen (Foreword by)

Food & Wine

Use your kitchen to help combat climate change.

When you go to the supermarket to buy groceries, you probably don't think about how everything got there: from the farmers and harvesting machines to the delivery trucks, stockers, and countless other people who are involved in delivering goods to your local market. But many real costs are involved--and most of them involve impacts to the environment more than to bank accounts.

Food production contributes to one-fourth of our global greenhouse gas emissions. This is a significant number that's part of the climate change conversation. But you can take a few small steps to help lower that number--and The Low-Carbon Cookbook will show you how. Chef extraordinaire Alejandra Schrader offers science-backed information on how to make the most climate friendly choices--from examining the impact of the supply chain for the foods that end up on our plates to evaluating the carbon footprint of various plant-based options we have.

The Low-Carbon Cookbook also includes these features:
- 140 plant-based recipes made with fresh, wholesome, and seasonal ingredients that can help you lower your carbon footprint and foodprint
- Seasonal and regional ingredient swaps you can make to allow you to create every dish in this book no matter where you live or the time of the year
- Expert advice and tips on how to shop wisely, cook smart, and plan your meals as a way to help you save money and reduce your food waste

If you're looking for a way to combat climate change from your kitchen, this book will help you with your goals.

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Foreword by Dr. Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair, EAT Foundation

Talk of planetary emergencies and climate change can be so overwhelming as to scare us into inaction. Who has a budget for solar panels, let alone an electric car? We might want to protect the Amazon and other wild places but feel rather powerless at being able to do anything to protect these faraway places.

Food changes all this. Our food choices have an outsized impact on the future of the planet. Fortunately, we have no shortage of options, no shortage of flavors, and no shortage of diversity to guide this transition. In this beautiful book, Alejandra has assembled amazing recipes with flavors from around the world. What I really like is how these recipes remind us that being climate citizens isn't just urgent and necessary but that it can be enjoyable while also being good for us.

This is a book for the evidence-based, action-oriented eater. For those who want to better understand the challenges we face as a society and who refuse to sit back and watch. Who want to engage, act, and be a part of this decisive decade. There are rich chapters that outline climate, biodiversity, and food challenges. That explain how food can be a major solution. But best of all, it beautifully provides 140 recipes for people and planet.

In 2019, my organization, EAT, brought together a team of 37 scientists from around the world to provide the best available evidence on what are healthy diets and what are the environmental limits of food--the so-called "planetary boundaries"--that define the safe environmental space for all of us and for our children. In conversations with Johan Rockstr m, one of the world's leading environmental scientists who signaled such guidelines are still missing, we learned that food, our most intimate relationship with our own health, and also our most intimate relationship with nature were failing in both areas. Food has become the leading cause of poor health globally and is the biggest source of environmental destruction and degradation.

However, this doesn't have to be the case. What foods we eat, how we produce them, and how much is lost and wasted can change everything. It also makes food our best bet for restoring the environment as well as regenerating health.

As Alejandra suggests, healthful and sustainable eating starts with plant-rich options, putting much more emphasis on fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. This means taking meat completely off the table for those who desire vegetarian or vegan options or for moving it to the side--smaller portions of sustainably produced meat, with a focus on flavor.

This book calls for being smarter about where we source foods and supporting farmers who leave space in their fields for nature. Space for pollinators. Space for pest-controlling ladybugs and wasps as well as insect-eating birds. Space for healthy soils that soak up carbon and water, fighting climate change and helping grow more and better food.

Dig in, explore, adapt, engage Remember that food is about sharing. Sharing stories, cultures, and time with our loved ones. I encourage you to share these recipes with them but to also take a moment to share a conversation on climate. Our collective future depends on all of us.

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"The Low-Carbon Cookbook is a welcome roadmap for home chefs of any level who care about the future of our planet and making conscious food choices. Alejandra Schrader blends detailed research with vibrant, delicious recipes that make eating a climate-friendly diet possible. With this delightful thought-provoking book, everyone can start making changes in how they eat today that will have a big impact on our planet tomorrow. In these times of climate crisis, this is a must-read for all who care about food, our climate, and all the living beings who share our planet." - Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America

"When Alejandra writes about the relationship between the food we eat and the impact it has on the environment, she's not just doing it on a hunch--she's done the research and shares it in a way that's not polarizing or politicizing. By setting the table with food and facts, Alejandra provides anyone who cares ab