Look, I was vegetarian for years as a teen because of deeply held environmental concerns, and companies can produce whatever content they want

But I don't think touting simplistic blanket fixes such as "eliminate all beef" or "get rid of all plastic straws" is ever effective https://twitter.com/epicurious/status/1386702329613672452

What's effective is public education

Teaching people WHY certain foods use up more resources, and how the industrialized food industry functions exploitatively across the spectrum, both in terms of how it treats the Earth, animals, and human laborers

Then educate on how to find and support local farms as well

Teach people how to find the nearest farmer's market; how Community Supported Agriculture works and how to be a part of it; how to eat seasonally and locally and how to preserve food for the off season

The best diet-based environmental decision you can make isn't "cut all beef" or "become vegan"--it's to eat locally and seasonally whenever possible

But that doesn't fit in a neat box and has a learning curve. I've spent YEARS growing the list of local farms I source food from

Companies like Epicurious that want to brand themselves as eco-conscious could do so much more good by gearing their content towards all this--towards equipping people to make the most sustainable food choices available *in the communities they live and work within*

But that's complex! And requires a lot of work and education and putting trust in people to take the knowledge and resources they've been given and then craft a more sustainable way of life that works for *them*

As an example: I watched the whole plastic straws debate while it was raging, and heard interesting, important perspectives from those wanting reduce single use plastics, and those in the disabled community who depend on products like this...

As a result, I have mixed feelings about plastic straws in particular

But the whole thing DID make me more interested in what happens to disposable plastics, and how to cut them out in ways that work for our household

So I followed a bunch of scientists and conservationists

Their perspectives on how damaging plastic waste is to natural environments it ends up in, and especially how our beautiful seas are filling with plastic junk, made WAY more of an impression than that ultimately frivolous straw debate

Learning how much of the plastic I casually buy and toss into the recycling ends up as destructive trash is what actually galvanized me to make a series of systematic changes around our house, centered on reducing plastic waste

I'm going through the house one room at a time, redesigning how I do things in order to eliminate plastics, just like I redesigned our food networks

But it took education, and the determined, practical perspective of organizations like Sea Legacy to spark that desire for change

It wasn't the result of a flashy, virtue-signaling blanket fix like Epicurious' move to cut beef recipes, or the recent thing with straws

If companies really want to develop their sustainable credentials, investing in practical education of their target audience is the way to go

An amendment: I'd like to apologize for referring to the plastic straws debate as frivolous, when it certainly was not so to the disabled individuals who were impacted by it. That was an unkind and inconsiderate word choice and I want you all to feel safe and heard here

The amount of vitriol directed towards those who point out that convenient and expendable quick fixes for the abled can be lifesaving, life-enhancing measures for the disabled is shameful, and I always HATE to see it come from those who push for sustainability

The push to preserve our beautiful planet should be a fundamentally inclusive one, that honors the perspectives and needs of everyone who lives here--Earth is EVERYONE'S home and the one great human commonality

I firmly believe that it is possible to strive for a vision of sustainability and for environmental solutions that include and consider all of our human family members--all of our uniqueness of experience and body and mind and cultural practice

OH and one last thing (I swear, I thought I was done, I have way too many thoughts on all this ) for the love of all that's holy, let's stop subsidizing massive industrial farms and build a system where benefits like WIC and SNAP are redeemable at local farms and markets

One where you can get tax credits for sourcing food grown within, say, an hour of where you live

We need to make sustainable practices available to ALL, regardless of income or ability or anything else, otherwise it's just a lot of hollow upper and middle class moralizing