Caring for the planet, dish by dish: A sustainable approach to cooking from Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

If you want to reduce your impact on climate change, you can start by thinking about what’s for dinner.

Katin-Grazzini: “And it turns out there’s a lot we can do in the kitchen.”

That’s chef Cathy Katin-Grazzini. She says the biggest step people can take is to eat less meat because producing it creates a lot of planet-warming pollution.

So her new cookbook, “Love the Foods That Love the Planet,” includes dozens of vegetarian recipes – like arugula pesto, eggplant-zucchini torte, and beet burgers.

But even vegetarian ingredients have some impact on the climate. So the book includes a breakdown of the carbon pollution associated with key ingredients. And it explains where those emissions come from – whether it’s farming, processing, or transport.

Katin-Grazzini: “What’s really driving emissions? Is it deforestation? Is it agricultural inputs like fertilizer or irrigation?”

For some ingredients, like cocoa, the way they’re produced matters a lot. So the book helps people learn how to identify more sustainably produced options.

Katin-Grazzini: “So they can make smart decisions, informed decisions about the food we eat.”

She hopes the book helps people better understand the impact their food choices have on the climate and inspires them to make wonderful meals that are better for the planet.

Katin-Grazzini: “It’s a delicious way to really make a difference.”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media