When Matthew Prescott was 12, his older sister came home from school one day and announced that she had decided to become a “vegetarian,” whatever that was.
In the grand tradition of little brothers everywhere, Matthew made sure to stick his forkful of beef under her nose at the dinner table while making mooing sounds. But he also tried her bean burritos, veggie burgers, and other plant-based alternatives to meat, and found that they were actually pretty good. And when he eventually looked at her reasons for ditching meat, he had to admit that they made a lot of sense.
From that humble beginning, Matthew has become one of the most influential voices in the animal welfare, plant-forward movement. He's Senior Food Policy Director for the Humane Society of the United States, and advisor to the Good Food Institute.
He's both contributed to and harnessed the stunning change in public perception and habits around reducing animal consumption by helping giant food companies alter and improve their supply chains.
And now he's pulled off an unlikely achievement: he's produced a beautiful, inspiring coffee table book about environmental degradation. A call for less meat featuring quotes by Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. A meticulously referenced, wonky policy statement that's also a gorgeous cookbook.
The book, Food is the Solution, is a compendium of voices. Matthew includes essays by leaders of the world's major environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, the National Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Working Group, and Greenpeace. There's a story contributed by (non-plant-based) actor Jesse Eisenberg. A foreword by James Cameron. Quotes by Pope Francis, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Jamie Oliver, and Martha Stewart.
And yet, this book isn't about them. It's not about the powerful or the wealthy or the influential.
The real protagonists of Food is the Solution are the vulnerable and the voiceless.
People like Lisa and Joe Inzerillo, whose home and neighborhood in Maryland's Delmarva Peninsula have been rendered uninhabitable by dozens of industrial poultry complexes.
Like the thousands of North Carolinians whose health has been harmed by the millions of gallons of liquid hog waste dumped into their drinking water sources.
Like the workers in poultry slaughterhouses, many of whom are undocumented, who spend their days in Dantean misery and have the highest turnover rates of any occupation.
Like the impoverished peasants forced by economic necessity to clear cut their Amazon rainforest in order for wealthy multinationals to graze cattle.
And like those cattle, and pigs, and chickens, spending unimaginably miserable lives treated as machines in the factories that feed our harmful addictions.
And like the earth itself, source of all life, groaning and shuddering under the weight of all the indignities and injuries we her rude and ungrateful children have visited upon her.
These are the voices that are centered and amplified by those like Matthew who do have voice and standing and influence in our society.
I had a wonderful conversation with Matthew about his life, his work, and the book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. We covered:
- why Matthew wrote the book
- why he shifted from a self-righteous to an inclusive stance
- the cow shit statistic I just couldn't believe
- environmental degradation is global, and the problems are felt locally
- why each chapter focuses on individuals and their stories
- the Orwellian language of the animal ag industry and their governmental enablers
- the lack of environmental arguments for meat eating
- the incredible 53-gallon egg
- the importance of a visually appealing book
- including celebrities and chefs who are not plant-based in the orchestra of voices
- why compassion for animals often precedes compassion for other humans
- the NIMBY problem and environmental racism and classism
- why you should buy Food is the Solution at Costco, if you can
- and much more…
Enjoy, add your voice to the conversation via the comment box below, and please share – that's how we spread our message and spread our roots.
Links
Food is the Solution (if you can't access a Costco, you can get it from amazon)
USDA web page advocating use of Orwellian language about animal waste
Vegan Goodness cookbook (by Food is the Solution photographer Jessica Prescott)
Plant Yourself Podcast with Rody Hawkins, founder of Improved Nature
Plant Yourself Podcast with Eric O'Grey, author of Walking with Peety
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Gratitudes
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Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Disclosure
This post may contain amazon affiliate links. I may receive amazon gift certificates from your actions on such links.
Looking for Transformational Change?
You know how when you discovered plant-based eating, you basically went, “Holy shit, how come the entire healthcare system isn't totally embracing this as one of the most powerful keys to disease prevention and reversal!”?
That's how I feel now about a psychological approach to transformational change called “Memory Reconsolidation.” Few psychologists have heard about it, and when they do hear the radical transformations it can bring about in a very short time, they're often skeptical to the point of disbelief.
But I've added Memory Reconsolidation work to my own coaching, and can attest to its amazing efficacy. So much so, that I'm devoting the next year to mastering it, studying with the best clinicians and teachers in the world, and then introducing it into health coaching through my trainings.
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What we really mean is, you can help the people around you make behavioral changes in their own best interests. If you think you're powerless to help people change, it's because you've been going about it the wrong way.
Discover our straightforward, replicable process here: You Can Change Other People.
Audiobook: Use the Weight to Lose the Weight
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Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Gratitudes
Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons – Kim Harrison – Lynn McLellan – Brittany Porter – Dominic Marro – Barbara Whitney – Tammy Black – Amy Good – Amanda Hatherly – Mary Jane Wheeler – Ellen Kennelly – Melissa Cobb – Rachel Behrens – Tina Scharf – Tina Ahern – Jen Vilkinofsky – David Byczek – Michele X – Elspeth Feldman – Leah Stolar – Allan Kristensen – Colleen Peck – Michele Landry – Jozina – Sara Durkacs – Kelly Cameron – Janet Selby – Claire Adams – Tom Fronczak – Jeannette Benham – Gila Lacerte – David Donohue – Blair Seibert – Doron Avizov – Gio and Carolyn Argentati – Jodi Friesner – Mischa Rosen – Michael Worobiec – AvIvA Lael – Alicia Lemus – Val Linnemann – Nick Harper – Bandana Chawla – Molly Levine – The Inscrutable Harry R – Susan Laverty the Panda Vegan – Craig Covic – Adam Scharf – Karen Bury – Heather Morgan – Nigel Davies – Marian Blum – Teresa Kopel – Julian Watkins – Brid O'Connell – Shannon Herschman – Linda Ayotte – Holm Hedegaard – Isa Tousignant – Connie Haneline – Erin Greer – Alicia Davis – Heather O'Connor – Carollynne Jensen – Sheri Orlekoski of Plant Powered for Health – Karen Smith – Scott Mirani – Karen and Joe Crabtree – Kirby Burton – Theresa Carrell – Kevin Macaulay – Elizabeth Rothschild – Ann Jesse – Sheryl Dwyer – Jenny Hazelton – Peter W Evans – Dennis Bird – Darby Kelly – Lori Fanney – Linnea Lundquist – Emily Iaconelli – Levi Wallach – Rosamonde McAtee – Dan Pokorney – Stephen Leinin – Patty DeMartino – Mike and Donna Kartz – Deanne Bishop – Bilberry Elf – Marjorie Lewis – Tricia Adams – Nancy Sheldon – Lindsey Bashore – Gunn Marit Hagen – Tracey Gulledge – Lara Hedin – Meg from Mamasezz – Stacey Stokes – Ben Savage – Michael K – David Hughes -Coni Rodgers – Claire England – Sally Robertson – Parham Ganchi – Amy Dailey – Brian Tourville – Mark Jeffrey Johnson – Josie Dempsey – Caryn Schmitt – Pamela Hayden – Emily Perryman – Allison Corbett – Richard Stone – Lauren Vaught of Edible Musings – Erin Hastey – Sean Owens – Sagar Naik – Erika Piedra – Danielle Roberts – Michael Leuchten – Sarah Johnson – Katharine Floyd – Meryl Fury – for your generous support of the podcast.
Disclosure
This post may contain amazon affiliate links. I may receive compensation from your actions on such links. It don't cost you a dime, tho.
