Humans have an enormous impact on planet Earth, but from both an animal welfare and an environmental perspective, perhaps nothing is more important than our diets. In 2022, more than 82 billion livestock animals were slaughtered for meat, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, with the majority of those animals being factory farmed. In addition to enormous animal welfare implications, the practice of farming animals is estimated to account for somewhere between 11% and 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. All things considered, what is the most ethical diet? According to utilitarian moral philosopher Peter Singer, it’s one that includes zero — or at least very few — animal products. Singer is among the most influential living philosophers and is widely credited for putting animal ethics on the map with […]

Rick Bass is an American author of more than thirty books, both fiction and non-fiction, on a wide range of topics. An environmental activist, he is also an artist drawn to the beauty of the natural world. The winner of numerous awards, his most recent essay collection, With Every Great Breath, was released this February by Counterpoint Press and includes three new essays along with a selection of eighteen written over nearly three decades. Counterpoint Press Bass is based in the Yaak Valley in Montana. “It’s a land of extremes and superlatives,” he says. Through the Yaak Valley Forest Council, Bass and a group of locals work to preserve the valley from logging, and are also trying to convince the U.S. Forest Service to reroute the Pacific Northwest Trail away from grizzly bear habitat, of […]

Some books take you on epic emotional journeys, while others provide you with knowledge and insights on a new subject. To Dye For, an account of the toxic evolution of fast fashion by Alden Wicker — from its mauvine- and arsenic-tinted beginnings to the takeover of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — does both. It is essential reading for those who have ever experienced skin sensitivity, a rash or worse due to clothing laden with harmful chemicals. And for anyone interested in the true cost of the modern fast fashion that is polluting the world with toxins and discarded bargain clothing. I had the pleasure of talking with Wicker recently about the book, which delves into the toxicity of contemporary fast fashion, as well as its Victorian era origins. I asked how she first became […]

There are all sorts of meatless burgers out there, from bean and soy to those trying to look and taste like beef, but have you ever tried a Kelp Burger? If not, you’re missing out on a flavorful, nuanced, sustainable eating experience. Kelps are large brown seaweeds or algae that grow in underwater forests. There are 30 different types, and they are all extremely beneficial for the environment. Kelp absorbs carbon dioxide from seawater to the tune of nearly five million tons each year, according to New Scientist, which helps reduce ocean acidification, as well as sequesters phosphorus and nitrogen. Kelp also provides habitat for fish and other marine life. Kelp isn’t just good for the ocean and the atmosphere, it’s good for you — tasty and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. In 2021, […]