The Blue Plate is a sobering, occasionally uplifting (and equally terrifying) monograph by Mark J. Easter on the interconnectedness of life on planet Earth, and how we can make good decisions concerning the food we consume given the current issues. Released 17th Sept 2024 by Patagonia, it's 400 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
The author, a scientist and researcher, does a fairly good job of explaining concepts such as carbon sequestering, climate change, food production (and its impact on climate change), ecosystems, and some complex earth science/ecology topics. There is no glossary, chapter notes or annotations, and the book doesn't have a bibliography or reference list (which is a notable absence in a book of this type). The author/publishers have included a cross referenced index.
The basic question he posits is: Can humanity's choices about regenerative farming, consumption, and food choices (eat local in season) have a meaningful positive net impact on human driven climate change. He makes a lot of good points, and there are some glimpses of potential actionable ideas throughout, but the overall impression for reasonable readers is "probably not enough, nor soon enough".
There are a number of profiles of professionals and amateur activists throughout which are inspiring and hopeful, from grassroots collectives to larger research entities like the Land Institute. The overall takeaway though is, not enough, not fast enough, and not hopeful.
It's a stark reminder that unfettered consumerism is a juggernaut wrecking the planet we share.
Four stars. The author/publisher have included interactive links and QR code to additional study materials and references for classroom use or discussion. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition and as a support text for agriculture, ecology, earth sciences, and related subjects.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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