Recipe for Survival by Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, 2022. Photo: Sarabeth Pollock
Every year I watch in anticipation as the Doomsday Clock gets updated. Are we still inching towards midnight, or have we gained ground on the impending catastrophe that the clock is meant to warn against? Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes’ new book Recipe For Survival: What You Can Do To Live A Healthier And More Environmentally Friendly Life is a road map that offers advice to help us make better choices to promote a better future, and – perhaps – help us to start the clock moving backwards.
Dr. Hunnes doesn’t just focus on one area; her book is a balance of healthy living and environmentally friendly advice. When taken together, it lays out a plan for people who want to live a more informed life.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Recipe for Survival is that it goes deeper than surface level information about healthy foods and ways to save the environment. After discussing all of the reasons that leaning toward a plant-based lifestyle is more sustainable and healthier than a meat-based diet, Dr. Hunnes offers meal suggestions, meat and dairy alternatives and even suggestions for growing one’s own crops or, in case you can’t grow your own food, shopping locally at a farmer’s market or signing up for a CSA.
The discussion around recycling isn’t limited to sorting glass and cans, rather it forces the reader to think about packaging and how items are received. How can we reduce waste before we create it? Instead of buying a shirt made from synthetic (and not sustainable) fibers, consider buying cotton products because cotton is an environmentally-friendly fiber.
Instead of throwing out global issues and forcing readers to figure out what it means for their own lives, Dr. Hunnes offers ideas, suggestions and alternatives so that you can start making changes right away.
Recipe for Survival makes you think. Even if you don’t agree with every point Dr. Hunnes lays out, the book presents arguments in favor of subtle changes that can lead to significant gains, in both health and in the environment. I often found myself thinking, “I never thought of it like that.” Recipe for Survival opens your eyes to the issues at hand and offers ways to make changes in our everyday lives that will lead to profound change.
