In recent years, the phrase environmental tipping points has moved from scientific journals into public conversation. It now appears in climate reports, headlines, and policy debates, most recently and comprehensively in The Global Tipping Points Report for 2025.[1] Yet tipping points are not abstract metaphors or tools of alarm. They describe real, measurable processes within … Continued
From Survival to Thrival: Connecting with Our Food, Our Planet, and Our True Selves
My name is Jose Rosa, and I am the founder of The Thrival Network and co-creator of Everest Eats, a plant-based culinary and wellness brand based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My journey into a whole-food plant-based lifestyle began in 2016 through my wife, Katy. While she was studying environmental science, one of her first classes opened … Continued
A Perennial Future: Agriculture’s Next Evolution
For much of modern history, agriculture has relied on annual crops like corn, soy, and wheat. These crops dominate farmland and anchor global markets, but their short lifespans come at a steep ecological cost. In the conventional agriculture systems that dominate today, annual fields must be plowed, seeded, fertilized, and sprayed every year, creating constant … Continued
How to Reduce Your Water Footprint through Smarter Food Choices
Water is often described as the most essential element for life on Earth, yet it is a resource we frequently take for granted, especially when it comes to the food we eat. While we may be mindful of turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth or fixing leaky taps, the vast majority of our … Continued
How Our Food Choices Could Help Reforest the Planet
The global food system lies at the center of some of today’s most urgent environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. Yet it also offers one of our greatest opportunities: the chance to reforest vast areas of the planet by rethinking what we eat. Nearly half of the world’s habitable land is currently … Continued
How to Plant a Fruit Tree Guild for a Resilient Backyard
If you are looking for a beautiful, resilient way to rewild some or all of your backyard, look no further than tree guilds. Also known as a permaculture garden, a tree guild is centered around a fruit or nut tree and incorporates a diverse group of plants that work together in harmony. What Is a … Continued
Supporting Pollinators in Your Backyard
The next time you are biting into a fresh apple or crafting a delicious salad, be sure to thank pollinators. Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we take every day.[1] Three-fourths of the flowering plants worldwide and 35 percent of the global food crop depend on pollinators to reproduce.[2] … Continued
Can Organic Farming Feed the World?
In the ongoing debate between conventional and organic farming, it’s commonly believed that conventional agriculture is necessary to meet the growing global demand for food. However, decades of research from the Rodale Institute show that organic farming can not only match but often outperform conventional methods in terms of yield, sustainability, and profitability.
Aquatic ecosystems worldwide are facing severe challenges according to nearly every available metric. Recent reports indicate that shark and stingray populations have been halved since 1970, trends which echo earlier studies showing a 49% decline in fish populations between 1970 and 2012.[1][2] Today, nearly 90% of global marine fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited, or … Continued
Lifeless Soils Will Be the Death of Us
The world’s topsoil is endangered. About a decade ago, a senior UN official made the widely-publicized claim that this most important natural resource, on which our survival depends, will be gone within 60 years if current rates of soil loss continue.[1] “The causes of soil destruction include chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation which increases erosion, and … Continued
Three Often Overlooked Hazards of Animal Agriculture
Many people know that animal agriculture is far less environmentally sustainable and that diets containing excessive amounts of animal-based foods compromise our health in numerous ways. Most of our resources at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) relate to these concerns (you can learn more about Food and Sustainability or Plant-Based Nutrition … Continued
Industrial Agriculture Is a Zombie Paradigm (Video)
Andrew Kimbrell is an internationally recognized public interest attorney, public speaker, and author. He is the founder and executive director of Center for Food Safety. As an attorney, Kimbrell has successfully challenged federal agencies in several historic court cases. He initiated the court challenge that resulted in a US Supreme Court victory forcing, for the … Continued
Plant-Based Diets Radically Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is a global concern. If we could tackle food waste reduction, might the profligacy inherent to our food production systems be less consequential?
Assessing the Top Nutrition Trends of 2023 (Part One)
It’s often helpful to take a step back and look at trends. As indicators of the prevailing sentiments and interests within a society, they offer a compelling snapshot of broad cultural attitudes at a given time. Here we analyze the top 2023 nutritional trends.
Do We Need Animal Foods to Meet Global Protein Requirements?
We have a bad habit of persistently conflating protein with animal foods. It’s on the restaurant menus. When it’s not at the forefront of our thoughts, it’s in the back of our minds. The idea is so deeply entrenched that one of the first questions a non-meat-eater must confront from friends and family is, inevitably, … Continued
How Much Land Could 100 Americans Conserve by Switching Their Diets?
In recent years, the debate around what constitutes a “sustainable diet” has led to much discussion. So, as a thought experiment, we analyze the impact that would come from 100 people currently eating the standard American diet switch to a fully plant-based diet.
Reducing Global Hunger With Whole Food, Plant-Based Diets
Switching to a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet is one of the single most effective actions individuals can take to benefit themselves and global society.
Air Pollution and Industrialized Livestock
For a long time, we have understood that agriculture is a major contributor to air pollution, but only recently has there been an effort to determine the relative impact of specific foods or diets.
Is Organic Meat a Healthy Option?
Grass-fed bed is more popular than ever before as consumers look for “healthier” and “cleaner” meat options. But is organic meat really a “cleaner” option?
What is the Delusion of Eradication? (Video)
One of the core tenets of industrial agriculture is that we can dominate nature, bending natural processes to fit our will and design. But what are the consequences?
Can Agriculture Prevent Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction?
The effort to combat the ongoing biodiversity crisis, which has led many to conclude we are currently entering and experiencing Earth’s sixth mass extinction event. Unlike the previous five extinction events, the current one is caused by the activity of a single species—humans.
The Environmental Case For Free-Range Livestock?
The agricultural system is designed to provide for diets high in animal products. Nine in ten Americans consume meat regularly, and three in five agree that eating red meat is part of the American way of life. This attitude and practice run contrary to the science of nutrition.
Consolidation in the Food System
This month a mega-merger was announced between Kroger and Albertsons that could have large ramifications for grocery shopping in American supermarkets while continuing the trend toward further consolidation.
Imagining the Possibility of a Healthier and More Sustainable Human Presence on Earth
I had been working for almost 20 years as a leader in a New Thought church, and I believed my work made a meaningful contribution to humanity. I was overseeing programs for children and families, praying with people, helping lead a program for incarcerated men, and more. I thought I would be working there for … Continued
