Robert Downey Jr. Secures Book Deal For Carbon Footprint Reduction Manual

Robert Downey Jr. has announced he is writing a book to help readers lower their carbon footprint in partnership with bestselling environmental author Thomas Kostigen. Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time has been picked up by Blackstone Publishing, via president and CEO Josh Stanton. 

The book is slated to offer access to a ‘game-changing’ roadmap to carbon reduction. Climate-friendly food choices will be laid bare and explained in what is hoped to be an accessible and intelligent read. This marks Downey Jr.’s first foray into non-fiction writing. Kostigen has been writing about climate change for two decades.

From investor to author

Downey Jr. reportedly first got into nutrition when he was preparing for his multiple appearances as Iron Man. Coupled with a Hollywood predilection for cutting carbon footprints, he has armed himself with enough knowledge to become something of an expert in the field of carbon-reducing foods. This was made apparent when he launched a new venture fund designed to support sustainable climate solutions, with a seeming focus on alternative protein.

The FootPrint Coalition Ventures fund is a rolling financing solution for tech that is deemed “groundbreaking”. Included in the list of beneficiaries is Zero Acre Farms, a San Francisco tech company manufacturing a fermented vegetable oil alternative. Newly rebranded MyForest Foods has also garnered the Iron Man seal of approval, for its mycelium bacon alternative. 

Taking action not creating talking points

Undeniably enigmatic, Downey Jr. plays on his charisma to bring the message of climate-friendly foods to the forefront.

“Our best global food future requires no hand-wringing, fad diets, or radical shame—just a perspective shift to discovering the many solutions in plain sight,” Downey Jr. said in a statement. “With Kostigen in the cockpit, and Blackstone’s formidable ground control, it should be an actionable adventure. Join us.”

Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time will offer specific advice for switching to a carbon-free diet. It will provide insight into the research process for the book itself, with the two co-authors interrogating the supply chain of ingredients. Looking at where foods are grown and sold, to where they are transported to and the impact they have by the time they land on Michelin-starred plates, the book will, apparently, not shy away from any ugly truths.

“As the great Yogi Berra once said, ‘The future ain’t what it used to be.’ Increasingly, we are presented with forecasts of a worsening climate,” Thomas Kostogen said in a statement about the project. “Cool Food shows how we can change that outlook for the better by making a few different choices at the grocery store, trying something new on the restaurant menu, and by keeping an eye out for foods that store more carbon in the ground rather than polluting the air.”

The publishing deal with Blackstone was negotiated directly by Stanton and new business development head Rick Bleiweiss. The publisher confirmed it had secured the rights and noted that it was “proud” to partner with the two authors on such a critical piece of work. 

Topping up the library

Alongside embracing carbon-free food, there are numerous ways to get started on a lighter lifestyle, with books to help. Starting on a journey to zero-waste living can seem daunting, but plenty of tomes simplify the process and break it down into manageable chunks. The Year of Less, by Cair Flanders is especially enlightening and approachable, written as a memoir. 

For those looking to start gently with their dietary changes, going vegan offers a simple introduction to conscious consumption. A healthy mix of science, humour and compassion goes a long way with vegan literature. Though Animal Liberation, by Peter Singer, is the perfect way to get familiar with the notion of speciesism.