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Boston Globe
a day ago
- General
- Boston Globe
John Robbins, author of ‘Diet for a New America,' dies at 77
Advertisement The book's message, Mr. Robbins wrote, was 'that the healthiest, tastiest and most nourishing way to eat is also the most economical, the most compassionate and least polluting.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy in 1988 compared 'Diet for a New America' and its impact on the way we think about food to Rachel Carson's classic 'Silent Spring' (1962), which warned how the unlimited use of agricultural pesticides like DDT had contaminated the soil and water and threatened the health of wildlife and humans, and which helped spur the modern environmental movement. Through the years, food writers for The New York Times have described 'Diet for a New America' as 'groundbreaking.' But Mr. Robbins's methods of raising awareness of the healthful effects of a vegetarian diet drew some criticism from Marian Burros in a 1992 Eating Well column in the Times. Advertisement 'Much of what Mr. Robbins has to say about diet in this country,' Burros wrote, 'is unremarkable: We eat too much meat and dairy products. Much of what Mr. Robbins has to say about the inhumane treatment of animals on factory farms is correct. But Mr. Robbins undermines his case by exaggerating; facts mix with factoids and anecdotes.' Burros cited experts who challenged Mr. Robbins's contentions that raising cattle was responsible for the deforestation of the United States, and that meat and dairy products contained more pesticides than plant foods. Mr. Robbins, quoted in the column, acknowledged that his message was 'a little complicated for the bumper-sticker mind and the sound bite.' John Ernest Robbins was born on Oct. 26, 1947, in Glendale, Calif. His father, Irvine, was a founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream company with his brother-in-law Burton Baskin. His mother, Irma (Gevurtz) Robbins, ran the household. The family pool was shaped like an ice cream cone. At age 5, John contracted polio. He was in a wheelchair for about six months, his left leg was impaired, and he walked with a limp as a boy, Ocean Robbins said in an interview. But through yoga, exercise, and a healthier diet, Mr. Robbins as an adult built his body to the point where he could run the equivalent distance of a marathon and complete the swimming, biking, and running stages of an unofficial triathlon. Mr. Robbins worked in the family ice cream business in his younger years, helping to concoct a popular flavor, jamoca almond fudge, and to popularize Baskin-Robbins' distinctive pink spoons. But, as a devotee of Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman, he later mutinied against materialism, telling the Times in 1992 that, in his family, 'roughing it meant room service was late.' Advertisement He also said that he wished his father had spent more time with him and less time on his company; sometimes, he said, he thought that 'my primary importance to him was that I would carry on the business.' Months after Baskin died of a heart attack in 1967, Baskin-Robbins was sold to the United Fruit Company. Irv Robbins remained with the company until he retired in 1978. According to Ocean Robbins, his grandfather had offered not to sell the company if his son would join him in business. But John Robbins declined. He was concerned, he said in a 2019 interview with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, that the consumption of large amounts of ice cream, loaded with saturated fats and sugar, had contributed to Baskin's cardiovascular problems, and also concerned about the treatment of cows at commercial dairies, where they produced ice cream's primary ingredient: milk. 'It broke my heart to see them treated so poorly,' he told PETA. 'I found the idea of profiting from such cruelty to be appalling.' Irv Robbins was angered by John's rebuff, Ocean Robbins said. 'He thought he had fallen prey to the hippie counterculture world where you just reject everything.' Upon graduating in 1969 from the University of California Berkeley, where he studied political philosophy, Mr. Robbins sought a simpler life. He and his wife, Deo, moved to Fulford Harbour, British Columbia, where they built a one-room log cabin that was later expanded to three rooms. Advertisement Ocean Robbins said that his parents did not own a car and lived on $500 to $1,000 a year, teaching yoga and meditation classes, growing what crops they could and taking one delivery per year of food they couldn't grow themselves. By the mid-1970s, John Robbins had reentered academia. He received a master's degree in humanistic psychology in 1976 from Antioch College (now University) in Ohio through its affiliation with Cold Mountain Institute in British Columbia and began a career as a psychotherapist. The family moved to the Santa Cruz area of California in 1984. Around that time, Mr. Robbins began reading books about the treatment of animals at factory farms, which led to further reading about the links between food, health, and the environment. From that sprung the idea for 'Diet for a New America.' In 2001, Robbins wrote a follow-up, 'The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World.' In 2012, he and his son founded the Food Revolution Network, an online education and advocacy organization dedicated to healthy, ethical, and sustainable food that claims more than a million members. In 2019, Ocean Robbins said, his father began experiencing symptoms of post-polio syndrome, losing strength and suffering chronic pain in his legs and later enduring sleep and cognition issues. In addition to his son, Mr. Robbins is survived by his wife, whom he married in 1969, and two sisters, Marsha Veit and Erin Robbins. In the late 1980s, his son said, John Robbins reconciled with his father: Irv Robbins, suffering from weight issues, heart disease, and diabetes, was given a copy of 'Diet for a New America' by his cardiologist. The doctor had no idea that the book had been written by his patient's son. Advertisement Irv Robbins read the book, gave up sugar, reduced his meat consumption, lost weight, improved his golf game and lived another 20 years, Ocean Robbins said. He died in 2008. It was confirmation, John Robbins liked to say, 'that blood was thicker than ice cream.' This article originally appeared in
LeMonde
a day ago
- Science
- LeMonde
'Petrified,' by Joshua Wodak: Facing a global climate rupture
Most of us are now frighteningly familiar with the genres of writing devoted to the topic of climate change and ecological collapse: any number of excellent, intelligent and well-researched books from the last decade back to Silent Spring [by Rachel Carson, published in 1962]. They told us what we needed to do, then what we should have done, then what we actually did, and now what we must do, if we wish to have any hope at all of survival. I suspect many of us stopped reading them years ago, not because we do not care and not because we do not recognize the problem, but because we simply can no longer cope with this collapse that seems so far beyond our individual power to change. Petrified. Living During a Rupture of Life on Earth, by Joshua Wodak, a lecturer on ecology at several Australian universities, is not one of those books. It summarily bypasses the idea that we can now somehow salvage what we have put in motion and also assumes that our future desperate attempts to save ourselves will not engender any fundamental changes to the anthropocentric attitudes that got us here in the first place. Instead, it asks us a simple question: How, as sentient humans, do we want to live here at the end of life on earth as we know it? How can we come to terms with both our collective guilt and our individual remorse? How can we face down the imminent collapse of the ecosystems that support us and every other lifeform on the planet and remain humane, sane, optimistic and kind? What useful, compassionate posture can any human being adopt now that we are already this deep into the rupture? And why, in fact, does our posture matter? Culture pop Petrified is a highly unusual meditation, part science, part philosophy, part pop-culture acid trip, on how we as humans might choose to live during the current rupture. It almost entirely ignores both the academic and popular vocabularies we have become accustomed to when discussing the Anthropocene, rather taking the reader on a sometimes disorienting and sometimes exhilarating rollercoaster ride that swerves from traditional and pop-cultural foreshadowing of this and other ends-of-the-world to hard science and philosophy and back again to our real, lived experience of the rupture as it unfolds.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Will the ‘Abundance' agenda change politics?
Every few generations, a controversial book is published that sparks a dramatic shift in political trajectory. Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle' (workplace and food safety reforms), Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' (environmental activism), and Milton and Rose Friedman's 'Free to Choose' (the Reagan Revolution) are a few examples. We suggest that 'Abundance,' authored by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, may be such a tome. 'Abundance' dissects how progressivism has crippled innovation, housing and essential development. The liberal authors artfully recommend a liberalism that protects and builds. Although causing a rift in the Democratic Party, could this signal a shift in the trajectory of national politics? COWLEY: Reminiscent of Princess Leia's plea to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Abundance agenda is Democrats' 'only hope.' Government is getting in their way, stifled by layers of self-imposed regulatory burdens. Government should be judged by its outcomes, not the rigid principles it follows. Process has been prioritized over product. Stymied public projects are merely symptoms of a larger illness within the Democratic Party. They have countless militant factions, each fighting for their niche issue to be pervasively included in all facets of government. Environmental activists demand prairie dog protection from new transmission lines. Clean air advocates want mass transit to be carbon-neutral. Even Biden saw how his infrastructure spending bills didn't have a meaningful impact because a large chunk was gobbled up by red tape and compliance costs. Imposing restrictions on their own desired outcomes results in money spent, time wasted and little to show for it. They cannot be all things to all people. Leadership is sometimes saying no. Although not entirely the fault of Democrats, upward mobility and the American Dream are becoming relics of the past. In 1940, children had a 92% chance of out-earning their parents. By 1980, it fell to 50%. If we don't build and innovate, economic opportunity dwindles. AI is the next frontier for discovery and development. This global race is one that Americans cannot afford to lose, and both parties should be paying attention. PIGNANELLI: 'The formation of ideological factions within political parties — starting among intellectuals and writers — is a staple of American history.' — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic I remember when Friedman's program promoting the free market aired on PBS (that's right) in January 1980, when President Jimmy Carter was beating Ronald Reagan 65%-31 %. In November, Reagan won in a landslide. Ideas have power. Abundance philosophy has existed for years. But this book compiled supportive documentation into a mass communication vehicle. The well-intentioned government programs established 50 years ago are crippling housing and the implementation of technological innovations. The authors argue that progressives are focused on process and litigation rather than achieving results that benefit society. Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden passed massive legislation to fund projects in healthcare, technology and alternative fuels that were impossible to initiate due to regulatory barriers. Severe left-wing opposition to abundance advocates underscores their fear of losing influence. Indeed, pundits predict a civil war within the Democratic Party between the far left and moderates eager for a new ideology. This demand for competent, efficient government can attract independents and moderate Republicans. America is amidst a major political realignment, and abundance is a new dynamic. We are witnessing history. Utah is well governed. But are there aspects of 'Abundance' that could be utilized to promote the objectives of our state officials? COWLEY: Utah understands that less is more when it comes to government. The Legislature is actively removing government barriers to innovation. For example, Utah's regulatory sandbox allows entrepreneurs to seek regulatory relief in their businesses while serving as laboratories of innovation. Look at the speed with which nuclear power is coming to Utah. Yet, more could be done on permitting and zoning to address Utah's significant housing shortage. PIGNANELLI: Gov. Spencer Cox appropriately notes that Utah has performed DOGE-like functions for years. Senate President Stuart Adams is promoting clean nuclear energy. Speaker Mike Schultz and lawmakers pursued a similar objective by mandating that the Utah Higher Education reallocate 10% of state funds to more productive uses. Despite public grumbling, insiders are grateful for the political protection that compels them to readjust resources. These goals also apply to conservatives to discourage their policies that inhibit housing and economic development at the local government level. Abundance should not be beholden to any political party, but rather a mindset that if government is used, it must be practical and not an interference. Will 'Abundance' be a campaign issue in the future? COWLEY: The Abundance agenda may help Democrat candidates become more appealing to Utah voters as the battle between progressives and moderates wages on. The real question is if they see the existential crisis befalling them and what will they do to avoid extinction. Staying the course doesn't have an upside. There is no drama-filled Twitter spat or blunder big enough that Trump could commit for the millions of Americans who voted for him to suddenly support the progressive agenda. Democrats need to loosen the stranglehold activists have on their party in order to rack up wins. PIGNANELLI: Abundance will be weaponized against moderate Democrats by left-wing progressives in internal battles. Democrats and Republicans in swing districts will advocate for this philosophy.
Boston Globe
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Frank Graham Jr., nature writer who updated ‘Silent Spring,' dies at 100
He added, 'I'd visit him in Maine, where he had a little island, and we'd be eating plants, and he'd also be picking spiders out of his kayak and identifying them.' Advertisement In addition to birds and insects, Mr. Graham wrote about threats to the environment. Ed Neal, the outdoors columnist for The San Francisco Examiner, described Mr. Graham's 1966 book, 'Disaster by Default: Politics and Water Pollution,' as 'a damning indictment of what industry and indifferent government have done to the nation's waterways.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In 1967, after the book was reviewed in Audubon, the magazine asked him to write about the progress, if any, of pesticide legislation and regulation in the United States since the publication of 'Silent Spring,' a devastating examination of the ecological effects of insecticides and pesticides including DDT. A year later, Audubon named him its field editor, a job he held until 2013. Advertisement Mr. Graham's three-part series about pesticides for the magazine persuaded Paul Brooks, Carson's editor at Houghton Mifflin, to sign him to write an update of 'Silent Spring.' The resulting Mr. Graham book, 'Since Silent Spring' (1970), described the years Carson spent researching and writing 'Silent Spring,' documented the attacks on her findings by agricultural and chemical companies and governmental interests, and chronicled the catastrophes caused by pesticides in the ensuing years. (Carson died in 1964.) Mr. Graham's book came out several months after the federal government announced steps it was taking to ban DDT, vindicating Carson's message. 'One cannot read this book and escape the fundamental point that today's environmental advocates are attempting to make,' Francis W. Sargent, a conservationist and moderate Republican who was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1970, wrote about 'Since Silent Spring' in The New York Times Book Review. 'Man's environment has become so complex and interrelated that any action that alters one aspect of the environment may have a potentially disastrous impact on man's health.' Looking back in 2012 in an Audubon article, Mr. Graham wrote that his book was one Carson 'should have written to rebut the all-out attack on her work and person.' He attributed the modest success of 'Since Silent Spring' to readers who were 'reluctant to let Carson go' and who had 'remained eager to see how her work and reputation had survived the assaults of the exploiters.' Frank Graham Jr. was born March 31, 1925, in Manhattan to Lillian (Whipp) Graham and Frank Sr., a prominent sports reporter and columnist for The New York Sun and The New York Journal-American. Frank Jr. grew up mostly in suburban New Rochelle, N.Y., where his interest in nature was sparked. Advertisement During World War II, he served in the Navy aboard the escort aircraft carrier Marcus Island as a torpedoman's mate. He saw action throughout the Pacific, fighting in the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945. After being discharged, he studied English at Columbia University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1950; he had worked as a copy boy at The Sun during the summers. With help from his father, Mr. Graham was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers and promoted in 1951 to publicity director. He left the job in 1955, after the Dodgers beat the Yankees for the first time in the World Series. Mr. Graham went on to become an editor and writer at Sport magazine, where he stayed for three years, and then worked as a freelance writer for various publications, including The Saturday Evening Post, The Atlantic Monthly, Sports Illustrated, and Reader's Digest. He was also the author of 'Casey Stengel: His Half Century in Baseball' (1958), a biography of the Yankees' idiosyncratic and immensely successful manager; collaborated with Mel Allen, one of the Yankees' star broadcasters, on 'It Takes Heart' (1959), a book about heroic athletes; and wrote 'Margaret Chase Smith: Woman of Courage' (1964), about the trailblazing independent Republican US senator from Maine. In 1981, Mr. Graham wrote 'A Farewell to Heroes,' which he called a 'dual autobiography' of his father and himself. The cover photograph shows Mr. Graham as a child at Yankee Stadium -- dressed in a jacket, tie, overcoat and Lou Gehrig's Yankees cap -- standing in a dugout beside Gehrig, the Yankees' slugging first baseman, who was a friend of Frank Sr.'s and a neighbor in New Rochelle. Advertisement Mr. Graham married Ada Cogan in 1953. An author herself under the name Ada Graham, she and her husband wrote several children's books together about the natural world. She is his only immediate survivor. In 2013, Mr. Graham wrote in Audubon about the epiphany he once experienced in Central Park in New York when, using powerful new binoculars, he saw a black-and-white warbler. It was a warbler 'as I had never seen one: resplendent in its fresh nuptial plumage, every detail clear and sharp,' he wrote. 'It was a revelation. The memory of that long-ago bird has never left me; it amplifies my pleasure every time I see one of its descendants.' This article originally appeared in
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Margaret Atwood to Amitav Ghosh: 5 novelists sounding the alarm on planetary collapse
(Written by Anushka Rajvedi) Celebrated annually on June 5, World Environment Day serves as an urgent call to reconsider our relationship with the planet. In an age where the climate crisis has moved from distant possibility to pressing reality, this day is a reminder of our profound entanglement with the natural world. While tree-planting drives and sustainability campaigns are vital, literature offers an equally powerful yet often overlooked avenue for ecological engagement. Stories, poems, essays, and novels compel readers to reckon with environmental degradation, question the status quo, and reimagine humanity's place within the web of life. We bring to you five authors who have used the written word as a catalyst for environmental consciousness. (Source: Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, MaddAddam) is a harrowing exploration of a world ravaged by corporate greed, genetic engineering, and climate breakdown. A Booker Prize-nominated masterpiece, the trilogy interrogates the ethical ramifications of human interference in nature, blending speculative fiction with urgent ecological warnings. Atwood's genius lies in her ability to mirror real-world environmental crises, including biodiversity loss, technological overreach, and societal collapse through a gripping narrative. Her work forces readers to confront a chilling question: if we continue on this path, will our future be one of survival or ruin? Amitav Ghosh, Jnanpith Award laureate, has long critiqued modern literature's failure to engage meaningfully with climate change. In The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, Ghosh argues that fiction has largely ignored the Anthropocene, treating environmental catastrophe as a peripheral concern rather than a central reality. His novel Gun Island weaves mythology, migration, and ecological upheaval into a narrative that bridges past and present. Ghosh's work is a call to arms for writers and readers alike: storytelling must evolve to reflect the planetary emergency we face. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) is often hailed as the foundational text of the modern environmental movement. With lyrical precision, Carson exposed the devastating effects of pesticides like DDT on ecosystems and human health. Her work was so impactful that it led to the banning of DDT in the U.S. and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Carson's legacy is a testament to the power of science communicated with moral clarity. Silent Spring remains a warning and an inspiration: when knowledge is paired with courage, systemic change is possible. (Source: Bill McKibben's The End of Nature (1989) was among the first books to bring climate change to mainstream attention. A Right Livelihood Award and Gandhi Peace Award recipient, McKibben merges scientific rigor with philosophical introspection, arguing that humanity's domination of nature has reached a point of no return. Barbara Kingsolver, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, masterfully intertwines personal and planetary crises in Flight Behavior. The novel uses the disrupted migration of monarch butterflies as a metaphor for climate change, set against the backdrop of rural America's socio-economic and religious tensions. Kingsolver's brilliance lies in her humanization of ecological disaster—she shows how climate disruption is not an abstract future but a present reality, reshaping lives and communities. Her work is a poignant reminder that environmental justice is inseparable from social justice. (The writer is an intern with The Indian Express.)
