What If the Simplest Change I Could Make for the Planet Was My Food Choices?

This is a story about discovering how one small shift on your plate can create a ripple effect of kindness for the planet—and redefine what making a difference truly means.

When I Discovered the Simplest Change for the Planet

In my research to launch Pigs Are Smart, I came across a book written by Jonathan Safran Foer called We Are the Weather. Foer tells the story of a young boy named Kyle Holtrust who was hit by a Chevy Camaro and dragged underneath for thirty feet. A witness nearby jumped out of his truck and proceeded to lift the Camaro long enough for someone to pull the boy to safety.

For context, the book tells us that the current world record for a deadlift is 1,102 pounds and a Camaro weighs around 3,300–4,000 pounds. Therefore, this bystander exhibited what is usually impossible. However, in life and death situations, this phenomenon is known as “hysterical strength.”

Foer continues:

“One amazing person lifted the car off Holtrust’s body, but then many other people pulled their cars to the side of the road to make the ambulance’s journey quicker. They were every bit as important in saving the young man’s life, but we don’t think of their acts as exceptional. To lift a car into the air is the most one can do. To move your car to the side when an ambulance appears is the least one can do. Kyle’s life depended on both.”

The least and the most. And both are imperative.

Why That Moment Defined Pigs Are Smart

That’s it. With all my findings, research, and attempts to define the purpose of Pigs Are Smart, this story brought it into focus. When it comes to reversing climate change, there are massive systems at play and big changes needed. But there’s also one small, consistent action we can each take. It shows up in report after report, and it’s backed by data:

Reducing our consumption of meat and dairy is the simplest change for the planet – it’s the least we can do.

It’s not the only change needed—but it’s one of the most accessible, most scalable, and most empowering.

This One Shift Touches Everything

On your Pigs Are Smart journey, you’ll discover how eating more plant-based is healthier for you and healthier for the planet. In fact, according to A Well-Fed World and climate scientists contributing to the United Nations IPCC, it’s one of the most impactful things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint.

Foer puts it like this:

“When a radical change is needed, many argue that it is impossible for individual actions to incite it, so it’s futile for anyone to try. This is exactly the opposite of the truth: the impotence of individual action is a reason for everyone to try.”

Curious Where to Start?

You don’t have to lift a car to make a difference. Start with one meal, one plate at a time. Choose plants over meat and dairy, and you’re already making the simplest change for the planet.

It’s the least we can do—and together, it adds up to something pretty extraordinary.

Ready to dive deeper?

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