New United Nations Cookbook Collab Focuses On Sustainability

The United Nations and The Kitchen Connection Alliance have teamed up to write a full-color cookbook that includes recipes from 75 chefs and others, according to The New York Times. The publication, which is available in a Kindle or hardback version, is called "The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People & Planet," and professional chefs, home cooks, and even farmers have contributed to a book brought about by the United Nations' ActNow Campaign, writes Food Tank.

Earlene Cruz is the director of The Kitchen Connection Alliance, a non-profit that seeks to empower people to bring change to the food system. When she realized the impact a cookbook could have on their campaign, which promotes individual action on climate change and sustainability, she agreed to spearhead the project, describing it as a "wonderful, at times challenging, and often enlightening experience." (via FoodTank). The book describes the effort as "a global collection for global connection."

The book gathers cross-cultural recipes from restaurant owners, farmers, and home cooks with the stated purpose of global sustainability and the cook's role in it, according to The New York Times. Its five recipe sections focus on the different aspects of sustainability — food systems, biodiversity, sustainable consumption, food and climate change, and food waste. The chapter on climate change highlights each recipe's carbon footprint "by calculating the sum of carbon emissions associated with each ingredient," writes Food Tank. Amazon explains that the book helps readers choose and concoct "the most climate-friendly dishes."

The ActNow Campaign encourages people to make informed individual choices to bring about the reduction of greenhouse gases. This book furthers that effort by encouraging "sustainable sourced fish and eggs" and providing mostly vegetarian recipes, which typically have a much lower carbon footprint. Celebrity chefs José Andrés, Daniel Boulud, and Andrew Zimmern, among others, contributed to the book.

In addition to being a great cookbook, it's a great cause, as the Kitchen Connection says that "all proceeds support efforts to improve the food system and support the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and farmers."