Robert Downey Jr. played the Marvel superhero Iron Man for over ten years and saved the world multiple times in the films. The actor laid the foundation of the MCU with 2008’s Iron Man, which grew into the shared cinematic universe that every studio tried to emulate in the late 2010s. Downey Jr. departed from the role in 2019 after the climactic Avengers: Endgame.
The Oppenheimer star is all set to save the world again. This time, however, he ditches the Iron Man suit for a normal one and uses the tool of words in his new book, Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite At A Time. The book reportedly tackles various food recipes that promote a sustainable future and move past the climate crisis.
Robert Downey Jr. Releases His New Book About Climate Change
After his stint with Marvel, Robert Downey Jr. has been on a journey to pursue many of his interests. While his first venture outside of the MCU, Dolittle, was a box office bomb, last year’s Oppenheimer gave him a new lease on life. His performance as Lewis Strauss won him the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
Downey Jr. recently announced his book Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite At A Time, which he wrote along with noted climate journalist Thomas Kostigen. The book promoted the Cool Food Movement, an initiative that pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting to a plant-rich diet.
The Iron Man star reportedly met Kostigen while working on a TV show and then decided to collaborate on the book. Downey Jr. spoke to Good Morning America about his reasoning behind wanting to write the book along with Thomas Kostigen,
“I felt overwhelmed by the…climate crisis. I’ve been a fan of Thomas for a long time. The idea of doing something as simple as a book, where I can just flip it open and go, ‘Almonds are pretty good, cashews are better. Mangoes are great.’…When I’m at the supermarket or making a choice on set or grabbing a snack for the kids, I am sort of inserting this data onto my meal plans.”
Kostigen opined that they hoped to tell the world to make informed choices about the food people take as it was the only thing that was essential for survival that had a variety of choices. The book will be released on January 23.
What Is The Cool Food Movement That Robert Downey Jr. Talks About?
In his book, Robert Downey Jr. spoke about Cool Foods that he hoped that would be delicious and healthy. The Cool Food Movement was started by the World Resources Institute to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions from foods just by making a change in the diet. The movement was mainly aimed at food processing organizations that could reduce their carbon footprint by adopting some changes.
Downey Jr. spoke about the movement and the terminology in an interview with the Sunday Paper,
“Cool Food refers to foods that are better for the planet than others—perennial vegetables that don’t have to be torn up from the ground each season, ancient grains that actually promote healthier soil, nuts that come from trees that don’t have to be felled, and certain fruits that are grown on trees that store lots of carbon dioxide in their roots, trunks, and leaves.”
According to the WRI, early adopters of the movement have reduced their per-plate emissions by 21% through 2021, and the institute hoped to reach the figure of a 38% reduction in emissions per plate. Robert Downey Jr. and Thomas Kostigen also mentioned that they were looking at reducing food wastage, especially by looking at the expiration date.
