When I opened my first restaurant in 2012, it was the culmination of years of meticulous planning and a giant step toward fulfilling my dream of protecting people and the planet through serving them plant-based food. When the pandemic hit, we were in the middle of negotiating new leases to expand further. Then it all came crashing down in March.

When the shutdowns started, our sales were down to 10 percent of what they had been. After six long, hard months of clawing and crawling our way back up, each day of the pandemic and resulting chaos seems to bring fresh boulders to scale. But even so, this crushing period can’t compare to the devastation that is barreling toward us like an avalanche.

With the climate in desperate crisis, I fear the new normal once we do get the coronavirus under control: Flooding, fires, storms, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and climate-related illness like asthma, cancer, and heart disease.  The Western U.S. is literally burning, the South and East are wracked by hurricanes, floods, and rising tides.  Glaciers are melting, species are disappearing, and our carefully balanced eco-system is almost at the point of no return.

We are once again unprepared for the next catastrophe and it’s many-pronged effects. The climate crisis’ impact will be even more disruptive to our everyday business functions and our employees’ and customers’ health and wellbeing.

We simply cannot address climate change if we don’t address the profound impact what we eat has on the planet, and especially the vast resources that are consumed by animal agriculture. Now is the time to take a close look at what we eat every day, three times a day, and how it affects our air, our weather, and our health.

Read the full article about the impact of climate crises by Nicole Marquis at Food Tank.