Steak, Sustainability, and Staying Sane with Climate Conscience Man
- Gregory Andrews
- Oct 4
- 2 min read
People have been asking Climate Conscience Man about plant-based diets. And let’s start by saying he enjoys his veggies. He really does. He roasts aubergines. Loves a lentil dal. And he knows how to cook tofu - well kind of. But let’s not pretend: Climate Conscience Man also really likes meat!
A good steak. Lamb cutlets. Smoked ribs on his electric BBQ (solar-powered, of course). And cheese and real butter, they make meals into memories. They’re comfort. They’re ingredients for family dinners where everyone actually shows up at the table, including the teenagers.
But he also knows the facts.
If you care about the climate - and Climate Conscience Man does - eating less meat is one of the most immediate, impactful things you can do. Especially if you’ve already ticked some of the other big-ticket items: renewable power, active transport, EV, less flying, composting, veggie gardening, etc.
That’s why, as the stay-at-home dad and dinner-maker-in-chief, Climate Conscience Man has been trying to cut back on meat in his household. He’s not going outright vegan or vegetarian. But he’s trying to make red meat and dairy the exception, not the rule.
Some nights it’s lentil macaroni casserole. Other nights it’s Mexican bowls with beans or eggplant lasagne loaded up with an oat milk béchamel. The family eats most of what he cooks without complaint. Well mostly. He’s learned that teenagers apparently require protein every 17 minutes or they’ll perish. And they seem to think it only comes from animals. (He’s yet to confirm this with the AMA.)
It hasn’t been a seamless transition. But slowly, habits are shifting. He’s buying less cheese and meat. Cooking more veg. Getting smarter with spices. And yes - replacing beef with TVP, beans and lentils in the bolognese.
Tonight, though? It’s beef massaman. And he’s not going to feel guilty. Well, not that guilty. Because the goal isn’t purity. It’s progress. As the Dalai Lama once said: “Everything in moderation… including moderation.”
And the truth is, when you reduce your overall meat consumption, the occasional curry isn’t going to mean the end of the world. Especially when it’s a hit with the teens, there are leftovers for tomorrow, and it's a boost for everyone's iron levels.
So no, Climate Conscience Man isn’t vegan or vegetarian. He's imperfect. But he is trying. Most nights veggie-based dinners are on the table. But not tonight.
Have you considered roo as a sustainable alternative to beef and lamb? No hard hooves creating erosion and not ruminants so no belching methane into the atmosphere.
I don't eat meat often but roo rogan josh is a winner. Think it would be good in massaman too!
Before technology gave us the ability to refrigerate and move food all around the world very quickly, traditional eating was what mother nature provided locally. People ate what was in season, the food was fresh and grown without chemicals and pesticides. It is becoming clear that a large percentage of illness now occurring in our communities is due to the industrialization of natural food and the absurd amount of chemicals, many not properly tested that are now present in our food chain. We are part of nature when we hurt nature we are by default, hurting ourselves.
All power to your pen Andrew, thank you for what you do.
Thanks Climate Conscious Man for your efforts. My reading of research on and traditional approaches (i.e. from communities whose lineage stretches back thousands of years) to sustainable living to date suggests that there there is no one perfect human diet. Physiologically, our gastrointestinal anatomy matches that of omnivores and, as the adult female of our species menstruates, nourishes growing embryos and foetuses and breastfeeds, this places increased need on the consumption of a high quality diet (both in terms of protein and micronutrients). Worldwide, millions of women and children (including in Australia) suffer from anaemia, with consequences including severe fatigue, adverse reproductive outcomes among pregnant women, and poor cognitive and motor development among children.
I agree with Simone that intensive…
Veganism is virtuous. But eating half as much meat is still better than not doing so. I think Climate Conscience Man sees that it doesn’t have to be absolute, which might be too difficult for some of us. But also, eating half as much is a step towards 3/4 as much etc. It’s progress.😍
I've been watching footage of interviews with Jane Goodall on her love for creatures. "All animals matter.Every animal is an individual just as every person is an individual.All are deserving of our respect our compassion and our care."
Jane stopped eating meat, eggs,dairy in her thirties when she learned of the horror and cruelty of intensive factory farming involving billions of creatures born, raised to live horrific lives then slaughtered.What a role model for us all to learn and behave.Vegan is the only moral choice.