Welcome to the Climate Kitchen newsletter, a new content universe for climate-curious parents.

Curated by Sonalie Figueiras

Every month, we share 3 things we love as parents/caregivers raising little humans. It can be something we’ve just discovered, something we use all the time and want to share, or something recommended to us. It can be food-related, but it doesn’t have to be. Whatever it is, it should add to/simplify/enhance your life.

1. Plasticlist.org: A friend just sent me this site and it’s such a find! Globally, we are drowning in toxic plastic substances and terrifyingly, so are our kiddos. The founders of this database (scientists, engineers, and the like) have tested hundreds of everyday foods from Whole Foods tomatoes to Haribo candy to Subway sandwiches for plastic chemicals ranging from phthalates to bisphenols. And what they found is terrifying: these hormone disruptors are everywhere! The founders are now advising food companies on how to identify the source of the contamination. A good one to bookmark!

2. Parenting in a Climate Crisis - A Handbook For Turning Fear Into Action: Do yourself a favor and pre-order this terrific book right now. I just interviewed the author after devouring the book and it’s an absolute must-read for parents attempting to make any sense of the herculean task of raising children amidst an ever-worsening climate crisis. Think of it it as a reference tome packed with wisdom, advice, and solace that you can turn to over and over again as your little ones grow.

3. Páramo: And speaking of toxins, it’s getting harder and harder to find clothing that is not either made of plastic or leaching plastic by-products/full of toxic substances. Not-so-fun fact: over 60% of clothing fabric is made from fossil fuel-based plastic. Enter Páramo, a high-performance outerwear brand that is both PFAS-free and PFC-free. I was so excited when I discovered it on Alden Wicker’s excellent Ecocult blog.

Rethink Milk

By Sophie Egan

Special note: Dairy consumption is a controversial topic, and not everyone is on the same page. Even at Climate Kitchen, where as founders we are aligned on most topics, we have diverse views about whether to include dairy milk in our family’s diet, both from a climate point of view and a health one. It’s important to remember and respect that what works for some may not work for others, and we will always be open and upfront with our reader community about this. The below essay, which approaches the topic with nuance and realism, reflects the author’s views (as is true in all of our essay series).

Does your child need to drink milk to be healthy and grow taller? No. For years, we've been told that cow’s milk is a must-have for strong bones and growing kids—but it’s not as essential as you might think. Calcium and vitamin D are important for bone strength and overall health, but they certainly don’t have to come from dairy. Plus, there are potential concerns about hormones in cow’s milk.

Three big reasons in favor of milk:

• Milk can be an efficient delivery vehicle for a bunch of vitamins and minerals–protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and Vitamin B12—plus vitamin D through fortification, and in reduced fat or non-fat milks, Vitamin A. 

• Many kids like it. Therefore they’re more likely to consume it, therefore parents are more likely than with some other foods to actually get the nutrients down the hatch. (My husband and I used to call it “insurance.” Not as a crutch for every meal certainly, but for times when our boys were sick or at a restaurant or someone’s house where they only picked at the edges of their dinner.)

• Cow’s milk is familiar and widely available (e.g., in school lunches). In cases like the 1 in 5 kids in America who are food insecure, milk can serve as essentially a dietary supplement for children with low access to healthy foods, or those with nutrient deficiencies, where it actually can make a difference in reaching their full growth potential (cognitively as well as physically).

Three big reasons against milk:

• It’s not good for the planet. Dairy overall is second only to meat for high environmental impacts. Almond milk has about half the carbon footprint of cow’s milk and even a lower water footprint (cows need a lot of water). Soy milk takes a mere ⅙ the water to produce. 

• Many kids are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk. In fact, some civil rights and healthcare groups have deemed milk in schools “dietary racism” given the disproportionately high rates of lactose intolerance among people of color. It’s really only those of northern European descent who seem to have an easy time with milk.

• Most dairy cows in the U.S. aren’t treated very well. For example, dairy cows’ natural behavior is to graze on pasture, yet 80 percent are raised only indoors. It’s complicated, so we have to look for third-party certifications of better animal welfare standards. 

Here are 3 simple swaps:

• Juice or milk as your kid’s daily breakfast beverage ⇒ Water. In fairness to milk, it is ranked the #2 healthiest choice for kids age 5 and younger, according to a consensus recommendation from leading U.S. health organizations. But for daily hydration, nothing beats plain old water. That’s true for both human and planetary health reasons. Find that too boring? Drop in a slice or two of lemon, lime, orange, or other whole fruit.

• Milk as a daily dinner beverage to build strong bones and help your kid grow. ⇒ A mix of other nutritious and sustainable foods that also provide the daily dose of calcium, like leafy greens, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, tofu, and certain types of fish. 

• The taste, nutrients, and convenience of cow’s milk in a glass or on-the-go ⇒ Fortified soy milk. Of all the plant-based milks, fortified soy milk is recommended as the most comparable nutritionally, especially for protein content. So, it’s a good option for children who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk, for older kids, or if your family is eating a plant-based diet or avoiding milk for any other reason such as environmental impacts.

For more details on the science, check out this article I co-authored in The Washington Post, as well as this Pressure Cooker podcast episode where the hosts and I dove deep into the top of milk. 

Your Questions — Answered!

As part of the feedback we received since our launch, we got many questions from readers about climate-smart diets, so we created this monthly reader question section. Send us all your questions here.

“Dear Climate Kitchen, do you have some climate-friendly advice for hosting a 6-year-old’s birthday party?”

Ah birthdays…the bane of an eco mom’s existence. It can be really hard to execute on this because kids have a very specific idea of what birthday parties look like from TV/movies and their friends. BUT, in the end, what they really want is for you to make a fuss over them, and that can be done at very little cost to the planet 🙂 Here are some tips to consider when planning a climate-friendly children’s party:

• Avoid plastic: Do reusable plates and cutlery if at home (or ask your party planner to go plastic-free) and use paper-based decorations.

• Skip the balloons: This has been the hardest one for me because my little guy loves balloons, but we have managed to avoid them with bunting and lots of homemade decorations (my husband makes a giant number for whichever birthday year it is out of recycled cardboard).

• Try gift-free: Ask for donations to your kid’s favorite charity instead of gifts. (This is a hard one for the kiddos but if you get the little ones involved, it can be fun. For example, most kids love animals, so an animal charity can be fun!)

• Rethink gift bags: Instead of plastic bags filled with tchotchkes and candy, how about paper bags decorated by your little ones filled with homemade treats? Or skip gift bags altogether and give guests a fun card game or travel notebook with crayons.

• Go plant-forward: Make the menu vegetarian if you can - it’s really easy to do this with finger foods like popcorn, cookies, hummus & veggie sticks, fruit kebabs and cucumber sandwiches

• Waste not: And speaking of the menu, try to as best as you can the number of guests for the food so you don’t end up with waste; take edible leftovers home (Sophie brings containers for guests to take home leftovers) and compost the rest.

Think of the above as jumping-off points to get you inspired. From there, use Instagram (lots of plant-forward kids’ party food ideas), Pinterest (great for deco inspo) and yes, even ChatGPT for hundreds of ideas and variations on these.

-Sonalie Figueiras