What would Petrini do?

I've always felt a bit allergic to environmentalists who are preaching doom, and whose only answer is, in essence, a call for moderation. Since I met Carlo Petrini for an interview in Ode (look for it in the September 2007 issue, "Signor Slow," from which the above quote in this "Roundtable" was extracted) I realized where that allergy is coming from.

You see, I come from a Protestant family where the Calvinists' ideas on "moderation and abstinence" were alive and kicking. Eating was typically something we did out of necessity, just like brushing our teeth. We had to do it and so we did. The fact that it was possible to actually enjoy our food was a radical concept I wasn't aware of until much later.

I tend to think of myself being freed from these Calvinists' principles and life has become much more fun, thank you very much. (In fact, preparing and sharing a fine dinner with friends is now officially my hobby.) However, in meeting my kindred spirits in the green movement I've always felt a little uncomfortable with their approach to convince others. When I heard Carlo speak about the strategy that's been adopted by so many environmental activists, I realized they may have reminded me too much of the Calvinists' way of looking at the world...

I'm glad to see how Carlo -- and many, many others, too -- are trying to bring their message of environmental and social justice across in a more positive and inspiring way.