The Remarkable Pope Francis—Cuba and Beyond!

Posted on 12/18/2014 by J. Morris Hicks

My Christmas Prayer for 2014 involves his special leadership.

My special Christmas photo that I snapped last week on December 13, 2014.

Christmas photo that I snapped on December 13, 2014, in Vermont. All that WHITE reminds me of the pope.

In my most recent blogpost a few weeks ago, after hearing of his speech at a U.N. conference about world hunger and the environment, I made an appeal for the pope to get seriously involved in promoting the ONLY pragmatic solution to climate change and sustainability. That appeal was posted on 11-26-14. Pope speaks out regarding FOOD & ENVIRONMENT

Three weeks later, we learn of how Pope Francis helped facilitate the normalization of relations with Cuba—after 53 years. From the NY Times (See link below):

WASHINGTON — The deal that freed an American jailed in Cuba and ended 53 years of diplomatic estrangement between the United States and Cuba was blessed at the highest levels of the Holy See but cut in the shadowy netherworld of espionage.

A personal appeal from Pope Francis, American officials said, was critical in persuading Cuba’s president, Raúl Castro, to agree to a prisoner swap and the freeing of the American aid worker Alan P. Gross. The pope, officials said, acted as a “guarantor” that both sides would live up to the terms of a deal reached in secret.

How can anyone not like this guy?

How can anyone not like this guy?

Just a month earlier (10-23-14), I had mentioned the Pope in my “top ten list” of potential global leaders capable of Tearing down the single biggest roadblock to sustainability.

After fully understanding that longterm sustainability of our ecosystem AND our species is not possible without changing the way we eat—he will know what to do. Here’s what I said near the end of that post:

Circulate this article. Find those leaders. Dispel that protein myth. Unlock the brains of the best, brightest, wealthiest and most powerful leaders on Earth. Who are they? Here’s my top-ten list and someone you know may know how to reach them:

Pope Francis, Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg, Prince Charles, Warren Buffett, Joel Osteen, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama.

Few people took me seriously when I mentioned the pope’s name two months ago in that 10-23 blogpost. Since then, he’s spoken to the U.N. about world hunger and the environment AND he’s helped broker a normalization of relations with Cuba. With a bit of enlightenment about the lunacy of the way we’re eating in the developed world, who knows what an impact he could have in bringing about rapid global change on this most urgent of ALL topics?

Update. There is a Catholic priest in Newfoundland (a new friend of mine) who is currently working on a plan for gaining an audience with Pope Francis to discuss this crucial topic. Stay tuned.

Two more Christmas Photos, the first taken by my son during a recent “dawn patrol” at Wachusett Mountain. He ski-hikes up in the dark and skis down at sunrise. Then he goes to work. The second one is a recent photo of my refrigerator, decorated with Christmas cards featuring the images of ALL six of my grandchildren.

Merry Christmas from Jason Hicks, the co-author of "Healthy Eating, Healthy World."

Merry Christmas from Jason Hicks, the co-author of “Healthy Eating, Healthy World.”

2014 Christmas FridgeFor 2015, pray that we all take some HUGE steps toward SUSTAINABILITY!

In addition to the source document for this blog, I have listed a few of my other 2014 blogs on this topic. Although I began blogging about mostly health in 2011, most of my recent blogs (out of a total of 875) have been focused on activism and leadership aimed at promoting sustainability.

The following five books and one DVD can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

  1. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
  2. A life changer for millions, including James Cameron. Forks Over Knives DVD 
  3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
  4. What have we done to our planet? Full Planet, Empty Plates by Lester Brown
  5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
  6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes 2 or 3 minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course. Check it out on your smartphone at eCornell.com/4Leaf-Survey.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program and also enjoy some great recipes from Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

Nutrition Certificate

Posted in Activism & Leadership | Tagged | 5 Comments

Pope speaks out regarding FOOD & ENVIRONMENT

Posted on 11/26/2014 by J. Morris Hicks

At the United Nations FAO nutrition conference in Rome

Pope at FAO

Pope Francis addresses the FAO conference of the U.N. on November 20 in Rome.

Could he be that rare global leader we so desperately need? When one of the most prominent leaders in the world makes caring, intelligent comments about FOOD and the ENVIRONMENT in the same speech at a U.N. conference, it catches my attention.

Not only is he prominent, Pope Francis may very well be THE single most influential person in the world today. In addition to the 1.2 billion Catholics, he could also influence an additional one or two billion people like me—those who admire and respect him as a person of great integrity and compassion. Excerpts from his speech at the U.N. FAO conference in Rome last week (11-20-14):

God always forgives mankind, but the earth does not…If men continue to be greedy abusing natural resources to make a profit, the earth will eventually take her revenge…Take care of the earth so it does not respond with destruction…Primacy of profit and market priorities have obstructed efforts to fight global hunger and malnutrition.

This is the poolside bar where I met Padre Jerry

This is the poolside bar where I met Padre Jerry

How did I first hear about this speech? From a Catholic priest (my friend, Padre Jerry) who was attending a health conference in the Dominican Republic this week where I was speaking.

After meeting him at the poolside bar the previous evening, he slipped me a handwritten note (about the Pope in the news) the next day, just before I delivered my speech entitled: Food. Health. Planet. The only viable pathway to the longterm sustainability of humanity.

In my speeches on this topic, after describing our almost hopeless environmental dilemma driven by our food choices, I always talk about the desperate need for powerful leadership to WAKE UP the sleeping public before we run out of time. Pope Francis could be that powerful leader we’ve been seeking. He’s definitely well-qualified for the job—according to this corporate headhunter. Check out this resume:

RESUME — His Holiness Pope Francis

  • Name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio
  • Address: The Vatican, Rome, Italy
  • Age: 77, born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Education: Philosophical & Theological Faculty of San Miguel, Univ. of Buenos Aires
  • Job description: Leads church of over 1.2 billion people
  • Compensation package: Room, board, clothing and unlimited international travel
  • One of the top three most recognized people in the world
  • Globally revered for his goodness, kindness, compassion & integrity
  • Understands that unchecked, human greed will destroy the world
  • Knows that human activity is wrecking the environment
  • Arguably the most respected person in the world
As with Bill Clinton, this book will allay the Pope's fears about the quality of a plant-based diet.

As with Bill Clinton, this book will allay the Pope’s fears about the quality of a plant-based diet.

Qualified to lead, all he needs is a little further enlightenment. He simply needs to  learn the following not-so-well-known facts from qualified experts in medicine, science and environmental studies:

  1. Humans can flourish on a whole food, plant-based diet. We don’t “need” to eat ANY animal-based food.
  2. On a per-calorie basis, it takes OVER ten times as much land, water and energy to produce animal based foods as it does for plant-based foods.
  3. Given the above facts, we can easily feed the world’s 7.2 billion people a superior, disease-reversing diet on far less land than we’re now using.
  4. As agricultural land is freed up and returned to nature, our fragile ecosystem can begin to heal.
  5. As a bonus, that superior diet is capable of wiping out most of the world’s chronic disease, curbing global warming, easing the water crisis, and reversing the human destruction of our ecosystem.
  6. Changing what we eat is our ONLY pragmatic option for preventing the collapse of our civilization well before the end of this century.
  7. It is also our ONLY option for bringing all humans back to living in harmony with nature—a prerequisite for our longterm survival as a species.
Stephen Emmott's book will help the pope understand the unprecedented planetary emergency we face.

Stephen Emmott’s book will help the Pope understand the unprecedented planetary emergency we face.

CONCLUSION. Once Pope Francis learns that all of these seven points are true, a man of his courage, integrity and compassion—will know what to do. And he very well may be our ONLY chance.

So how do we further enlighten this great man of God so that he will urgently begin leading the entire world back to living in harmony with nature? The process begins with Padre Jerry and his fellow priests in Newfoundland.

Plan of Action. When I said farewell to the Padre on November 24, I suggested to him that he was most certainly the ONLY one of the world’s 400,000+ Catholic priests who was even thinking about bringing this desperate topic to the attention of the Pope at this time. He agreed that I was probably right and he also agreed to work with me in gaining an audience with His Holiness.

For that all-important enlightenment process, I would invite a carefully-selected group of five people to join me and Padre Jerry for that initial meeting with Pope Francis. In order to allay any doubts he might have about health or science, this stellar group would join us at the table: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Shane Williams (cardiologist), Dr. Stephen Emmott (author of TEN BILLION) and James Cameron (world-renown environmentalist, explorer and movie director). Rounding out the table of ten would be several of the Pope’s top officials.

For this holiday, please pray for our success in the successful engagement of this rare global leader. No less than our future as a species hangs in the balance. 

Jeff Anhang, environmental specialist and research officer. He advises on managing environmental and social risks and opportunities in investments by the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Jeff Anhang, environmental specialist, research officer

Just before posting this blog, I received a message from my scientist friend at the World Bank Group. Jeff Anhang and his now deceased colleague, Robert Goodland, reported in 2009 that at least 51% of ALL human induced GGH is attributable to livestock, Worldwatch 2009.

Today, Jeff is sharing a powerful “Turkey Day”message; one that Pope Francis could use to influence billions of people to heed: How turkey this Thanksgiving might save our world.

We’ve all talked about going cold turkey; how about NO TURKEY?

Happy Thanksgiving!

The following five books and one DVD can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

  1. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
  2. A life changer for millions, including James Cameron. Forks Over Knives DVD 
  3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
  4. What have we done to our planet? Full Planet, Empty Plates by Lester Brown
  5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
  6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes 2 or 3 minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course. Check it out on your smartphone at eCornell.com/4Leaf-Survey.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program and also enjoy some great recipes from Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

Nutrition Certificate

Posted in Activism & Leadership | 4 Comments

Characters in the movie “Interstellar” ate ONLY plants.

Posted on 11/09/2014 by J. Morris Hicks

After their civilization had passed the point of no return.

hr_Interstellar_5Note: Reading this blog will NOT spoil the movie for you; no plot details are revealed.

Opening across the USA this weekend was Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey. Opening in July of 2015 is PlantPure Nation, starring Nelson Campbell, oldest son of Dr. T. Colin Campbell—and a good friend of mine.

Ironically, both movies deal with the daunting challenge of feeding humans in the coming decades. This week’s blockbuster deals with a “sci-fi” solution that’s not going to happen; while this summer’s documentary deals with a powerful solution that’s already happening: people taking charge of of their health by simply choosing to eat mostly whole plants.

Yesterday, I saw Interstellar at a theater on the Jersey shore AND I saw the brand new YouTube trailer (below) of PlantPure Nation on my laptop after receiving notice of it from Nelson himself. Let’s begin with that trailer of this summer’s documentary.

PlantPure Nation banner

I don’t know whether or not PPN touches on the environmental benefits of plant-based eating, but I do know that we’ll NEVER be able to live in harmony with nature without eventually taking the animals out of the equation. As Nelson’s father says,

“If we eat the way that promotes the best health for ourselves, we also promote the best health for the planet.” — T. Colin Campbell, PhD

How convenient is that? Since nature ALWAYS wins, the human species will ultimately be the big loser if we don’t start rapidly shifting toward eating mostly plants in the very near future. This powerful movie will tell people exactly why they should do that and how.

Meet Nelson Campbell

Remember the number TEN. It takes over TEN times as much land, water and energy, on a per calorie basis, to produce animal-based foods as compared to plant-based. Also, by moving animals out of the equation, we begin to eliminate the leading cause of global warming. As a bonus, plant-based eating also rewards us with vibrant health. Duh; a 3rd grader could figure out the solution.

Interstellar_ALT_ArtowrkAs for Interstellar, none of this vital information was mentioned. I found it to be a very entertaining movie that sadly missed a golden opportunity to inform the entire world about the most crucial topic in the history of humanity. The characters in the movie were facing a desperate situation as agricultural crops were going extinct all over the world.

While never mentioned in the movie, it appeared that the problems of the day had been caused by global warming, but they never mentioned how any of that could have been prevented.

Interestingly, I noticed that the characters were eating ONLY plants. Also, there wasn’t a single mention of livestock whatsoever and, in the scenes where the characters dined, there was no meat, dairy, eggs or fish on the table.

Apparently, they had been forced by nature to take the animal out of the equation in order to survive, and I guess that they had found out, on their own, that we really don’t NEED to eat animals to be healthy. The problem was that the characters in the movie were past the point of no return and knew that they were about to starve to death and go extinct.

But in the real world of today—we are NOT past the point of no return—YET. But we’re rapidly approaching that point within the next five or ten years, unless we start rapidly replacing most of our meat-based calories with people-healthy and planet-healthy, plant-based alternatives. (See Interstellar trailer at end of this blog.)

The Bottom Line. What if the producers of Interstellar had conveyed that, in the real world, we still have time? We have time to easily feed the world’s future population of TEN BILLION and we can curb global warming simultaneously—by making one simple, painless move.

Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth

Promoting health, hope & harmony on planet Earth—with the “Save the world” diet.

It’s not a matter of saving the planet; she will be just fine once all the humans are gone. She will revert quickly back to the rich state of natural equilibrium that existed a few thousand years ago.

For us now, It’s a matter of saving the human species by quickly learning how to live in harmony with nature while we still have time to save ourselves. Nature never errs—and we will NEVER learn to live by her rules without rapidly shifting our global feeding model in the direction of eating mostly plants.

Movie Plug. I thought Interstellar was a good movie and I enjoyed seeing it. On the negative side, I thought it was a bit too long and way too loud. Let me know if you see something in the movie suggesting that the characters were eating anything other than plant-based foods.

Interstellar Trailer

The following five books and one DVD can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

  1. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
  2. A life changer for millions, including James Cameron. Forks Over Knives DVD 
  3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
  4. What have we done to our planet? Full Planet, Empty Plates by Lester Brown
  5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
  6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes 2 or 3 minutes and you can score it yourself. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course. Check it out on your smartphone at eCornell.com/4Leaf-Survey. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf page and also enjoy some great recipes from Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

Nutrition Certificate

Posted in Activism & Leadership, Sustainability | Tagged | 1 Comment