Hi! I’m Maggy.
I live in New York City with my husband, Andy, and our two young kids, Dash and Nova. Nearly a decade ago Andy and I learned that the biggest step we could take to reduce our carbon footprint was to eat less meat and dairy. We decided that even if it felt like a drop in the bucket, we were going to align our meals with our hopes for the future. We started with Meatless Mondays, but the change felt so good we quickly moved to several days a week and ultimately to eating meat and dairy only occasionally—which we call “vaguean” or vaguely vegan.
But it wasn’t enough. When our daughter was born in July 2019, my climate change anxiety skyrocketed.
What kind of future awaits our children and grandchildren? What will life on earth look like? I knew that there would be no peace for me without larger action. Bringing my passion for purpose and food together, I created Planetarian Life, a new category a lifestyle for people who are changing the way they eat for the good of the planet. My mission is to make it easy for everyone, from committed vegan to curious omnivore, to cook nourishing meals that are simple, sustainable, and delicious.
When sharing my vision for Planetarian Life, I found so many people who want to live and eat this way, but are struggling to change lifelong habits or to convince their families that beans are as tasty as beef. It takes a rewiring of the culinary brain to start seeing ingredients differently and to embrace new ways of shopping, cooking, and eating. To make it easier, we created the Life-Changing, Earth Saving Capsule Kitchen: a collection of mix-and-match essentials, techniques, bases, and formulas to use weekly and change seasonally that will free you from strict recipe adherence and make plant-rich cooking second nature.
My incredible mom, Pam Anderson, and I are working together to create Planetarian recipes.
She brings decades of professional culinary experience and the “freedom from recipes” philosophy of her New York Times best-selling cookbook, How To Cook Without A Book. I bring more than a decade of passionate community organizing and innovative communications and fundraising, as well as a decade of plant-based home-cooking. Together we make mouth-watering magic in the kitchen that helps save you time, energy, money – and the earth! Whatever your motivation for eating more plants, we hope you’ll join us on this journey to a more Planetarian Life.
What We Believe
1. We believe that our health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked, and that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to both.
2. We believe that personal action is the most powerful lever of change. Each of us can and must work towards aligning our values and actions with our hopes for a sustainable future.
3. We believe that living in alignment with our values creates a fulfilling life, rich with joy and purpose. And furthermore, that our choices multiply, inspiring friends and family and sending a message to businesses, media, and ultimately public policy makers.
4. We believe a spirit of encouragement and support empowers, while judgment and shame are counterproductive. Planetarian Life is a compass—not a map—orienting us on our individual paths towards a sustainable future. Since privilege, freedom of choice, health concerns, cultural & religious traditions, financial & time constraints, and access to resources all affect the ways we are able to respond to the climate crisis.
5. We believe climate change is an injustice that disproportionately impacts indigenous people, people of color, and other populations who did the least to cause the problem yet feel its impact most. Therefore, we have a responsibility to address this truth.
We'd love to
hear from you!
Do you have feedback on a recipe? A success story to share? An idea for how we can reach more people? Perhaps there’s a struggle you’re experiencing with the Planetarian Life. Or maybe you have a favorite recipe you’d like us to make Planetarian. The lines are open and we are ready to receive your questions, suggestions, and thoughts!
