Mark Sisson, the author of "The Primal Blueprint," captured my attention with his unconventional thinking. His book rose to the top of Amazon's bestsellers list partly because like-minded people promoted him on their websites. He, along with other Paleo-dieters, have helped flip the world of nutrition upside-down. Sisson advocates high-fat and low-carb diets because he claims that since the Agricultural Revolution roughly 10,000 years ago, humans have not evolved to the point of being able to healthfully consume massive amounts of carbohydrates. The strange thing about Sisson is that he advocates eating mostly fats in order to lose weight. Saturated and unsaturated fats, (not trans or hydrogenated, of course) and cholesterol are recommended in much higher doses than what government agencies would suggest.
It also happened that earlier this week, a representative of UVa Beyond Coal made a short speech on the importance of decreasing our dependency on coal - to the effect of being coal-independent. He made the usual arguments informing us of mountaintop removal, acid rain and asthma. None of this was new to me, or to most people in the ecology class for that matter, but what was striking was his non-environmental point. He argued that our new president, Teresa A. Sullivan, should use this as a way of making her mark on the University. The representative also urged that students band together to show President Sullivan that this is a passionate student issue.
These two events seem unrelated, but they actually have much in common. Mark Sisson and paleo- dieters have a much steeper hill to climb to transform the way America looks at food. And although UVa Beyond Coal has some considerable obstacles in its path before it can reach its goal, it at least has conventional wisdom on its side.
It seems that both movements have done their fair share of the grunt work. Sisson has started a daily blog which hopes to inform the public on his view of nutrition by doing hours of research, writing concise and persuasive articles and acting as a model of good health even in his fifties. Beyond Coal has apparently sent people to classrooms looking for converts, has done their research on the effects of fossil fuels, and has done their research on other Universities taking the same initiative.
However, it seems both Paleos and Beyond Coal are still one major step away from a breakthrough. Although the chances are slim, if a prominent, in-shape public figure like Michelle Obama were to promote Sisson's nutrition plan, it might be the most monumental event in dieting since sliced bread - which is something Sisson is actually vehemently against. Likewise, if President Sullivan were to support an initiative to decrease the University's dependence on coal, it might be her biggest environmental legacy.
Support from people in high places is not the only way to change the public's perception on any particular issue. Sisson has shown that his book and blog are enough to transform the lives of thousands of people in spite of what government agencies believe. UVa Beyond Coal and similar groups have probably led to decreased energy usage, increased recycling, and other eco-friendly behavior changes. The difference between the Paleo diet and using coal is that eating is a personal decision whereas an individual cannot choose the source of the energy powering his lamp.
In this sense, UVA Beyond Coal needs President Sullivan's endorsement in order to make an impact beyond rhetoric. Sure, we can and should all do our part in helping reduce carbon emissions by opening a window instead of running the air conditioner or by driving less and taking the bus. What we as students cannot do is take coal out of the classrooms, dining halls, or gyms. For the initiative to move away from coal to make a lasting impact on the minds of the students, staff and faculty, there needs to be an authority figure pushing for cleaner energy. It is not too soon to do something drastic in order to change the mentality on Grounds. The first year is just as important to one's legacy as the 20th.
Hung Vu's is an opinion columnist with The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at h.vu@cavalierdaily.com.
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