Frances Moore Lappe On Creating The World We Want

In 1971, the world was in the midst of the Green Revolution. Advances in agriculture more than doubled grain yields, yet people starved the world over.

A young author named Frances Moore Lappe wanted to know why. She calculated that in the American agricultural system it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat. Her hugely successful book, "Diet for a Small Planet," provided a practical guide for people who wanted to satisfy their protein needs with less meat, and take pressure off of the global food supply.

Lappe now runs the Small Planet Institute in Cambridge. In her latest writing, she argues that basic assumptions we have about the world's problems, such as, "We've hit the limits of a finite planet," are wrong. Problems from global warming to income inequality, she says, have obvious systemic solutions.

In a recent sit-down with Radio Boston, Lappe talked about those views, detailed in her new book: "Eco Mind: Changing The Way We Think, to Create the World We Want."

Guest: