Thomas Kostigen, Co-Author w/Robert Downey, Jr.
Today, my guest is Thomas Kostigen, Co-Author with Robert Downey, Jr. of “Cool Foods: How to Erase Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time.” Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author who teamed up with celebrated Oscar Nominated actor and philanthropist Robert Downey, Jr. to discover how we can erase our carbon footprints–one bite at a time.
Thomas is an award-winning author and journalist who founded the Climate Survivalist column for USA Today and has written for numerous publications, including The Washington Post, National Geographic, Discover, Departures, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. This is his first book with Robert Downey, Jr. although he tells me that there will be plenty more!
In this candid conversation, Thomas shared the real stories behind his shift to environmental journalism, his creative collaboration with Robert Downey Jr., and the making of their unconventional book, Cool Foods.
1. From Objective to Prescriptive Journalism. Thomas revealed that after years of covering government agencies like the SEC and writing traditional magazine pieces, he felt a strong need to provide actual solutions to his readers. This shift toward opinion-based, prescriptive writing led to his first major environmental project, The Green Book, which aimed to give people actionable steps to combat the climate threats raised by the documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
2. A Beach Stroll and Miso Soup Epiphany. The idea for Cool Foods originated while Thomas and Robert Downey Jr. were walking on a beach in Malibu. The two were originally developing a TV series based on Thomas’s previous book, but while eating miso soup and discussing the incredible climate benefits of seaweed, the conversation quickly evolved into a thesis for a tangible, impactful book instead.
3. Positive and Accessible, Not Preachy. Seeking to avoid the negative, overly academic, or preachy tone of many environmental books, Thomas and Robert Downey took a positive, improvisational approach to sustainable food. They explored simple curiosities—like why grocery stores only carry about 80 varieties of vegetables when thousands of plants are edible—to show readers that making even small, accessible choices can benefit both personal health and the planet.
4. A “Punk Rock” Creative Collaboration. Pushed by Robert Downey’s unconventional “mind matrix” creative process, Thomas completely abandoned traditional narrative structures so readers could open the book to any single page and immediately start a conversation. The result is an avant-garde, “punk rock” pop-art design filled with fast facts, recipes, and interviews. The collaborative process was so enjoyable that the duo is already brainstorming their next book together.
Hsu Untied interview with Thomas Kostigen
