Cool Food

In Cool Food, celebrated actor and philanthropist Robert Downey, Jr. and New York Times bestselling author Thomas Kostigen team up to discover how we can erase our carbon footprints—one bite at a time.

What we eat matters—to us, and to the planet. Cool Food is a game-changing new food category and way of thinking that can help fix the climate. This engaging and persuasive book will show you how to make simple choices, starting today—in the supermarket, in your kitchen, and in the world—to reduce your environmental impact. Hundreds of cool foods exist, but until now have gone largely uncelebrated for their climate-positive powers. Some of these foods may already be on your shelf, and some are just on the horizon. But cool food is much more than just a shopping list: it’s a way of life vitally important to our future.

Packed with eye-opening information, actionable items, and two dozen delicious recipes, Cool Food comes alive with engaging storytelling and refreshing humor. Robert and Tom have talked with experts around the globe—from farmers who are pioneering new pathways to more sustainable food, to cutting-edge, climate-friendly chefs. In seeking answers to what each of us can do, this intrepid duo discovered:

• the power of ancient grains;
• revolutionary farming techniques that create more sustainable foods;
• the unexpected benefits of meal kits;
• future foods that are made of thin air;
• delicious and different recipes that do the world good, and much more.

What we choose to eat, where we shop, and how we plan our meals are daily choices that can have a wide impact on the world, whether we realize it or not. We have the power with each one of our daily purchases and our individual food habits to encourage a healthier and more sustainable food system for everyone.

Join Robert and Tom on this fun, exciting, and enlightening adventure and learn how to become part of the Cool Food revolution.

Robert Downey Jr. is a two-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner best known for his performance in the title role of the blockbuster franchise Iron Man. Downey Jr.’s character as Iron Man/Tony Stark contributed in defining what became an unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making. Avengers: Endgame, the film that starred Downey Jr. in his iconic role for its final run, garnered more than $2.79 billion at the worldwide box office. Following his Marvel tenure, Downey Jr. has shifted to writing, producing, and starring in his own projects under his Team Downey banner, the production company he and his wife, Susan, launched in 2010.

Downey Jr. is next starring in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated, star-studded feature Oppenheimer for Universal, based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Marking his first return to television in over two decades, Downey Jr. is also costarring in HBO’s The Sympathizer, the series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize–winning debut novel. Under the direction of Park Chan Wook and produced by Team Downey, Downey Jr. will play an impressive five supporting roles including the four main antagonists.

Team Downey has a first-look deal with HBO. Under the pact, Downey Jr. and Team Downey executive produced the Emmy-nominated Perry Mason, which premiered in 2020 becoming HBO’s most-watched series debut in nearly two years. Most recently, Team Downey produced Sweet Tooth for Warner Brothers Television/Netflix. The series premiered to critical acclaim and currently has a 98% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Both series have been renewed for second seasons.

Downey Jr. made his acting debut under the direction of Robert Downey Sr. in Pound. Since then, he has amassed over ninety acting credits over his illustrious career. Previously, Downey Jr. earned a Golden Globe Award for his performance as the lead role in the action-adventure Sherlock Holmes. The film brought in more than $524 million at the global box office and was followed by the equally prosperous sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which earned more than $545 million worldwide.

Downey Jr. was also nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in Ben Stiller’s 2008 comedy hit Tropic Thunder. His performance as Kirk Lazarus also received Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations. In 1992, Downey Jr. was honored with his first Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor category for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough’s acclaimed biopic Chaplin, for which he also received a Golden Globe Award nomination. His role as Chaplin earned him a BAFTA Award and a London Film Critics’ Circle Award.

In addition to his film and television work, Downey Jr. is the founder of FootPrint Coalition (FPC), which launched in 2019. FootPrint Coalition is a business and nonprofit solely focused on the adoption and scaling of sustainable technologies.


Thomas M. Kostigen is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning National Geographic writer. His most recent book, Hacking Planet Earth: How Geoengineering Can Help Us Reimagine the Future (Penguin/RandomHouse), is being made into a premium television series starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville. It’s being produced by Team Downey, Neville’s Tremolo Productions, and Lighthouse Media and Management. 

Kostigen launched and penned the Climate Survivalist column for USA Today, the Better Planet column for Discover magazine, and is a regular contributor to major publications worldwide. His numerous books about the environment and social issues include The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time (Crown); You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Links Between What We Do and What That Does to the Planet (HarperOne); The Green Blue Book: The Simple Water Savings Guide to Everything in Your Life (Rodale); The Big Handout (Rodale); and Hacking Planet Earth. 

As a journalist, Kostigen has reported from war zones to the world’s wonders across five continents, and appears regularly as a guest in the media, including the Today Show, Mornings with Al, The Weather Channel, CNN’s Erin Burnett, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Entertainment Tonight, Fox News, The Dennis Miller Show, National Public Radio, CNBC, USA Today, and USA Weekend, among many other outlets.

He speaks widely at major conferences and events around the globe, including the Climate Project in Seville, Spain, where he shared the stage with Nobel Prize winners Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri; the Aspen Institute; the Commonwealth Club; Disney’s Environmentality conference; Harvard Business School; and other prominent institutions.