Live more consciously & make the world a better place: Interview with Rebecca Cappelli
To truly grasp the concept of living sustainably, Meat-free Mondays just isn’t enough to cut it
Text: Tiff H
There’s a small part in all of us that wonders what we could be doing to make the world a better place. For Rebecca Cappelli, a non-profit public speaker and award-winning filmmaker, that small part grew into something all-absorbing. Her conviction that we can all live sustainably was channeled into a striking 40-minute documentary about the true cost of our food choices — oh, and it’s won nine awards to date.
We speak to Rebecca about her journey as an advocate for conscious living, her thoughts on sustainability, the meat industry, and finding your true mission.
Please share a bit about yourself …
I grew up in France in a Mediterranean household — I’m Kabyle and Corsican. I’ve been living in Asia for almost 20 years; first in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and now Singapore. I used to be a French-Chinese interpreter before my career in sales for online marketing and data.
Since I was a child, I have always felt deeply connected to nature and animals. I am a true empath, but the world we live in teaches us to suppress our empathy.
When did you start your journey to live more consciously?
About five years ago I had a spontaneous awakening where I vowed to live more consciously and cause the least amount of suffering on this planet as a human being as possible. I felt burdened by human kinds’ oppressive behaviour. I started to see the truth on my plate and in my fridge: not meat, but animal body parts.
Leading by example was not enough. In an effort to make the world a better place I became a public speaker, and started giving lectures and talks for free to people in their workplace and in schools. To date, I’ve spoken close to a hundred times now, from TEDx Talks to LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, NTU, NUS, Tanglin Trust and UWC, and international online conferences.
Your award-winning documentary ‘Let us be heroes’ explores the impact of our food and lifestyle choices on our health, our home planet and our values. Did you have any previous documentary-making know-how?
It became evident very quickly that public speaking was limited in terms of reach. When I saw that I had reached 5000 people over the course of one year, I turned to film.
I’m a visual communicator and have a very clear vision of what I want to express and how to convey a message no one wants to hear. Having said that, I had never made a film before! I really wanted to pose the question: Is it possible that we humans as a species have been eating the wrong foods? Thankfully, I found someone to manage the technical aspects to help me execute my vision of living sustainably.
How was the experience?
At first, I thought I would make Let us be Heroes and that would be it, but the film came to life with so much grace and ease, and the feedback was so unexpectedly positive, that I continued making films. I’m a big believer of “the flow”. When something is meant for you, when it is your mission, it’s effortless, easy, and it flows.
Please reveal some misconceptions about the meat industry ...
The biggest misconception is in the name “meat”. That somehow the flesh of some animals can be commodified and consumed — that this is fine and doesn’t pose a moral issue. There’s also a lot of misinformation about the sustainability of animal products, and myths according to which local “meat” or fish can be magically sustainable. Dairy products also cause a lot of misunderstanding, largely due to our society’s addiction to cheese. Dairy is as unsustainable as meat, and a crueler practice by many standards.
When it comes to the meat industry, can you share some facts that all of us should know ...
The top 5 meat and dairy producers produce more greenhouse gas than top oil companies individually
Animal agriculture uses one third of the world’s freshwater, and is the leading cause of deforestation. 80% of the deforested Amazon is caused by cattle ranching for meat and leather
The Un World Food Programme (UNFAO) has declared 90% of fish populations in crisis or extinct
Almost a billion humans are starving in a world where we are feeding 70-100 billion land animals every year for steaks, cheese and eggs
Why should we all consider eating less meat?
Anyone who has a choice should seriously consider going on a plant-based diet. This is not just me saying that: it’s the UN, data and 15,000 scientists warning us about the serious climate crisis happening. If we really understand the emergency and what is at stake, then it’s not difficult to accept that we’re way past the point of cutting down meat for one meal a week. When it comes to plastic, no one is promoting “Plastic-free Monday”. When it comes to racism, no one is saying it’s okay to be flexible about it.
What would you say to people who are dubious about going plant-based?
Going plant-based is the least we can do: for our own health, for our home planet, and for the animals who do not deserve the violence we put them through. Plant-based diets and foods are incredibly diverse, and options are becoming more accessible every day. Try it for 30 days and see for yourself.
What does a life where you live more consciously mean to you?
For me personally, living consciously is continuing my mission which is showing the truth, and saving lives whenever and wherever possible.
We need to change our mindset and perspective entirely to stop attacking life on Earth like we do. We need to slow down, consume less, leave animals alone, and stop funding companies that have zero respect for life — human and non-human — for things like fashion or a snack. To live more consciously and make the world a better place means breaking free of our own bubbles of comfort.
