Damon Gameau made waves with That Sugar Film, a documentary that exposed the hidden sugars in everyday foods. “One of the learnings from That Sugar Film was that stories can make a difference and help to educate people and inspire them,” he says.
Since then, Gameau has turned his focus to the planet. With 2040, he travelled the world in search of climate solutions. His latest project, Future Council, follows a similar path, but this time, he brings eight children along to imagine a better future.
Damon Gameau on The Cook Up with Adam Liaw Credit: Jiwon Kim
From pest to plate
While many associate sea urchin roe (called uni in Japan) with sushi, several types of sea urchins are actually native to Australia.
The long-spined sea urchins harvested in Tasmania are prized for their delicate, sweet, and creamy roe. But while they taste delicious, they’re also a destructive pest.
“This is a huge problem. Because of the warmer waters due to climate change, a lot of the sea urchins are moving south and they're going into parts of Australia that they've never been before and they eat all of the kelp forest from the Great Southern Reef,” he explains.
“Without the kelp forests, we lose life and diversity. We lose all the abalone and the lobster and all the other animals and marine life that use the kelp to breed and live in.”
Divers are already removing the pests as part of culling programs, but Gameau believes we can take it a step further: eat them.
RECIPE
Sea urchin spring roll
“We can then create more jobs and income for the divers, and they will clean up the reef. Because as soon as you start taking those urchins out, the kelp starts to grow back very, very quickly,” he says.
Better yet, sea urchin roe is nutrient-dense; it's rich in omega-3s, protein, and antioxidants. Raw, it’s traditionally eaten in sushi, over rice or on bread. Cooked, it’s a creamy and flavourful addition to noodles,pasta and risotto.
Sustainable eating starts with simple choices
Gameau also shops at his local farmers’ market and chooses his meat carefully. “When I do eat meat, I know exactly where it's coming from and I know that the practices used are relatively sustainable or regenerative,” he says.
He also favours perennial foods, plants like avocados and nuts, that grow from long-lived trees, helping preserve soil health.
“When we grow food without constantly tilling the soil, we protect the land. Covered soils mean healthier ecosystems,” he explains.
But he’s also aware that in a cost-of-living crisis, buying sea urchin roe and hitting up the farmers’ markets and the organic butchers is not realistic for many. Still, cutting back on meat can be a win for the planet, your health, and your wallet.
“You don’t have to cut out meat completely, but if at least one or two nights a week, you have a vegetarian dish, that would be really beneficial and that would make a big difference to the planet,” he says. On another upcoming episode of The Cook Up, he prepares an easy vegetarian shepherd’s pie, a favourite of his young daughters.
“If we can mainly eat real foods and minimize processed foods, then that's really good for our own health. But it's also great for the planet's health. So, you know, there's so many benefits to just trying to eat a real food diet with the occasional treat,” he concludes.
