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Veganuary at UCL in 2020

01 January 2020–31 January 2020, 12:00 am–11:45 pm

Beans over Beef Text over an image of a bean burger

There is a wealth of information about vegetarianism and veganism this year! Whilst it’s never been easier to try vegan dishes, all this can be a little overwhelming. Don’t panic! We have put together these resources and FAQs to help you navigate the dietary choices that are right for you.

Event Information

Open to

UCL staff | UCL students

Organiser

Sustainable UCL

Location

UCL
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT

Let's Open Up About Veganuary:

The end goal of Veganuary at UCL is not to persuade everyone to go vegan (for many allergies and intolerances can make veganism almost impossible), but instead to create a dialogue within which we can discuss sustainable diets together.

Join Us At Our EVENTS

We will be in the Student Centre Foyer every Monday (13th, 20th and 27th) from 11am – 4pm to talk to you about sustainable food options.

This is a chance for an open conversation on food, consumerism and habits, so come by whenever you have a free moment.  We are also asking for students to contribute any items in their cupboards that they are giving up for Veganuary (but no meats, dairy products or similar perishables as we cannot keep them refrigerated throughout the course of the day). These will be added to our table and donated to a local shelter. 

Thursday 23rd – 12pm – 2:30pm - FREE Vegan Tasters - Student Centre Foyer

We are offering you the chance to try before you buy so pop in to taste Bunny Chow – a brand new vegan option available in the Refectory this January.

Friday 24th – 6:30 – 8:30pm - Film screening

Showing Simon Amstell’s hilarious vegan mockumentary, Carnage (2017), in the Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre in the Wilkins Building. Watch the trailer hereUCL’s Vegetarian and Vegan Society will host a Q&A after the film so stick around and let us know if you are coming.

Competitions

A hamper filled with all the vegan treats UCL has on offer.
Competition 1:

For your chance to win a Vegan Hamper, filled with all the vegan goodies from the cafes and shops on campus, take this quiz. The winner will be chosen at random from the list of those who answer all five questions correctly. Good luck!

Poster for the Greens + Beans Recipe Competition

 

Competition 2:

Greens + Beans are teaming up with UCL Zero Food Waste to bring you this competition.

Do you enjoy cooking, particularly when it comes to new challenges, such as swapping a traditional dish for plant-based ingredients? Well send those ideas in!

Get those recipes ready for Monday 13th January and keep sending them in until Sunday 16th February and you could win a month’s subscription to ODDBOX. Check them out here.

Entries to be sent to zfwrecipecompetition2020@gmail.com and they must be totally plant-based and you must be living in London to be eligible for the prize.

What IS Veganism?

Typically, people moving towards veganism start by avoiding the consumption of animal products, such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs and sometimes bee products such as honey and beeswax, before transitioning towards ‘ethical veganism’.

Ethical veganism refers to the avoidance of animal products and items tested on animals as much as possible. This can include wool, leather and even soaps. Just this month, it was ruled that ethical veganism is a “philosophical belief”: a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Read The Guardian’s report of the case here

There is a third approach that we would like to talk about; the one that opens up the conversation to those who aren’t vegan at all – SUSTAINABLE SOURCING. Being vegan does not necessarily mean that an individual considers where their food comes from, how far it travels, the labour that went into producing it, how much is wasted, etc. These are all factors we should consider in the climate crisis.

If veganism is good choice for you, do consider signing up for Veganuary here.

If it is not, do keep reading as we may reveal some things that you had never considered before in your own diet and will hopefully help debunk some myths!

The Vegan Story

Whilst the ethos of plant-based diets and avoiding animal products is ancient, the official title ‘Vegan’ was coined in 1944 by the founder of The Vegan Society, Donald Watson. You can read their first ever publication here! The term comes from the word vegetarian, taking letters from the beginning and end of the word, as Donald described veganism as the logical conclusion of what vegetarianism had started. This society has grown exponentially, particularly in recent years.

Why Veganism?

There are three major influences for why people decide to go vegan:

1. Personal Health 

  • Moving towards a plant-based diet is a great pathway to learning more about nutrition and the health of your own body.
  • A plant-based diet has been reported to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. This research was published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009) which also noted the increased iron in the diets of vegan subjects: iron deficiency being a common concern.
  • The Vegan Society has just celebrated its 75th birthday which means they’ve done a fair bit of research into the benefits and detriments of a plant-based diet. Check out their Nutrition and Health webpage for more information here
  • For more detailed dietary recommendations, Public Health England have put together this document and the NHS has put together a vitamins and minerals guide (for all food groups) which you can find here.

2. Environmental Impact

  • This is the only planet we have. We can’t turn back time – if only Cher – and we’re nowhere near ready to ship off to Mars. 58% of global greenhouse gas emissions from the food industry comes from animal products, with half of this from beef and lamb alone (Poore & Nemecek, 2018). A recent IPCC report (Smith, et al. 2019) encouraged people, particularly in richer countries, to cut down on the amount of meat they consume to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
  • In 2020, The Vegan Society are expecting 350,000 people to take the pledge. Considering that one person who gives it a go could save 124,900 litres of water, 82sq metres of forest and 273kg of CO2, the combined effort of all 350,000 people will have an incredibly positive environmental impact! 
  • All food has a carbon footprint. There is a natural defence against carbon dioxide though: the power of plants! The more plants there are, the more carbon they can absorb. Unfortunately, agriculture has resulted in mass-deforestation and we are currently removing the equivalent of one football pitch per second of forest (Shukman, 2019). Animal agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation and places a heavy strain, not just on land, but also on water and energy resources.
  • Buying locally and seasonally also greatly contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. Seeking out local produce regularly, or on occasion, would reduce air miles, improve food quality, eliminate the need for energy-consuming refrigeration units in transportation and reduce plastic packaging. The BBC has also put together a handy guide for seasonal sourcing which you can investigate here

3. Concern for Animal Welfare

  • The prevention of animal exploitation is a major influence for people adopting ethical veganism. An emotional attachment to the wellbeing of animals can also be seen to foster a better relationship with nature and thus motivating people to protect it.
  • With populations rising across the globe, food production has accelerated. Within animal agriculture this means more animals are bred to keep up with demand. Resources, such as land, are already limited so animals are often kept in small, overcrowded areas. By decreasing the amount of meat you eat can help free up some space for these constrained animals. You don’t need to give everything up completely, just help diminish the demand.
  • The first difference between vegetarians and those like Donald Watson who were moving towards veganism, was the removal of milk from their diets. This is because vegans, particularly in today's food industry, see a level of animal suffering in the production of all animal products for human consumption.

For those who might feel that veganism is an exclusive club from which you received no invite, just like Hogwarts, we call upon Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood to you and me), to remind us:

veganism is not about being perfect. And it isn’t about rules and restrictions; it is about living with compassion and mindfulness – for animals, for yourself, for other humans, for our planet."

                                                                                                                                               (Lynch, 2017: ix)

Taking Evanna’s advice, we should remember to take care of ourselves whilst we strive to take care of our environment. Knowing what nutrients you need is important for everyone and searching for these in plant-based foods might show you a whole new world of veggies you didn’t even know exist!

Slip-ups are inevitable so don’t kick yourself when someone offers you a halloumi fry and you scoff it down before you’ve even thought about it. Any dietary change takes time and care and a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

To find out more:

The guys over at Greens + Beans have put together some wonderful advice which you can read here. For those of you who want to read ALL the advice, check out the Veganuary website here, and The Vegan Society here

 

Veganism does come with criticism, from those who don’t understand it yet or do not agree with it for a multitude of reasons. Not all of this criticism is warranted, but some is. Part of the climate crisis will require everyone to look closely at their diets, vegans too. Do not be discouraged though! Remember Donald Watson’s words to spur you on through Janaury:

Our member are pronounced individualists, not easily scared by criticism, and filled with the spirit of pioneers".

                                                                                                                                         (Watson, 1994: 2)

If you still have questions, don’t forget you can come and talk to us in the Student Centre from 11am – 4pm on Mondays 13th, 20th and 27th.

Meal Substitutions for a Healthier You And a Stronger Planet

The BBC has done a great job of comparing food product carbon footprints with their Climate Change Food Calculator and we do recommend making use of this as it could help you make small substitutions without giving up too much at once. We have done some calculations below using the BBC’s calculator to show how different food options can make a difference. The footprints are based on consuming these products 1-2 times a week (this would obviously increase if you ate these foods every day): 

 Meal 1Meal 2Meal 3
Product 75g beef (equivalent to a fast food burger, 2 small potatoes and 1 plastic bottle of water75g pork (equivalent to three rashers of bacon), 2 eggs and a cup of tea100g tofu and (roughly) a third of a can of beans, 6 tablespoons of rice and a pint of beer.
Greenhouse Gas Contribution607.6kg186kg123kg
Equivalent in miles driven in a petrol car1,554 miles478 miles317 miles

By breaking down some of the options that go with our gloriously varied diets around the world, we hope you can see how you might make more environmentally-friendly substitutions, such as choosing potatoes over rice if you are going to have beef, or a cup of tea with your bacon and eggs rather than a beer. If you fancy the pint, go for the tofu and bean option on the menu, we promise it’s tasty and London is rarely short of a vegan-option! Even Guinness is vegan now. 

How to be Powered By Plants

To bamboozle all your friends with your knowledge of nutrition and reassure your parents that you will be eating healthily in January, check out The Vegan Society’s guides.

References

Craig, W. J. 2009. Health Effects of Vegan Diets. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89:5. pp.1627S-1633S.

Lynch, E. 2017. Foreword. In: K. Schuler. How to Go Vegan. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp.vii-x. 

Poore, J. and Nemecek, T. 2018. Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts Through Producers and Consumers. Science. 360:6392. Pp.987-992.

Shukman, D. 2019. ‘Football pitch’ of Amazon forest lost every minute. BBC News [internet]. 2 July. Retrieved on 10 January 2020. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48827490

Smith, P. J. Nkem, K. Calvin, D. Campbell, F. Cherubini, G. Grassi, V. Korotkov, A. L. Hoang, S. Lwasa, P. McElwee, E. Nkonya, N. Saigusa, J. F. Soussana, M. A. Taboada. 2019. Interlinkages Between Desertification, Land Degradation, Food Security and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: Synergies, Trade-offs and Integrated Response Options. In: P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, E. Calvo Buendia, V. Masson-Delmotte, H. O. Portner, D. C. Roberts, P. Zhai, R. Slade, S. Connors, R. van Diemen, M. Ferrat, E. Haughey, S. Luz, S. Neogi, M. Pathak, J. Petzold, J. Portugal Pereira, P. Vyas, E. Huntley, K. Kissick, M. Belkacemi, J. Malley, (eds.) Climate Change and Land: an IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems. In Press. pp.551-672.

Watson, D. 1944. The Vegan News. 1:1.