AUB Green Zine
2020
Food Edition
Why what we put on our plate matters How to reduce your food footprint Easy vegan recipes 1
The Green Zine 2020 - Food Edition This second issue of the Green Zine is brought to you by the AUBSU Green Team! In this issue we’ve focused on food. It’s a big part of all of our lives, and figuring out its various environmental implications, from the far-reaching impacts of eating various foods, to throwing out food, can be quite complicated. This zine hopes to help you to navigate the complicated world of food and to make the best decisions for yourself and for the environment!
Who are the Green Team? We are a dedicated bunch of environmentalists, who bring you the likes of swap shops, Go Green Week, tree planting and many more exciting things you see on campus! This year we’ve decided to start an annual green zine tradition following up from our first issue last year. We hope you enjoy! If you’re interested in making the world a little greener and want to find out more about how to get involved: pop into AUBSU office, email us (green@aub.ac.k) or find us on Facebook: facebook.com/aubsugreenteam
Contributions Editor & Content Manager: Laura Kazmeier Design: Laura Kazmeier Content: Abbie McDonnell, Caitlin Powell, Laura Kazmeier, Nuala Clarke, Phoebe Coleman, Ruby Russell and Saffron Harrington Illustrations: Phoebe Coleman and Ruby Russell Cover Design: Laura Kazmeier
Contents Pg. 4 Food Waste Understanding Food Labels Clever Tricks Top Tips on Avoiding Food Waste Food Waste Bins Food Apps
Pg. 12 The Impact of our Food Food Miles & Eating Local Water Footprint Food Accessories Fair and Ethical Purchasing
Pg. 20 Reducing Meat and Dairy Phoebe’s Vegan Mac n’ Cheese Tinned Tomatoes - Three ways Doing Vegan Right Vegan Youtubers
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FOOD WASTE One of the biggest factors contributing to climate change is the mass accumulation of waste in landfill sites, breaking down to create Methane, a highly damaging greenhouse gas. UK households generated a staggering 4.5 billion tonnes of food waste in
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2019, a 7% reduction in the past 3 years, however the figure is still worrying. According to Rebecca Smithers, a Consumer Affairs correspondent from The Guardian, we waste 14 billion pounds worth of food which equates to 10 billion uneaten meals.
If global food waste were a country, it would be third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the US.
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Understanding Food Labels Understanding food labels is incredibly important in avoiding unnecessary food waste. Use-by Use-by dates concern safety and are seen on products such as meat and soft cheese. Even if food looks or smells fine past the use-by date, it should not be consumed. Bacteria, such as salmonella or e.coli which can form in these foods are undetectable to the naked eye. It is especially important to follow storage instructions on these foods, as it will spoil more quickly otherwise. If a food can be frozen, its life can be extended beyond the “use by” date.
Best-before Best before dates are suggestions and concern quality. Food is likely to be safe after the date but may not taste or look as good. Consumers can use their senses and common sense to judge whether these foods, such as bread or biscuits, are still safe to eat.
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The waste reduction charity Wrap has found that as much as 30% of the food binned for being “past date” had a best-before; i.e., it probably did not need to be binned.
Clever Tricks The Float Test Eggs have a best-before date. To test whether they’ve gone off use the bowl of water test: if it sinks, it is good; if it floats, it is bad.
Eggs can be eaten after their ‘best-before’ date... ...as long as they are cooked thoroughly until both yolk and white are solid, or if used in dishes like cakes, where they are fully cooked. Cooking eggs like this will kill any bacteria.
Sour milk makes great pancakes! The act of cooking the milk will kill off any harmful bacteria present.
Orange peels are great for making a natural cleaning spray! Add orange peels (grapefruit and lemon peels work too!) to a glass jar and add enough vinegar to cover. Leave the mixture to sit for atleast 2 weeks. Then remove the peels and mix the orange vinegar with water in equal parts in a spray bottle. This cleaner can be used on most surfaces! 7
Top Tips for avoiding food waste Avoiding food waste and making your food last longer is not only better for the environment, but will also save you money and time walking to and from the shops!
1. Use it all up!
4. Be cupboard savvy
If your bananas have gone all brown, make banana bread! (The riper the better). Use broccoli stalks - they are great chopped up in stir frys! Potato peels can be used for soups! Use herb stalks as well as the leaves. If you think your perishable items may reach their use by date by the time you have finished with them, offer them to your housemates or friends so they can be used up quickly and not wasted.
Buy dried, frozen and canned goods, which last longer and will save you money! Canned foods such as beans and tinned tomatoes can form the base or be added to so many meals. You can find a simple adaptable base recipe using tinned tomatoes on page 22.
2. Freeze it Most goods can be frozen and this will make them last much longer. For example, freeze bread and defrost slices as and when needed. Making several portions of a meal and freezing some of it for another time is also a great way to save time and money as you can buy in bulk.
3. Plan Portions Try to become more mindful of how hungry you really are and practice portion control to avoid leftovers.
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5. Store food properly Always follow instructions on packaging to make food last longer. Try to keep vegetables and other perishables covered, or always kept in the fridge to prolong freshness. (There are some great reusable alternatives to clingfilm, including beeswax wraps or silicone covers!) You can also soak your onions in water - if you only use half an onion, fill a pot with water and place the leftover half in the water to keep that half of the onion fresh for longer. Or, place your bananas in a reusable bag or box to make them last longer.
6. Plan meals & stick to your shopping list If you can find the time, planning meals, writing out a shopping list, and sticking to it is a great way to make sure you only buy what you need and what you will be sure to use up!
7. Don’t go shopping hungry When we go shopping with an empty stomach, we can easily get carried away and buy and spend too much. Eating before going food shopping is a great way to help you stick to that shopping list and only buy what you really need!
8. Cooking has no rules! Remember that there are no rules as to what you put in your meals. You can adapt recipes to suit you and to use what you already have at home! Alternatively, if you’ve bought something just for a recipe but can’t use it up, simply share with housemates or friends.
9. Choose loose By buying loose fruit and veg you can save on packaging and only buy what you really need and what you will be sure to use up.
Have a look at the Love Food, Hate Waste website for more information on how to make the most of your food, including recipes for using leftovers, a portion size calculator and more tips on how to shop, store, cook and eat food to avoid waste. lovefoodhatewaste.com
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When you can’t avoid throwing it away, use a food waste bin! Sometimes it is difficult to not throw away unwanted or out of date food, so always be sure that if you do have to throw it away, that it is disposed of correctly. Putting your food waste into a small brown caddy bin can help to reduce the amount of food left in landfill, BCP council will take your food waste and turn it into compost! Free green bin liners can also be collected from your local library or community centre, you can find a full list on the BCP council website. AUBSU office have them too! If your household does not have a brown food waste caddy, you can apply for a replacement on the BCP council website: online.bcpcouncil. gov.uk/services/replacementbin/
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Food apps to help avoid food waste Olio This app helps to connect local people with any surplus food in their area, so that it can be shared and not wasted. it also includes other items like kitchen and garden tools. This is a great way to prevent food waste in your local area, which also helps the environment by keeping the food close to you.
Too Good To Go This app allows stores and goods outlets to sell their leftover food at a reduced price. You get good food at a reduced price and they waste less: It’s a win, win situation!
Giki This app allows you to easily find healthy, sustainable and ethical companies to buy from. You scan the barcode to see an item’s information. This way you know where your food is coming from, and you’re not wasting your money, nor hopefully, food.
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The Impact of our food There are many factors to consider when assessing the impact of the foods we eat. From the land and water required to grow foods, their impact on the soil, whether locally grown or imported by plane or sea. The next couple of pages aim to give a greater understanding of the impact of various foods and how you can reduce your impact.
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Emissions from agricultural production currently account for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture is a main driver of land-use change.
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Food Miles & Eating Local Food miles are how far your food has travelled from where it was grown/manufactured, to where it is sold. The further the food needs to travel, the larger the carbon footprint it leaves behind.
COMING BY PLANE, OR SEA? This makes a BIG impact on the carbon emissions. Transporting goods by plane produces roughly 44 times more carbon emissions than by boat.
Obviously, some food and drink we cannot grow here in the UK, and therefore have to import, such as: Avocados • 5,500 miles (typically from Mexico) • Avocados also contribute to a lot of water usage. It takes over 130 gallons of water to produce one single avocado. That means if you were to let one avocado go mouldy and have to throw it away, it would be the equivalent of running a shower for over an hour - with no-one in it.
Bananas • 5,106 miles (typically from India) • Don’t like eating bananas if they’re a bit brown and spotty? Think about how far it’s come to be thrown away. • Fun Fact: bananas are sweeter and easier to digest when they’re spotty – perfect for a zero-waste banana bread! 14
And here are some foods which the UK does grow, but which we still import (even when it’s the UK growing season). Apples
Strawberries
• 4,255 miles (from the USA). • 76% of apples consumed in the UK are from overseas.
• 958 miles (from Spain). • Importing one kilogram of out-ofseason strawberries from California is the equivalent of keeping a 100watt light bulb on for eight days.
Peas • 5,979 miles (from South Africa). • Importing fresh peas requires approximately two and half times the energy as sourcing them locally. Some GOOD news amongst the bad…
Wine • Lots comes from New Zealand, a journey of 14,287 miles. However, most wine is shipped by boat, which generates a tiny fraction of the carbon emissions that air or road freight does. I’ll drink to that!
How can I reduce my impact? • Do your research. Find out where your favourite foods come from, and therefore how far they have to travel. Also, find out how they get here. Is it usually by boat, or by sea? • Choose your food habits accordingly. If you’re someone who eats an avocado a day, maybe consider cutting that down to something like two a week, to reduce your impact. • Eat local and seasonal. The best way for your food choices to contribute as little as possible to the climate crisis is to eat what is locally grown and in-season. 15
Water Footprint We are currently experiencing a global water crisis. Water is used in almost everything we do/own; from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to our morning routines. Despite this, it is not priced correctly for the invaluable commodity it is.
An example of a days’ water usage: 8am
3pm
Wake up, shower = 40 gallons
Meeting with a coffee = 40 gallons.
8.30am Brush teeth. Leave tap running = 20 gallons.
9.30am Make breakfast, bacon and eggs = 1,500 gallons
10am Get dressed, jeans (= 2000 gallons) and a nice top (= 710 gallons).
12pm Lunch. Burger, apple and a packet of crisps = 700 gallons.
1.30pm Drive to uni, via the car wash = 35 gallons.
4pm Doing the washing up = 10 gallons
5pm End of the day pint (or three) with your housemates = 20 (or 60) gallons.
8pm Make dinner, vegan mac and cheese = 230 gallons (GO YOU! Recipe is on page 22) Going to the loo around three or four times over the day = 25 gallons
Total = around 5,100 gallons Food Total = 2,430 gallons!
How can I reduce my water waste? • Turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth. • Try a 4-minute shower, or turn the water off while you’re shaving/shampooing/conditioning. • Plan your meals so that no food is wasted. • Try to buy denim and cotton clothing second-hand. • Try to have a vegan day at least once a week. 16
Food Accessories It’s not just our food that we need to be conscious of but also what we use to prepare, store and clean too! Here are a few key food accessories that we love using:
Wax Wraps
Reusable Straws
Instead of using cling-film or foil to prolong the life of your food, try a wax wrap. Wax wraps are made from scrap fabric sealed with melted wax, which can be moulded to most foods and come in any size. They can be washed and reused again and again. If you have a spare afternoon and want to save some money, you can make them yourselves, either from bees wax or alternative waxes.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that plastic straws = bad. Instead, try stainless steel, glass or bamboo straws, which can be washed and reused.
Reusable Cups & Bottles Half a trillion single-use cups are made globally each year; over 70 for every person on the planet. Now consider that most single-use “paper” cups contain a polyurethane coating, making recycling difficult and rare. Less than 2% are recycled. Simply using a reusable cup/bottle can cut waste massively! This year, AUB stopped stocking plastic cups at water fountains and instead worked with AUBSU to discount One Green Bottle stainless steel bottles to £8 from £15 for students. You can buy these at the discounted prince from the uni shop or aubsu.co.uk/shop.
Zero-Waste Shopping Rather than using plastic bags to buy your fruit & veg, use a reusable one. You could also buy from zero-waste shops like Almond & Co, who let you refill any container with cereals, dry food, herbs & spices, oils, milk etc.
Other Stuff You can get more sustainable alternatives like bamboo food containers (instead of plastic tupperware), avocado boxes to keep your avocado halves fresher, natural & eco scourers and sponges for washing up, and even eco washingup liquids. Have a good browse of zero-waste shops and events like South Coast Makers Market for sustainable alternatives.
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Fair & Ethical Purchasing When you grab your morning cup of coffee, it’s easy to forget the work that went into farming and preparing the beans, as well as the impact that your choice of coffee has on people living thousands of miles away. But every food choice you make has an origin that affects workers, communities and the environment. When choosing products consider: animal welfare, distance to import the food to the UK, workers’ rights, fairpay for farmers and workers, and sustainable farming. Fair and ethical products don’t have to be more expensive or more effort – you can find certified products in local and big-brand supermarkets and even grab your Fairtrade coffee from Greggs!
Check products for these labels: Fairtrade (largely stocked in the Co-op!) The Fairtrade Foundation work to protect workers’ rights, ensure they are paid a fair minimum price and fund further support work for farmers and workers in developing countries.
The Rainforest Alliance Their frog label means that support effective planning and farm management systems that protect our natural resources, as well as local communities.
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Soil Association Organic Standard This is an official charity and ensures that whatever you buy is organic and has considerations for the planet throughout its manufacture.
MSC (Certified Sustainable Seafood) The Marine Stewardship Council ensure that organisations with their label: fish sustainably, maintaining sustainable and healthy fish population, fish in a way that doesn’t damage other species or habitats, and comply with relevant and changing laws.
There are other labels too like RSPCA Assured, The Red Tractor scheme and The Lion Mark. Remember that labels all mean different things and focus on different areas (like animal welfare or workers’ rights) so sometimes one label isn’t enough, or only indicates the minimum considerations are taking place!
Note Not all businesses that trade and employ ethically are certified, especially smaller businesses that can’t afford certification. Check websites and with businesses directly to find out where they get their products!
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Reducing meat & Dairy intake
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Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. This was the finding of the most comprehensive analysis ever done on the damage that farming does to the planet. Going vegan was found to be the best way to reduce your impact, not just greenhouse gases, but also global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. The study from 2018 was led by Joseph Poore of Oxford University and published in the journal Science. It revealed that while meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, it uses the vast majority – 83% – of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions.
products, which represent 90% of all that is eaten, and investigated almost 40,000 farms in 119 countries. The study also found that avoiding consumption is far better environmentally than purchasing sustainable meat and dairy, and that even the very lowest impact meat and dairy products still cause much more environmental harm than the least sustainable vegetable and cereal growing. The following pages have some great vegan recipes, as well as resources and tips to help you go vegan or simply incorporate more vegan meals into your diet!
The study, conducted over four years, assessed the full impact of 40 food
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Phoebe’s Vegan Mac n’ Cheese Ingredients: • One squash (or pumpkin or gourd) • 300ml plant milk • Hummus • Macaroni pasta (measure out desired serving) • Salt n pepper (& herbs/paprika if at hand) • Whatever oil you have All of these ingredients can be found in most zero waste/sustainable shops to reduce waste!
This recipe takes a teeny bit of effort, but the result is sooo worth it! It’s hard to believe that the sauce doesn’t have any cheese substitute in it. If you’re feeling sceptical about the taste of the veg, all of the other ingredients will cover it up, I promise! You will need a blender, a big one would be handy, but I’ve used a smoothie blender in the past and it works just fine if you blend the squash and the milk bit by bit and add it to the pan as you go along.
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1. Carefully halve your chosen vegetable with a sharp knife (top and tail first if you have a squash, it’ll be a bit easier to cut), then scoop the seeds out to use for another recipe 2. Use the knife to score 1-2cm deep lines into the inside of the veggie. Cut horizontal and vertical lines to make removing the flesh easier later 3. Drizzle a layer of oil over the inside of the veggie halves and pop into the oven on 160°/gas mark 4 for 40-50 mins flipping them over half way, until a knife pokes through easily. If the flesh is too solid it won’t blend well, so give it plenty of time 4. Once the squash is cooked, start cooking the pasta and scoop the roasted vegetable out from its skin (optional, as the skin will be soft and edible once roasted) and pop it into your blender (around half a squash will make enough sauce for around 2-3 portions) 5. Blend the squash, adding the milk gradually until you have a saucy texture that you’re happy with. You may need to add some more soy milk
6. Once it’s cooked, drain the pasta (keeping a tiny bit of the pasta water) and place back on a low heat, adding the sauce, then add two generous tablespoons of hummus – this will give the sauce a cheesy taste without any cheeze or nutritional yeast! 7. Season to taste then pop it into an ovenproof dish with breadcrumbs/ broken up crisps/a crushed up cracker on top and pop it into the oven at 180º to crisp up a bit… or stick it under the grill if you can’t wait… or just eat it straight out of the pan if you really can’t wait :)
Tip: Cook the remaining half of the vegetable with 400ml stock, a dash of plant milk and seasonings and then blend to make a delicious warming soup! If you have any left-over skin from the vegetable, this can be seasoned and crisped in the oven for a few minutes to serve with the soup :)
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Tinned Tomatoes - Three Ways Tinned tomatoes are incredibly versatile and can make up the base of so many meals, including curries, chillies, lasagne, cottage pie and pasta sauces. Here is the outline for the basis of a tinned tomatoes recipes and how little changes can make a whole other dish (and remember there are no rules to cooking, so add what you like!)
Ingredients • 1 Onion • 1-2 cloves garlic • Vegetables of choice e.g. mushrooms, peppers or aubergine • One tin chopped tomatoes • Tomato paste • Pasta/Rice/Potatoes
Method
Now turn it into a...
1. Chop onions and garlic in oil and fry for 2-3 minutes of medium to high heat.
Pasta Sauce
Cottage Pie
Add basil, thyme and coriander.
Once the sauce is ready, pour into an oven proof dish. Lay mashed potatoes on top and cook in the oven at 200ºC until the mash is brown on top.
2. Chop whatever vegetables you choose or have left in your fridge e.g mushrooms, pepper, aubergine. Fry off for 5-7 minutes or until soften and brown. 3. Add you chopped tinned tomatoes and tomato paste and allow to reduce until it has thickened. Use a splash of water to rinse out the tin and pour this into the mix.. 4. Add salt, pepper and any spices and herbs you wish. 5. Serve as is, with rice/pasta/ mashed potatoes or try one of the variants. 24
Curry Add paprika, turmeric, ginger, garam masala and cumin.
Doing Vegan Right Some of the most established health organizations, such as the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have now deemed the vegan diet healthy for all stages of life, including pregnancy. They have also stated that “vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.” However, this is only if the diet is done right. There are certain things you must be aware of when pursuing a vegan diet to make sure you are healthy, and truly lessening your impact on the environment.
For your Health
For the Environment
• You must take Vitamin B12 supplements. This vitamin is vital to normal brain functioning and can only be found in animal products. A lot of vegan products such as plant milks are also fortified B12.
• Avoid avocadoes, as they require a great deal of water to produce and travel far distances to get to us.
• You must make sure you’re getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, calcium and Vitamin B. This can be achieved through appropriate dietary plans and/or by taking supplements. It is always best to consult with your doctor to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. • We’re seeing new vegan fast foods popping up everywhere. While it’s great that being vegan is becoming so easy, make sure to still be eating a balanced diet that includes lots of fruit and veg, grains, pulses, and some fats.
• Avoid almonds & almond milk, which also require huge amounts of water to produce. Especially avoid almonds from California, where there is already water scarcity. • Regarding milk alternatives, oat milk has the smallest impact in terms of water, land use and greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, whatever is regional is always best. • As already stated, buy locally, check where food is from and buy fairtrade to better your social and environmental impact further!
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Vegan Youtubers If you’re looking to incorporate some more vegan meals into your diet or even want to go fully vegan, these Youtubers are a great place to start!
RACHEL AMA Rachel makes YouTube videos from her family home in London, taking inspiration from her Caribbean roots in many of her plant-based recipes. She grows many of her ingredients herself and praises her local fruit and veg markets for providing amazing ingredients for her dishes. She went vegan pretty much overnight, after suffering through a decade of digestive issues and watching a documentary on animal welfare. As well as cooking, Rachel makes videos
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on things like what happens when you become vegan and finding the best vegan natural hair and beauty products so that you don’t have to! She exudes love and warmth and generally just vibes to absolutely tune into most of her videos. Plus her recipes are easy, delicious and very affordable! “Even if you decide to eat no meat on Mondays as a starting point and then go from there, it all counts and it all makes a huge difference.”
GAZ OAKLEY “Avant Garde Vegan” A 26 year old chef, author and YouTuber, Gaz became a parttime chef at the age of 15. He’s originally from Cardiff and is famous on Insta (420k followers), starting his YouTube channel - Avant Garde Vegan - in 2016. He used to train as a bodybuilder and decided that his animal-based diet wasn’t working for him; “I was on that sort of typical high protein bodybuilding/ weightlifting diet, which was basically just chicken, rice and vegetables
and I felt really bad. I thought I looked good but I felt really bad on the inside.” He became vegan for his health, for the animals and the environment. He is the executive chef at the London restaurant ‘The Vurger Co.’ and he has collaborated to make dishes with Wagamama. Gaz makes videos demonstrating how to make plant-based ingredients taste like meat, often through dishes like mouthwatering vegan burgers and dirty BBQ ‘ribs’.
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Created by the AUBSU Green Team aubsu.co.uk/green This zine is printed on 100% recycled paper