Author Archives: Charlotte

Veganuary 2025: All You Need to Know Before it’s Over

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Veganuary is a global movement that encourages people to commit to a vegan diet for 31 days in January. Started in 2014 by the UK charity Veganuary, people from over 228 countries have participated in the challenge over the last ten years, and over three-quarters of people in the UK have heard of Veganuary.

This blog explores the environmental benefits of a vegan diet and shares some helpful resources, recipes, and our favourite local vegan spots to try!  

Environmental Benefits of a Vegan Diet

Cutting down our intake of animal products is crucial for reducing the environmental impact of the agricultural industry (Viroli et al, 2023). Researchers at the University of Oxford found that moving from current diets to a diet that excludes animal products would deliver a 28% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions (Poore and Nemecek, 2018).

“Converting grass into (meat) is like converting coal to energy. It comes with an immense cost in emissions.” –Joseph Poore 

Agriculture uses nearly 40% of land, 70% of freshwater and is responsible for up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Willett, 2019). Moreover, land conversion for food production is the largest driver of global biodiversity loss (ibid). Dairy and meat products have an especially high environmental impact in comparison to other food groups. This because the process of raising animals is overall much more carbon intensive than harvesting plants. Animal-based food production involves clearing forests for animal pasture, making millions of tons of animal feed and large amounts of waste generated from farm animals. It is therefore important that we re-examine what we eat and move towards an eco-friendlier diet. 

Photo:
Tractors at Newcastle University’s Cockle Park Farm by Matt Horne

A recent report by the EAT-Lancet Commission (2019) describes a ‘planetary health plate’. This consists of mostly ‘vegetables and fruits, with the rest made up with whole grains, plant protein sources, unsaturated plant oils, and, occasionally, small amounts of meat or fish.’ Considering this, we have put together some resources to help you reduce your meat consumption.

Top Tips 

  1. Enjoy inadvertently plant-based foods 

Some of your favourite foods might be totally vegan, you have just not realised or known it! 

In almost every global cuisine, there are inadvertently vegan dishes which remain at the heart of every meal. From Indian favourites such as dhal or bhajis/pakoras to Arab plates like falafel and hummus, there is ‘vegan’ food everywhere! Tofu is great example of a naturally plant-based signature ingredient. In South-East Asian meals, it has been used for many years to create delicious dishes.

  1. Reinvent what you know 

A great way to start incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet is to reinvent dishes you know and love. Try swapping some of the meat/dairy ingredients for plant-based alternatives. You might even find you like the vegan alternative better than the original! Check out these recipes for a plant-based chilli, pizza and macaroni cheese.   

  1. Try a non-dairy milk 

Plant-based milks have grown hugely in popularity in recent years due to their environmental credentials. From oat to soya to almond, there is plenty of choice when it comes to milk alternatives! Take your time to try a few different alternatives ‘til you find which one suits you. 

  1. Make small switches 

There are plenty of small switches you can make in your kitchen which can help you make a smooth transition to a more plant-based lifestyle. Trying using oil instead of butter when you cook or maple/golden syrup instead of honey. These changes shouldn’t alter the flavour of your dish too much and puts you well on your way to a more sustainable diet. 

Popular Vegan Spots in Newcastle:

  • Supernatural Café – the first completely plant-based restaurant in the city
  • Veganatomy – vegan Sushi and Banh Mi Bar in Heaton
  • Earthlings – a vegan café
  • SnackWallah – vegan Indian street food
  • Chicken Shack – menu includes a vegan burger. Located in the Students Union
  • The Ship Inn – a pub in Ouseburn with a fully vegan food menu
  • A little Piece of Sky – vegetarian “fish” and chip shop takeaway on Friday Evenings, as well as vegan sweet treats and “sausage” rolls. Located in Heaton
  • Fat Hippo – vegan menu with vegan burgers. Located in Jesmond and the city centre
  • Vegano – vegan burgers, pizzas, pastas, and kebabs. Located in the city centre
Photo: Roast Chicken Seitan at Supernatural Cafe (left) credit: supernaturalnewcastle.com. Food from Veganatomy (right) credit: veganatomy.co.uk

Vegan Recipes:

References

Nemecek, T., 2018. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), pp.987-992.

Viroli, G., Kalmpourtzidou, A. and Cena, H., 2023. Exploring benefits and barriers of plant-based diets: Health, environmental impact, food accessibility and acceptability. Nutrients, 15(22), p.4723.

Willett, W. et al. (2019) “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,” The Lancet, 393(10170), pp. 447–492. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31788-4. 

Colleague Volunteering: National Trust Gardeners for the Day

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On Friday the 25th of October, 14 colleagues from Estates and Facilities took a trip to Seaton Delaval Hall to work as volunteer gardeners for the day under Newcastle University’s colleague volunteering scheme. It was a really rewarding experience, so read on to hear more about our day!

Seaton Delaval Hall is a National Trust grade 1 listed building in Northumberland, with stunning formal gardens and relaxed, biodiverse woodlands. The property was designed in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval.

Photo: Seaton Delaval Hall

Our role

The lovely team of gardeners briefed us on our role for the day – to assist with digging, weeding and pathway edging in the Oval. The Oval Garden was once the location for the notorious Delaval parties, but today it is a perfect space for a peaceful walk or picnic. We made our way around the perimeter of The Oval using shovels, lawn edging tools and leaf rakes to create a border between the lawn and the hedge. Volunteering provided a great opportunity to spend some time outside and we also spotted a variety of wildlife including pheasants, a 22-spot yellow ladybird, and a lot of worms! It was great to get stuck in, and (especially as a new member of the team), get to know everyone a bit better in a relaxed setting.

After a coffee and lunch break at the on-site Brewhouse Café, we got back to work and finished off the job. As a thank you for our help, Senior Gardener Sarah Peilow gave us a tour of the grade 2 listed Seaton Delaval Hall gardens, where we got to see the Halloween decorations around the hall, and the vibrant garden.

Photo: The Oval Garden

Benefits of Volunteering

  • It is a fulfilling way to spend the day!
  • You can chat to new people and gain valuable skills.
  • It can make a positive difference to our local community.
  • It can strengthen your teamwork abilities!
  • It can enhance your mental and physical wellbeing.
  • If you partake in volunteering outdoors, it can provide opportunities for colleagues to build a connection with the environment and local wildlife.

Thank you so much to the team at Seaton Delaval Hall for being so welcoming and supportive throughout the day, and for the work they do to keep the site so beautiful. Also, thank you to James Adshead for organising the day! I would highly recommend for other colleagues at the university to take advantage of the volunteer scheme which offers two paid volunteering days with a charity each year. More information on the colleague volunteer scheme can be found here, and find out how you can volunteer at Seaton Delaval Hall here.

Photo: Team photo

References

National Trust, 2023. Seaton Delaval Hall. Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/seaton-delaval-hall?awc=3795_1730111269_89f2fe73ec40fc50fb7dc0077ab113f5&campid=Affiliates_Central_Mem_AWIN_Standard&aff=271445&dclid=CIKW-NzusIkDFe9GHQkdq8su6w (Accessed 4 Nov, 2024).

Reuse, Refill, Recycle

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Could you buy nothing new for just one month?

Nothing New November is a UK wide challenge that calls the public to fight overconsumption and impulse purchases by buying nothing new for one month (excluding essentials like food etc). The aim is to waste less, make the most of the stuff we already own, and cut our carbon footprint (Keep Britain Tidy, 2024).  

As part of Nothing New November, we have been thinking of ways to shop for essentials in a more planet friendly way! So, this month I have been exploring the independent, sustainable shops in and around Newcastle. I hope this blog will encourage others to pay these amazing little shops a visit, and we can all try to be a bit more mindful about the things we buy, and the waste we create.

How to use a re-fill shop?

Using a re-fill shop can seem a bit daunting if you haven’t done it before, so I’ve put together some tips to help first time shoppers:

  1. Collect some empty containers, glass jars work well. Often the re-fill shops have some you can buy too so don’t worry if you don’t have any.
  2. Take a list of items you’d like to buy with rough measurements of how much you need, and head to the re-fill shop with your clean, empty containers.
  3. When you arrive, speak to the staff! They are always so helpful and explain the process to you. But normally they weigh your empty jars before you fill them up.
  4. Then just fill up your jars with whatever you please and the containers will be weighed again, and price totalled up at the till like any other shop.
  5. Enjoy all your plastic free goodies!

Re-fill shops around Newcastle

  1. 109 General Store, Heaton
Image: 109 General Store

109 General Store is a family run low-waste general store located on Heaton Park Road. They have a variety of green cleaning products, sweet treats, fruit, veg, local eggs and fresh bread from Northern Rye. The in-store staff are friendly and are happy to help customers, or you can order food online for click and collect. I often do my weekly shop here then pop next door to their sister shop Heaton Perk for a coffee, Newcastle’s only coffee shop exclusively using glass bottled dairy milk.

2. Ernie, Stepney Road, Ouseburn

Ernie is a small deli shop located in Ouseburn which sells organic veg, household refills, and unique local cooking items and gifts from sustainable and small businesses. You can order locally sourced fresh produce to your door using Ernie’s fresh delivery service, delivered on Fridays by bicycle!

‘Real people, real food, less is more, buy less, buy better – making a difference is always within reach.’

(Ernie Ouseburn, 2024)
Image: Ernie, taken from Ernie.com

3. Buy the Kilo, Tynemouth

Buy the kilo is another family-run refill shop located on platform one of Tynemouth metro station. After a walk on the beach, I stopped off to check out this shop and pick up some oat milk. The shop is hidden down a little alley of independent businesses in shipping containers, which if you’re not looking for you probably would never notice! It was my first time visiting the shop, and the ladies working in the shop were more than happy to help and walked me through exactly how to work the weighing system. The shop also exhibits artists’ work that highlights issues about the environment, making it a must visit if you’re in Tynemouth!

Image: Buy the Kilo

Thank you for reading this blog, I hope you enjoyed it! A big thank you to the owners of these shops for all their efforts in reducing waste. Let us know in the comments if you visit any!

Green Impact Launch and LEAF update!

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At Newcastle University, we recognise that the climate crisis must be addressed communally, and we cannot meet the sustainability targets set out in our Climate Action Plan without the efforts of all our colleagues and students.

Green Impact and LEAF are two amazing programmes available for our colleagues at the university, with the opportunity for participants to win bronze, silver, and gold awards for sustainability. Earlier this month, the Environment Awards recognised and celebrated the achievements of our colleagues and students over the past year, with 11 teams receiving Green Impact awards and 10 teams receiving LEAF awards. A massive congratulations to those teams!

So, read on to find out how you can get involved in the next programme of Green Impact or LEAF, and play your part in increasing environmental sustainability on campus!

Green Impact

Green Impact is a United Nations award-winning programme which promotes environmentally and socially sustainable behaviour across organisations. At Newcastle University, colleagues can sign up to Green Impact and create teams within their work area, with actions assigned to complete in the online toolkit. The toolkit is aligned with the UN Sustainability Goals, with themes such as energy, water, waste, travel, biodiversity, communication, and wellbeing.

This is a great opportunity to improve your knowledge on environmental issues and contribute to meaningful sustainable change in your workplace, whilst collecting some awards to display!

How to get involved:

  1. Sign up to Green Impact online from the 11th of November.
  2. Chat to your colleagues in your work area about Green Impact teams and either join one that’s already been created or create a new team.
  3. Email sustainable-campus@newcastle.ac.uk to join the Green Impact Teams channel, and chat to other teams!
  4. Work through your assigned actions. Each action grants a certain number of points which then add up to the bronze, silver, and gold awards.
  5. Our friendly student auditors will come round to check your progress later in the year.
  6. The Environmental Awards will be held in June, with engraved recycled slates for teams that made it to Bronze, Silver, or Gold.

LEAF

Our laboratories are essential in enabling the groundbreaking research conducted at Newcastle University, and scientific research is vital in mitigating the climate crisis. However, traditional laboratory practices can come with unintended environmental impact (Freese et al, 2024).

LEAF, or the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework, is an online platform for laboratory users designed by UCL to improve the sustainability and efficiency of laboratories. Similar to Green Impact, lab teams work through sustainability actions to reduce waste, water, and energy along with improving the efficiency of other resources. There is an upcoming refresh of the LEAF actions and criteria, so sign up now to be a part of this updated programme.

Image: Diversity of Life Lab Session (Biology & Zoology). Photo Credit: Chris Bishop.

How to get involved?

  1. Sign up on the LEAF login portal
  2. Register with your institutional email, then login and either join an existing lab, or request a new lab (if your lab is not already listed).
  3. After your account is verified, work with your team through the bronze, silver, and gold criteria. Members of the Sustainability Team will assess your progress along the way, and certificates will be awarded at the Environmental Awards!
  4. Every year, progress to a higher certificate, or re-audit to keep your accreditation.

Key dates:

  • Relaunch of Green Impact on Monday the 11th of November
  • Criteria Update of LEAF on Monday the 11th of November.
  • Green Impact Launch Webinar on Thursday the 14th of November, Sign up here.
  • LEAF teams channels launch on Friday the 1st of November.
  • Celebrating Success Environmental Awards: June (date to be announced later).

Thank you for reading, and we look forward to welcoming some new teams to Green Impact and LEAF this year!

References

Freese, T., Elzinga, N., Heinemann, M., Lerch, M.M. and Feringa, B.L., 2024. The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices. Rsc Sustainability, 2(5), pp.1300-1336.