Category Archives: Sustainable Holidays

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Second Hand Santa: and other sustainable swaps for your office

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Well it’s come around again – what some claim is the most wonderful time of the year! But amongst the lights, sparkles and glad tidings there is a less merry reality to our festive celebrations… the waste they create. So why not shake it up this year and start a new sustainable tradition? Take a look at the ideas below!

Second Hand Santa

According to Hubbub’s poll last year (2023) £280 million was spent on Secret Santa gifts for colleagues. However, only a third of these were reported as useful. Many of these gifts didn’t even make it home from the office party!

Buck the trend this year by opting for a Second Hand Santa. It operates identically to a Secret Santa apart from one detail. ALL gifts are thrifted, regifted, or handmade. Charity shops are the gift that keep on giving here. Practical and genuinely useful gifts are the most sustainable, and charity shops can offer a spark of inspiration for truly thoughtful presents that actually stick to the Secret Santa budget! If gifts to provide a laugh are more your métier don’t worry! Charity shops also provide a long list of weird and wonderful items you can entrust to your colleagues to treasure.

Thriftmas Jumper Day

Have you previously been a victim of Christmas Jumper day? Many of us have found ourselves making a last-minute jumper purchase that we know we will never ever wear again. But we bought it anyway to avoid becoming the office Grinch.

Why not take the pressure off this year? With plenty of early warning and an active encouragement to wear already owned, thrifted, borrowed, and festively adapted jumpers, sustainable festive fun is possible! Extra points if you can source an authentic ugly or vintage Christmas jumper lovingly knitted for a festive season long ago.

Positive Party Planning

Excited to celebrate the past year of hard work? Why not add to the reasons to celebrate by making some sustainable swaps to your seasonal shindig? You could:

Organise carpooling / lift sharing to and from the event
Make sure the menu has a GOOD plant-based option (so it’s more likely to be chosen)
An entirely vegetarian/ vegan menu (or even just the sides/ starters)
Encourage colleagues to bring Tupperware to take any leftovers home
Consider skipping crackers and just buy paper party hats instead!
DIY/ purchase 2^nd hand/ rent festive decorations

Check out Hubbub for more ideas and resources for this December (and the new year). Happy celebrating!

The 2024 Christmas Switch Off at Newcastle University

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What is the Christmas Switch Off?

The Christmas Switch Off is a University-wide campaign where we encourage staff and students to turn off any electrical items that can be switched off instead of leaving them on standby over the Christmas break.

Why is the Christmas Switch Off important?

By turning off everything that can be turned off, we will reduce our energy consumption across the campus. The Christmas Switch Off campaign has been run for a number of years to minimise energy wastage and contribute to our carbon reduction targets.

We also hope that promoting of the Christmas Switch Off will promote positive behaviour change more widely and remind colleagues and students to minimise their energy wastage by remembering to switch off what they can every day.

Who participates in the Switch Off?

We would like everyone at the university to participate if they are able to, that includes staff and students across labs, offices, and accommodation. The advice on what to turn off will vary for each location – guidance on what should be switched off is in this blog post.

When switching off your work area, it can be helpful to organise a switch off team that can check each area after most people have left for the term to ensure everything that can be switched off, has been.

Here are some examples of items that could be switched in various area across campus:

Staff working in offices: Lighting, computers, monitors, printers and photocopiers, kettles and fridges (after they have been emptied and cleaned). Also, it is important to make sure that all windows have been properly closed.
Labs and medical buildings: All the above can be applied in addition to drying cupboards, fume cupboards and fridges/freezers that will not be in use over the break (please do not turn off equipment that is in use).

Many students leave their accommodation over the Christmas break, meaning their accommodation will be empty over the holidays. If you are going away over the winter break, there are a few things that you could do before you leave:

Clean out and defrost your fridges and freezers the day before you leave by turning them off at the wall and popping a towel underneath to soak up the melted ice.
Turn off your kettles and toasters at the wall.
If there is a wall switch for your oven this is also a good thing to turn off easily, as well as lights and plug sockets.

For more switch off information, visit the Sustainable Campus website: https://bit.ly/3OP5yLN

If you have any questions or ideas about the Christmas Switch Off, please email the Sustainability Team at sustainable-campus@ncl.ac.uk

Thank you for reading!

Tips and tricks to introduce sustainability to your Christmas

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Christmas is a time when a large amount of consumption, and often over-consumption, takes place.

This post is an introduction to some ideas and tips that could help to reduce the negative impacts that holidays, such as Christmas, can create on the environment.

We would like to think that these ideas are creative and fun, that you can involve friends and family, and if you are a parent, why not turn these into activities that you can do with your kids together?

Gift ideas:

Are you struggling to choose gifts for people which aren’t generic gifts that you aren’t even sure they would like? Here are some alternative options that will provide memories or meaning to the people you are giving them too.

Gift an experience such as: ziplining, an art workshop, or drink tasting.
Adopt an endangered animal for your friend or loved one that they can receive updates about.
Shop locally with independent businesses for more original gifts such as personalised posters or bookmarks
You could make your own presents by baking, sewing, painting, performing etc.
Donate to a charity on their behalf, choose something they are passionate about

Why not make a gingerbread house as a gift?

Christmas practices and traditions:

Here are some swaps we can make on Christmas Day, and in the run up, that will help to reduce waste.

If you would like an advent calendar, why not invest in a reusable calendar that you add treats to, instead of buying a plastic one from the supermarket.
By skipping the Christmas crackers at lunch, or making your own, with paper (or other recyclable materials) , and with useful eco-friendly gifts inside, we can cut down on plastic that has little use.
Reuse the clothes in your wardrobe: Try to avoid buying a new outfit for Christmas if you can. Instead have fun shopping your own, your family or friends’ wardrobes (with their permission, of course).
If you would like a Christmas jumper, instead of buying a brand new one, you could knit one or check out some local charity shops.

“two out of five Christmas jumpers only being worn once over the festive period”
HuBBUB

Decorations and present wrapping:

While decorations can last for many years, they can get broken, or you may be tempted to buy new ones. Here are some tips for decorations and wrapping that you can use this Christmas and in future years.

Think about your Christmas tree lights: If you need to buy new ones, make sure to recycle your broken ones at a recycling facility. Also, when buying new ones, opt for LED as they use less energy.
Why not send e-cards instead of paper cards. They can be personalised with family pictures for an extra special touch.
Keep a bag of ribbons, gift bags and labels from other occasions that could be re-used for the next Christmas or birthdays in the future.
Don’t throw away a plastic tree that you already own. They can be re-used for many years, and this will help to reduce plastic waste and save you some money.
Use natural decorations such as pressed dried flowers and brown paper, instead of wrapping paper that cannot be recycled, to give presents a festive touch.
We can also use fabric for wrapping by tying knots in fabrics such as vintage scarfs, which are re-used.

Food practices and food waste:

Food is a large contributor to waste, which is heightened around Christmas, however by adjusting our buying practices we can cut down on some of it. It is also worth noting that by adjusting what we consume we can reduce our carbon footprint.

We can incorporate more plant-based and vegetarian meals into our holiday schedules.
When buying ingredients for your Christmas meals, why not try shopping at markets for loose vegetables, nuts and dried fruits using a reusable bag, instead of pre-packaged vegetables from a supermarket?
Try not to over buy, think about what you are able to consume based on who will be attending your meals and plan around this to reduce food waste.
If you grow your own vegetables, use as many of these as possible for you Christmas meals instead of buying produce that may have been imported.
Utilise your freezer: Freeze food that was leftover or due to go off, it makes great January lunches at work.

Recipes that use leftover Christmas food to reduce food waste:

Here are some recipes we found online that focus on reusing various ingredients that you may have left over from a Christmas meal, but can reuse in the days after Christmas.

Thank you very much for reading our blog this year, we hope you have a wonderful festive break and we look forward to writing more posts for you in the new year!

Best wishes,

The Sustainability Team

5 Tips to have a Green Halloween

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This spooky season, the scariest thing might not be a ghost or a ghoul! Every year, millions of Halloween costumes and party décor are bought only to be disposed of straight after the holiday. In fact, a 2019 report by the Fairyland Trust, found that 7 million costumes Halloween costumes are thrown away every year. That’s the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles! To help combat this trend, we have put together some simple tips to have a more eco-friendly Halloween.

Re-use, Repair and Recycle your Costume

Not sure what to wear this Halloween? Why not upcycle some of your old clothes! This are plenty of costumes you could create with very little effort and cost too.

If you can’t find any inspiration in your own wardrobe, why not organise a Halloween clothes swap? You can trade old outfits with members of your local community. This is a great way to not only get a ‘new outfit’ but meet new people.

Skip the queues! 30min+ waiting times reported at this Newcastle costume shop last year!

2. Get crafty with your Halloween Decorations

There are plenty of low-waste ways to decorate for Halloween. As well as reusing your spooky décor from last year, there are plenty of green craft ideas you can try! Decorate some old glass jars with some ghostly designs or use old cardboard to make tombstones.

If you want to buy some new decorations, check out your local second-hand shop. You can find some great treasures there which you can use year after year.

If you plan to use candles for decorating, make sure they are eco-friendly. The majority of candles are made from paraffin, a product made from unsustainable fossil fuels. Try using candles made from soy, coconut, rapeseed or beeswax instead.

3. Use your pumpkins wisely

Pumpkins are an essential part of every Halloween- we buy 39.9 million every year! Nevertheless, a large proportion of these pumpkins are wasted and go uneaten. Make the most of your pumpkin by using the insides to make a delicious recipe. Our team particularly love these recipes for pumpkin dopiaza, banana bread and pumpkin cake.

If your pumpkin is no longer usable after Halloween, make sure to put it in your compost bin. Pumpkins left outside could be consumed by hedgehogs, making them ill thus, hindering their preparation for hibernation.

4. Ditch the disposables for your party

If you plan on having a Halloween party this year, try to avoid using disposable plates and cups. These are often made of plastic which cannot be recycled and ends up in landfill. If you don’t own enough supplies, try borrowing from a friend or visiting your local second-hand shop.

You can also set out clear recycling bins for glass and food waste. Not only will stop unnecessary waste going to landfill but will also help with your clean up afterwards!

5. Make your own Halloween Treats

If you plan to host a Halloween party, why not make your own treats? There are plenty of brilliant recipes for homemade Halloween snacks to choose from. From ghost cookies to pumpkin hummus you will be spoilt for choice!

If you do don’t want to hand out homemade treats to trick or treaters, buy packaged products from ethical brands. Look out for Fairtrade products or other independent certifications on packaging and check that the packaging is easily recyclable. If you have snacks left over that you won’t eat, share them on a food waste app such as Olio. This means another person can benefit from your amazing Halloween treats!

Have we missed one of your favourite Green Halloween tips? Let us know in the comments below!