Sustainable September 2018 - Day 3

Yesterday was all about water bottles. I was given some awesome information about a really helpful app that helps you find a place to refill your water bottles for free. infact the app actually rewards you for refilling. The app is called "Refill"! 

I don't know if the app is UK only or world wide, so let me know.

I have now officilly moved to Reading, England for my new job in archaeology. This is a little different because I am still looking for a permanent place to rent. However, I will keep doing my best to keep this short and sweet.

Back to Sustainable September...

Day 3 - Eat More seasonal vegetables 

This could be a whole lifestyle change to a plantbased diet, or it  could mean being a weekday vegetarian or even just participate in Meat Free Mondays.

As it is the first monday of Septembe, I thought it would be a perfect time to advocate for Meat free Mondays. If you cut down the amount of meat you are using, it makes a significant saving to your hip pocket and it makes a huge difference to the environment too.

“According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the livestock sector is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global”. The FAO estimates that livestock production is responsible for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while other organisations have estimated it could be as much as 51 per cent. World scientists on the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) agree that we need to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by 80 per cent by 2050 in order to avoid catastrophic climate change.” (Meat Free Monday 2018)

In terms of money saving the Meat Free Mondays website also has something to say about that… "According to Office for National Statistics figures for 2014, the average UK family spends £15.80 a week on meat and fish, with £4.20 and £3.50 being spent on fresh vegetables and fresh fruit respectively. The cost of meat has risen 10 per cent since 2007, yet most of the staples of a meat-free diet are comparatively cheaper: plant proteins such as dried beans or lentils typically cost less than the equivalent amount of animal protein. In fact, most of the world’s people eat a mostly meat-free diet made up of inexpensive commodities such as beans, rice and corn. Eat less meat + more veg = save money!” (Meat Free Monday 2018)

This is great news for us, because we can both save cash and save the environment. Then there is also the whole vegan/vegetarian case for the welfare of the animals that are being used for meat. I wont explore that here, but ask any vegetarian or vegan and ask why and you will get a range of reasons.

I often cook simple vegan recipes, and they are really easy. Check out my Instagram account for more ideas @daenaguest! Or check out the hashtag I often use #AccidentallyVegan.

All you need to do is type in "vegetarian recipe" or "vegan recipe" into ecosia/google and you will get an extensive collection of recipes.

I hope this finds you all well.
Love Daena

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Five

Good day my lovely people,

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. I know it is a different day in different countries, but in Australia... today is Fathers day. This is not the first one without my dad. But I still miss him like crazy. Happy Fathers day to all those who are celebrating. :)

How are you going with looking at where your food is coming from? Groceries are the easiest to track but if you ever had fast food it is nearly impossible, because they dont just give that kind of information over to you when you purchase it. So keep that in mind today as you look at what you eat.

Tomorrows idea is one that gives you licence to be a little creative.

Sustainable September Day Five: Participate in Meat Free Monday.

If you watched yesterdays videos, the Manchester YouTube video talked about how to make our food more sustainable and one of the major ideas was to reduce the amount of meat and dairy you eat. And if you eat them, make sure you know where they are coming from, which farm.  And find out how they treat the animals in their care. Now this is not a in hope to converty you to vegetarianism or veganism, however if you do, good on you. This idea is to start you looking at how sustainable the food we eat is.

In Australia, we are considered the "Meat Eating Capital of the World". On average Australians eat 100kgs of meat per person per year. "According to the OECD, the meat industry has a detrimental effect on the environment and our health, despite the employment and revenue it generates" (according to Business Insider 2016).


"The environmental impact of halving your meat consumption is hard to calculate... it is possible to calculate the environmental impact derived from a dollar spent in any of the industry sectors analysed. Using the 'meat products' sector the environmental benefits of reducing an Average Australian Household's meat consumption by half (to the recommended levels) are as follows: Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions - 2,354 kg CO2, Reduction in water use - 70,145 litres, Reduction in land disturbance - 18,606 m2 or 1.86 hectares

These figures suggest that current meat consumption accounts for more than a third of our ecological footprint. So eat well and help us move to a more sustainable and healthy diet." (Sustainable Living Guide 2016).

So why is it important to reduce meat and start doing Meat Free Mondays?

"Vegetable proteins, an alternative to meat, can be produced for a tenth of the land and water cost of meat. In Australia, the sharp hooves of cattle and sheep contribute to the loss or degradation of our soil, water and native habitats. Health experts also warn that Australians generally eat too much meat, so reducing our intake would be sensible for our environment, our health – and our hip pocket!" (Sustainable Living Guide 2016).

As for being creative, there are some awesome ideas for Meat Free Mondays on Pinterest. I have even started a Pinterest board myself which you can check out here. Pinterest is another little passion of mine so i will be updating this when i see recipes i like.

Kindness idea: Have your friends, family or collegues over for dinner and do Meat Free Monday together.

I like this idea because you could make the meal "bring and share" where everyone brings a plate full of vegetarian food. This idea is also important so that we can share hospitality. Hospitality is a one of the greatest acts of kindness anyone can display. Making people feel welcome.

Front Lines:  here is a talk about the reason Meat Free Mondays are so important:

There are a few people who have spoken about the importance of Meat Free Mondays. THe most Notable is Paul McCartney. He even wrote a theme tune for Meat Free Mondays:

For those of you who have already embraced Meat Free Mondays, how about looking at the next step, becoming a Weekday Vegetarian:

I hope this finds you all well.
Cheers,
Daena x