Food Sustainability

By choosing food responsibly and with sustainability in mind, we can make a positive impact on our personal health and the environment, both locally and globally.

The Science

In a nutshell, greenhouse gases are released at every step of the food supply chain. From farming and processing, to distribution, retail, and even home preparation. Plus, any food that gets wasted adds even more emissions! These greenhouse gases contribute to the "Greenhouse Effect," where certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap the sun's heat like a greenhouse, causing global warming.

If you’d like to learn more about the impact of food on climate change, check out the article here.

‘Well that all sounds a bit rubbish! What do you expect me to do about it?’

We know this might all sound a bit overwhelming, but here at ResCycle, we’re here to remind you that each of us—especially as part of the LBU community—has the power to make a real, positive impact, both locally and globally.

Embracing sustainable habits in our daily lives isn’t just great for the planet. It’s also good for our health, can help us save money, keep things smooth with our flatmates, and honestly, it just feels good to know we’re doing our part. After all, there’s no Planet B!

To help you get started, we’ve put together some simple food sustainability tips.

8 Ways to Improve Food Sustainability in your University Home:

Eat more plants
Farming animals to produce meat and dairy products not only requires lots of space, but it also utilises unfathomable amounts of feed and water. It is important that we as individuals, try to ‘rebalance’ our diets to include more plant-based options. This doesn’t mean that we need to go completely cold-turkey (‘scuse the pun) on meat but by moderating our meat intake, we can contribute to decreasing the overall demand for meat meaning that in the long-run, supply is more likely to react and decrease too.

Eat a more varied diet
Did you know that 75% of the world’s food supply comes from just 12 plants and 5 animal species? Diversity in our diets is integral as it widens the variety of agriculture which is better for nature and is less of a threat to food security.

Choose ethically sourced seafood
94% of fish stocks are over-fished. When purchasing seafood, look for certification labels such as those by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) to ensure that your seafood is being sourced sustainably!

Cut the waste
30% of food is wasted. Reducing waste can be simple: plan your meals, measure your portions, freeze anything you don’t realistically have the time to eat and try to use everything up in your fridge before buying in new.

Eat what’s in season
Rather than buying out-of-season strawberries in December that will have flown miles to be on your plate, try to introduce seasonal food items into your diet. This decreases demand for international produce, decreasing the pollution caused by transporting it, and therefore minimising global greenhouse gas emissions. It may also introduce you to some unbelievably tasty foods that you might not have tried before!

Say no to plastic
Try to minimise the amount of plastic you use / purchase when doing your weekly shop. Take a reusable bag with you to the supermarket/local market, buy loose fruit and veg where possible, visit a refill/zero waste shop, purchase directly from the butchers/deli counters if you can (paper is better than plastic!).

Reuse!
Turn your leftovers into something else! Little bit of spaghetti bolognese leftover following the weekend? If it’s still ok to eat, add in some chilli powder and kidney beans to transform it into chilli and serve it with rice or in a wrap for your next lunch/dinner! This not only decreases food waste but also has the potential to save you some pennies too!

Shop local
Another way to decrease pollution caused by food production is to buy (and support) local! By purchasing food/beverages from local sellers, your food will not only be fresher, but it will also help to decrease your Carbon Footprint. It also helps the local economy!