Veganuary in Bournemouth
Sustainability
How veganism helps the environment
Veganuary has hit the media by storm this year. The social media campaign is a challenge to eat a vegan diet for the month of January. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2020 agriculture accounts for 45% of methane gas emissions and 80% of nitrous oxide emissions. These numbers are estimated to rise by 15-20% by 2050. The agriculture industry encompasses both animal production and plant production.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature a large portion, roughly 75%, of our grain and soya production is used to feed farm animals. Researchers from the Spanish National Research Council even going vegetarian can reduce personal carbon emissions by 33%.
Mad Cucumbers wall. Credit: Julia Apte
Mad Cucumbers wall. Credit: Julia Apte
The UN has 17 sustainable development goals. The 13th goal is to tackle climate change. As per their latest report agriculture is the third largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, behind power and transport. The 12th goal is to develop responsible consumption and production. Their latest report shows that food waste reached 1.05 billion metric tons in 2022.
Households have been discarding enough food to provide over a billion meals. Research on the impacts of dietary change on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and health showed that diets that reduced animal products had the greatest positive environmental impact.
Global resource demand is increasing more than the population is growing. By adopting a vegan diet people are making steps towards reducing the excess reliance on the agriculture industry.
Vegan Options in Bournemouth
What exclusive vegan restaurants are there
Mad Cucumbers is one of Bournemouths few all vegan restaurants. Located in the Triangle Mad Cucumbers is owned by Frederica Sindici. She started off as just an employee. When the previous owners were ready to move on she stepped up to run and manage the store.
"I really believe in this idea and business, because I think it's (veganism) the future. There is not enough resources for the world to just keep going on slaughtering animals."
Accessibility of vegan options can turn people away from choosing to become vegan. Having to struggle to find a place that caters to dietary restrictions can be stressful. Two customers at Mad Cucumbers who have been vegan for over 30 years, Cindy Lou and Chanelle Paris spoke about the challenges they've faced finding restaurants. Cindy Lou said: "Even when there are vegan options, they don't tend to have a lot of effort put in to it. Its normally just a falafel or hummus. When there is so much you can do with vegetables."
"During the past couple years we've seen a few vegan businesses shutting down, which is obviously heart breaking."
Footage of inside Mad Cucumbers. Credit: Julia Apte
Footage of inside Mad Cucumbers. Credit: Julia Apte
Is a vegan diet healthy and affordable?
Banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts from Mad Cucumbers. Credit: Julia Apte
Banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts from Mad Cucumbers. Credit: Julia Apte
Can you get enough protein in your diet on a plant based diet? Contrary to popular belief some plants have more protein per gram compared to meat. Beans, nuts and seeds, and even some grains have more protein than something like a chicken breast. The key to any diet or form of healthy eating is balance. Vitamin B12 which is vital for healthy blood and vessels can be found in yeast extracts. Nutritional yeast flakes may be common place in some vegan diets as a cheese flavour replacement.
"We've been vegan for well over 30 years and have never had any health problems. In fact I only see benefits, there are so many foods with protein that are nutrient dense."
Any dietary changes or restrictions can be difficult to manage. Studies conducted by Oxford University have shown that switching to a vegan diet can cut food costs by up to one third. However there are plant based alternatives that do cost more such as: diary products, frozen meals (chicken nuggets, pizza etc). Vegetables and beans are incredibly cost effective that help make the diet feasible even on a low budget.
Would you be able to commit to a plant based diet for a month?
"I wish I had started (vegan diet) earlier, but I think that some is better than nothing. Even if people are kind of worried about becoming vegan I think Veganuary is the perfect opportunity and time to explore more options."
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