Common Energy’s External Team loves a good sustainable lifestyle challenge. This past July we pledged to go 100% Plastic-Free, and avoided purchasing food and products associated with plastic packaging. In September, we made the transition from pescatarian to vegan, despite our love of eggs and pizza and sushi.
So when I heard about the Environmental Sciences Student Association’s Eats Local Challenge, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! A significant portion of our carbon footprint comes from the food we eat whether it’s the the energy and water used to harvest and process our food, or the fossil fuels burned to transport it. Veganism is great in that plant-based foods require significantly less land, water, and energy to produce. However vegan foods can still have a significant carbon footprint attached if they’ve been transported via plane, rail, or ship several thousands of kilometres (I lament the carbon footprint of my favourite fruit and true love; Hawaiian pineapple).
For this week, I’ll be taking the ESSA Eats Local Challenge with the added challenge of being vegan. This basically means that several of my main protein sources- nuts, legumes, and soy- will be off-limits. To individuals who aren’t used to a completely plant-based diet, this may come as a physical shock to the body.
In the interest of keeping my iron levels up, I may compromise and opt for BC eggs in lieu of imported protein replacements. Though non-vegan, eating local eggs may have a milder environmental impact than eating nuts that were grown in Southern California on lands that altered outflow of the San Joaquin river and were then transported thousands of kilometres in a 10 000 lb carbo truck.
If you’re interested in taking a shot at the challenge check out their Facebook event! They’ve also provided a bunch of awesome local food resources:
A guide of local foods that are in season
UBC Farm’s Farmer’s Market- this is as local as it gets!
UBC Sprouts! All-vegan, mostly locally-sourced eats. Find them at the Pit Pub in the Nest from Monday-Friday:
“We are currently located in the basement of the Nest and our entrance is between the VOC clubroom entrance and the Noodle Emporium. We’re open 9:30-4:30 every weekday, and are fully vegan. We source most of our food from BC but some of it we do get from Washington state. Most of our produce we receive from on-campus initiatives like the UBC Farm, Roots on the Roof, and the Orchard Garden. And of course, on Fridays we have Community Eats, an initiative that aims to reduce food waste within Vancouver by making a fully by-donation lunch from produce and bread donated to us that would have otherwise been thrown away.”
Other resources:
http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/buying-and-sharing-local-food.aspx
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/local-vendor-profiles/BC
Blog post written by Keila Stark, Assistant Director External, UBC Common Energy
