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Serving Sustainability with the CES Recipe Challenge
Co-sponsored by the UNC Institute for the Environment
This post was written by EURO major Brett Harris
As the political sphere regarding climate change continues to heat up, many people wonder, “What can I do to reduce my carbon footprint?”
It’s a daunting question — even if a single person can make a difference, there still remains the question of how to effect change.
That’s why CES is participating in the UN ActNow Climate Campaign by putting forward a simple sustainability challenge of our own: submit a sustainable recipe to win a free, reusable grocery tote and a chance to be featured on our blog!
The rules are straightforward. Recipes should meet one or more of the following criteria:
Vegetarian Ingredients — the more greens, the better! Also, consider using ingredients that could be substituted for meat, like jackfruit.
Reducing Meat Consumption — try making a dish with less meat, or maybe no meat at all!
Energy Conscious — for this one, consider the following:
+How much energy does it take to get the ingredients from field, to market, to your kitchen? Try using ingredients that are sourced locally, or those that are in season in your region.
+ How much energy does it take to cook your meal? Try to be conscious of cooktime, and whether you can be more efficient in your meal preparation.
Reusing Leftovers — An enormous amount of all food produced is wasted every year — consider using your leftovers as ingredients for your recipe!
Be creative! — Sometimes, it only takes one innovative individual to change the world. If you have other ideas on how to create a sustainable recipe, use and share them!
To submit your recipe, go to go.unc.edu/recipe (or scan the QR code in the flyer), where you will need to fill out the attached survey and upload a photo of your dish, after which CES will contact you about your tote and possible blog feature. Just to be clear, recipes do NOT need to be related to Europe (although we’d love to see some that are!).
Another huge component of this challenge is sharing your experience, and encouraging others to do the same. Share your recipes on social media, using #ClimateAction and #ActNow, and also by tagging CES on Twitter and Instagram @UNCEurope, and the UN @UN for Twitter, and @UnitedNations on Instagram.
The hardest part of acting sustainably is learning how to think sustainably. By sharing your recipes, you’re taking a huge step toward fighting climate change for yourself, and clearing a path for others. We look forward to reading and seeing your recipes, and hope you have fun making them!
