Like many professional athletes, football players are turning to plant power to stay in top form. With the FIFA 2022 World Cup upon us, we dish out some of the vegan food staples fuelling the tournament’s star players, from Lionel Messi to Gareth Bale.
It’s worth mentioning that there are plenty of other footballers who are not playing at the FIFA 2022 World Cup but who also opt for plant-based foods to stay on top of their game.
Some of the most notable players include former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, an active flexitarian who opts to go vegan 3-4 days per week, and former Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero, who has cut out meat from his diet. Former England midfielder Fabian Delph and Roma’s centre-back Chris Smalling reportedly follow fully plant-based diets.
There’s science to back up their choices, too. A predominantly plant-based diet can reduce inflammation and enhance recovery, according to numerous studies. Tom Brady, the winningest quarterback in the National Football League, credits much of his success—now at age 45 and still playing—to a plant-forward diet.
Messi’s diet is mainly comprised of whole grains, fresh veggies and fruit, as well as good quality olive oil. (Image: Unsplash)
1. Lionel Messi, Team Argentina: Healthy Whole Foods Bowl
While Messi isn’t a vegan, the renowned football star has mostly cut out animal meat and dairy from his diet to stay in top shape. According to a 2016 interview with Messi’s Italian nutritionist Giuliano Poser, his diet mainly consists of good quality olive oil, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as plenty of nuts and seeds. He also stays hydrated on lots of water while staying off sugary drinks. Sounds like Messi’s go-to plant-based meal is a loaded bowl of whole-foods, with a good balance between whole grain carbs, healthy fats and veggies!
Gundogan’s go-to vegan meal is a plant-based burger. (Image: Unsplash)
2. Ilkay Gundogan, Team Germany: Vegan Burgers
Ilkay Gundogan loves a vegan burger, or so his chef Jonny Marsh says. According to Marsh, the Manchester City midfielder often chooses the plant-based option for his athletic performance. Gundogan’s favourite burger is loaded with plant protein, made from a base of chickpeas, rice and lentils. Feeling like making it yourself? You can get the full recipe here.
Bale’s pre-match meal, beans on toast, is accidentally vegan. (Image: Rawpixel)
3. Gareth Bale, Team Wales: Beans On Toast
Yes, Gareth Bale’s favourite pre-match dish is beans on toast. The Welsh player and renowned winger gorges on an accidentally vegan meal before every big game, as revealed by former Tottenham team player Kyle Walker back in 2015.
Lewandowski enjoys a gluten-free oat and millet porridge to start his day. (Image: Pexels)
4. Robert Lewandowski, Team Poland: Millet and Oat Porridge
Robert Lewandowski isn’t vegan or even vegetarian, but he’s strict on cutting out dairy from his diet. Helped by his wife Anna, who is herself a fitness instructor and Karate World Cup medallist, Lewandowski’s meal plan features several plant-based dishes. He often starts the day with a millet and oat-based porridge, made with either almond milk or rice milk and a scoop of vegan protein.
Bellerin enjoys having a protein packed seitan and bean stew, paired with greens and couscous. He also likes having some hummus with pita bread on the side. (Image: Unsplash)
5. Hector Bellerin, Team Spain: Seitan Stew
While Hector Bellerin will not be playing at the 2022 World Cup due to injury, the Barcelona defender has been a vocal proponent of a vegan diet. He adopted a fully plant-based diet back in 2016, and has since become a Veganuary advocate and even invested in Forest Green Rovers, the world’s first fully vegan football club. In Bellerin’s own YouTube vlog, he shares one of his go-to lunches, which features a plant protein-heavy plate of seitan stew, greens, couscous or quinoa, hummus and pita bread. Yum.
Growing up in a Cantonese home, dishes were always shared at mealtimes. When I went vegan, my mum turned our family favourites plant-based so I would never have to miss out. And honestly, even the omnivores at home say they taste better now.
In Chinese food culture, meals are always meant to be shared. Every evening, my family would sit together and enjoy the various dishes in the centre of our round dining table. From Hong Kong-style curry to steamed gai lan (Chinese broccoli), we’d each take our turns to portion a little bit of what we wanted to soeng fan–literally meaning to “pair with” rice.
When I made the switch to a plant-based diet, family meals became stressful. I would prepare and eat my food on a separate plate, and missed out on our tradition to dine together. Conscious of this, my mum started turning some of our dinnertime staples vegan. I’ll swear by these recipes, which will convince even the hardiest Cantonese carnivores into fans.
1. Vegan long-boil simmering soup (純素老火湯)
Cashews, apricot kernels, chestnuts, carrots and corn form the base of this vegan Chinese soup.
Meals are often not only paired with rice, but with a bowl of warm soup. Chinese soup is clear and brothy, traditionally made by simmering pork or chicken with vegetables for hours. You can always taste the love in Chinese soup, and my mum’s vegan version is no different. Instead of meat, she uses two handfuls of cashews, apricot kernels and chestnuts, and adds around 3 cups of mixed vegetables such as carrots, corn on the cob and green hairy gourd, all chopped into thick chunks. After simmering for around two hours, you’ll end up with a clear soup that is savoury yet sweet. Add salt if needed, but chances are it will already pack a lot of flavour. Make sure to scoop out some of the veggies too! Us Cantonese love eating the base ingredients while sipping the delicious soup.
2. Smacked cucumber (拍黃瓜/拌青瓜)
Smacked cucumber salad.
Smacked cucumber salad has always been an “accidentally vegan” staple starter in Chinese cuisine, but my mum brings in her own twist. She was born and raised in Hong Kong, but her parents hailed from Chiu Chow (潮州) in the eastern part of Guangdong–a place famous for its chilli oil. For her recipe, she marinades the smacked cucumber chunks in crushed garlic, light soy sauce, rice vinegar and a dash of Chiu Chow-style chilli oil you can readily find in any Asian grocer. Sometimes, she’ll finely chop a small red chilli with some sesame oil, as well as some wood ear mushrooms into the mix too. Put it into a big glass box, put on the lid and give it a good shake before letting the cucumbers soak up the flavours for at least half an hour before serving. Make sure to garnish with a few sprigs of coriander too.
3. Chiu Chow “fish” cakes (潮州純素魚餅)
Chiu Chow-style “fish” cakes.
Chiu chow people love their fish cakes, which resemble fritters and are made using fish paste, scallion and chopped dried shrimp. My mum swaps the shrimp and fish with the almighty potato. Peel and grate your spuds, mash a small block of tofu, add a dash of white pepper, salt and sesame oil and form little patties with the mixture. You can mix some finely diced carrots to mimic the colour of dried shrimp too. Coat in a little bit of corn flour before pan-frying until golden brown. Dip in some soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce and enjoy.
4. Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐)
Vegan mapo tofu with eggplant.
Mapo tofu is one of my favourite dishes my mum has veganised. Traditionally, this Sichuanese classic is made with ground pork or beef. My mum foregoes the meat for the plant-based pork substitute Omnipork, along with some eggplant. She starts by pan-frying the vegan minced pork with grated garlic and ginger, chopped shallots, dou ban (fermented bean paste) and chilli oil. She then adds eggplant cubes with some ground peppercorns, chopped chilli or some of her own Chiu Chow chilli oil if she’s feeling like giving the dish a hometown twist. Then, toss in the chopped hard silken tofu with a dash of water to simmer. Garnish with chopped spring onions.
5. Shredded “pork” and pickled mustard greens in noodle soup (雪菜肉絲麵)
Shanghai noodles or vermicelli goes well with vegan pork and pickled mustard greens.
This noodle dish, 雪菜肉絲麵, is often served as breakfast in local cha chaan teng in Hong Kong, or a quick lunch in Chinese households. To replace pork, my mum uses Omni’s plant-based pork strips and stir-fries it with chopped pickled mustard greens in a pan with sesame oil. You won’t need any salt–there’s plenty of salt from the pickles–but you can season with a dash of white pepper and Chinese rice wine for cooking. In a separate pot, heat up some vegetable stock. Put your cooked Shanghai noodles or vermicelli into a bowl, top with the fried plant-based pork and mustard greens mixture, then pour in some of the soup base.
As a vegan and sustainable food advocate, growing my own organic produce had always been something I wanted to do.
I never thought it was possible to grow my own food right here in Hong Kong, a city famous for its skyscrapers, bright lights, and bustling traffic. But turns out, it is.
Here’s what I learned during my urban farming journey.
1. Farming in the city is possible
I made endless excuses to not fulfil my farm-to-table dream. Despite writing about slow food pioneers like Alice Waters and the dedicated social entrepreneurs behind urban farming concept The Farmers in Singapore, I somehow convinced myself it was a task too difficult in Hong Kong. It would be far away from the city centre, I thought.
Locally grown lettuce.
I was proven wrong. Hysan, a mall in the heart of Causeway Bay, runs a rooftop urban farming initiative. Yes, dozens of mini-farming plots right on top of a mall. The program is open to the public, and successful applicants will learn the basics of organic farming over the course of 13 weeks. By the end of it, you’ll be able to harvest your own seasonal produce.
2. It doesn’t take as much time as you think
Another excuse I made for myself was that urban farming would take up too much of my free time. False. It’s a weekly commitment, yes, but it only took up an hour or two of my Saturday mornings.
3. Growing your own produce is a labour of love
At first, I thought the whole point of urban farming was getting the goods, so to speak. The day when I’d get to harvest my own beautiful kale or Swiss chard, especially after the grueling first week of weeding, hoeing and ploughing. That wasn’t easy, my back was a little achy and my muscles were definitely left tired. I wanted to be rewarded for my hard work.
Examining my lettuces.
But as the weeks went on after sowing our initial seeds, I became immersed in the process of tending to my seedlings. I not only looked forward to seeing how my plants would grow, but found the routine of watering, trimming, weeding, and loosening the soil enjoyable.
4. You’ll gain a new sense of respect for farmers and food
Locally grown radishes.
That being said, I was just responsible for my own little plot of farmland on a rooftop–and it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. It was frustrating when some of the seeds I sowed never sprouted, or when some of my baby lettuces were blown away thanks to the typhoon one week. In addition, manually hoeing and shoveling is way harder than it looks. It made me imagine having to work in a much larger field for commercial agriculture. I gained a new sense of appreciation for farmers who, despite keeping our global food system alive, are often vulnerable to workplace exploitation and are typically paid extremely low wages for their labour. Realizing the work it takes to get those ingredients onto your plate also makes you respect food itself and become much more mindful of food waste.
Saturday mornings became the snippet of my week when I felt most at peace. It was almost like a refuge after a busy week. You’d think that being in Causeway Bay–Hong Kong’s shopping haven–would be anything but relaxing. But it’s quiet up there. You can hear little rustling sounds coming from grasshoppers trying to nibble your Pak Choi leaves. Shooing the jumpy insects away while trimming my coral leaf lettuce and watering my cherry radishes gave me the same sense of calm that a countryside hike would. Urban farming became my nature therapy.
A lettuce closeup.
6. Organic produce tastes better
Organic farming means no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers that wreak havoc on soil health. Instead, we rely on natural methods such as growing shallot bulbs around the plot and spraying our plants with garlic water to repel bugs. It’s not foolproof, which inevitably means that soil insects like wireworms and herbivore grasshoppers will chew through stems and leaves. My Pak Choi and daikon radish greens bore the brunt of the damage, with many leaves punctured with tiny holes. While they look a little misshapen and imperfect, I promise they taste better than the commercially grown veggies available on supermarket shelves. My cherry radishes were mildly peppery and crisp, and my butterhead lettuce tasted sweeter than I imagined. Plus, knowing my veggies could be a potential climate solution made them that much more delicious.
Locally grown daikon.
7. It’ll become your new addiction
After spending a few weeks at the urban farm, I realised this was going to be my new addiction, even for a big-city person. I came to enjoy getting my hands dirty and my shoes muddy every Saturday. There’s something so satisfying about planting, tending and finally eating your own fresh harvest. As the weather begins to cool down in the weeks ahead, I’ll be able to harvest and enjoy my daikon radish…and I’m already thinking about what to plant next in time for Spring.
We all want to live a little lighter on earth, but making waste-free choices doesn’t mean that we have to sacrifice on our favourite bath, body and skincare products. Read on for some inspiration to eliminate waste from your daily routine the DIY way with zero-waste bathroom essentials.
You might be wondering: how can we really avoid all that plastic packaging in our everyday toiletries? We’re here to help. Here, we’ve put together some of our favourite low-impact bath and beauty recipes with ingredients that can all be purchased either in sustainable reusable packaging or in bulk stores.
Source: Going Zero Waste
1. Charcoal face mask
You literally only need 3 ingredients for this mask – baking soda, activated charcoal, and bentonite clay. Once you mix it all up, leave it on for around 10 minutes before washing it off.
Time to exfoliate? Make a sugar scrub. We love this recipe that uses anti-inflammatory coconut oil, sugar, and a fragrant lemon essential oil. You can keep the scrub in a glass jar to keep in your bathroom for next time.
We’ve heard loads of beauty experts say that hyaluronic acid serum is the secret to keeping skin wrinkle-free and preventing dullness. But that doesn’t mean we need to go out and buy the product in a single-use bottle – it can easily be made at home using hyaluronic acid powder, rose water and your favourite essential oil.
Most conventional toothpaste come in a non-recyclable tube, so a great way to eliminate waste in your morning and evening routine is to make your own toothpaste. You’ll need coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint essential oil.
You’ve got your reusable makeup rounds, but what about the remover? You can DIY a bottle using a combination of melted coconut, almond, sunflower and olive oil.
Sustainability is a hot topic in fashion right now, as the industry grapples with its reputation as one of the most polluting in the world. Consumers, in search for more eco-friendly ways to shop, are looking for alternatives that leave behind a lighter footprint – and this is driving the growth of resale fashion, which helps lengthen the lifespan of clothing and reduces the need for new production.
According to research from preloved fashion platform Vestiaire Collective and research firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG), diverse customer attitudes are supporting the resale fashion boom. From the growing importance of sustainability among consumer priorities to how luxury brands can capitalise on the opportunity, we highlight five key findings from the analysis.
1. Secondhand clothing will make up 27% of closets by 2023
Currently, the resale market is estimated to be worth US$30 to US$40 billion, but the analysts predict that with an annual growth rate of 15% to 20% over the next five years, the sector is poised to undergo major growth. This will ultimately lead to secondhand clothing taking up 27% of people’s wardrobes by 2023, up from 21%.
2. Consumers’ environmental concerns is the key driver
Despite the fact that affordability and availability have been core tenets of the resale fashion sector’s success in recent years, the researchers say that now, the main driver of the trend is sustainability above all else, especially in the wake of the pandemic. The survey saw 70% of respondents saying they are motivated to shop for preowned items as a part of their broader effort to become more eco-friendly, up from 62% just two years ago.
3. Majority of shoppers want to own fewer items
The rise of conscious consumerism is also seeing shoppers opt for fewer pieces of clothing that are higher in quality, rather than having more items. According to the study, 85% of respondents are now trading fast fashion consumption for fewer longer-lasting pieces. In addition, 70% said they want to take better care of items they already own in order to increase the lifespan of their garments.
4. People are more willing to buy from brands who partner with resale fashion players
In order to retain market share, the report says that fashion brands should explore collaborations with secondhand platforms to offer more circular models to consumers. 62% of participants in the research said they are more willing and interested in brands who are working with resale platforms. In general, 60% of consumers are looking for companies that represent “purpose-led organisations” instead of profit-seeking businesses.
5. Luxury brands may have the most to gain from introducing resale
One of the key considerations consumers are now making is affordability, especially as the coronavirus has unleashed economic crises all over the world. But in addition to giving a wider range of consumers greater accessibility to designer goods, luxury brands who partner with secondhand players may also benefit from increasing their brand presence, not to mention a boost in their reputation as a sustainable company. 48% of respondents have bought from brands that are new to them after spotting them on resale channels, and are now considering purchasing from these labels in the future.
From generating huge amounts of waste to spewing out greenhouse gases, here is everything you need to know about the environmental impact of your digital use and what we can individually do to minimise it.
Thanks to the Digital Age, we have managed to cut down on our consumption of physical resources such as wood for paper, but the emissions produced from maintaining and powering devices, cloud storage, data centres can add up. With access to the Internet and online services continually on the rise, so does our digital footprint rise.
What is your digital footprint?
Have you ever wondered about the environmental impact of your online activity? While the internet’s data is essentially invisible, it needs to be processed and stored in massive data centres all over the world that are powered round-the-clock to send information back and forth between all our digital devices, from phones to laptops and tablets. Our digital world accessible at just a click of a button does in fact leave a trail of waste and emissions on our planet.
Currently, 2.5 billion people in the world are connected to the internet, and with this figure set to grow, so will the carbon footprint generated from the digital world. According to global nonprofit Climate Care, the internet’s annual energy and carbon footprint stands at 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is roughly 2% of global carbon emissions. Right now, the global digital footprint is the same as that of air travel, but it is poised to quickly exceed the aviation industry soon.
Source: Cushman & Wakefield
So where exactly do all the emissions from the online world come from? In the first place, tech companies have to manufacture and ship out huge internet hardware, such as servers, computers and phones, which not only requires huge amounts of resources and energy in the making process, but also releases huge amounts of emissions from both production and transportation.
Then, these devices themselves have to be powered and cooled – and most of the time, the electricity is drawn from a grid that is coal, gas or oil powered rather than using renewable energy, which again spews out greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
When it comes to using our devices, every single time we use a search engine, it requires the use of energy from internet hardware to our devices themselves, and there is a corresponding emissions output. This is because every single search requires the use of multiple servers, which sends information back and forth. According to Climate Care, just one Google search can produce anywhere between 0.2 to 7 grams of carbon dioxide emissions – 7 grams equates to driving a car 52 feet. Emails containing lots of information or sent to multiple contacts can generate up to 50 grams of carbon dioxide – that’s enough energy use to power 6.4 average smartphones.
How can we minimise it?
While using our digital devices and surfing the web has become unavoidable in the modern age, there are indeed a few tips we can follow to reduce our digital footprint.
Source: Shutterstock
Adjust your power settings
Setting computers and devices into sleep mode or hibernation will help conserve energy when you are not using them. Shutting them down or turning monitors off altogether will save even more.
Stop data tracking
Almost every single website or search engine transmits data about you to hundreds of companies. There are some engines such as Firefox that have introduced tracking protection against personal data collection, but one of the most eco-friendly choices available is Ecosia, which does not track any of your private data and its centres are powered by 100% renewable energy. Ecosia also plants trees using the ad revenue generated, which helps offset some of emissions generated from your device’s power use.
Lower screen brightness
Sustainability department at Harvard University recommends dimming our monitors and screens by 30% can help cut down a significant amount of energy and ease eye strain too.
Download or selective streaming
Music and video streaming requires huge amounts of data being transmitted back and forth servers, which uses up a lot of energy and emissions compared to downloading, which involves pulling data from servers just once. If downloading is not an option, Greenpeace’s Click Clean Report shows which streaming services are more eco-friendly than others.
The digital industry needs to step up
Source: Unsplash
With the tech devices and the internet becoming more accessible than ever before, the accompanied data growth will drive an explosion of the global digital footprint. So while we can each make informed choices to minimise our online footprint, there needs to be a system-wide change if we are to effectively combat the growing emissions that will inevitably come from an increasingly digitised world.
Companies such as Wholegrain Digital have developed a website carbon calculator to help users and corporations to understand the impact their sites have on the planet and find ways to make websites more sustainable through low carbon designs, more efficient loading speeds, setting up a page weight budget and using renewable energy to host the data centre. Founders Tom and Vineeta Greenwood say that as our climate crisis escalates, a “zero carbon internet revolution” must happen if we are to effectively curb the rising emissions inevitable from a digitalised world.
Italy has long been synonymous with luxury fashion and globally-recognised design talent. A new crop of Italian entrepreneurs are changing the discourse on what it means to create a fashion company in today’s global markets, where sustainability has become a key consideration.
The fashion industry is reckoning with itself and sustainability has become the mot du jour: fast fashion brands, luxury labels and independent boutiques are all ramping up their sustainability efforts, from launching circular resale and rental services to incorporating recycled and repurposed materials into their designs or even innovating new ways to minimise the environmental footprint of aftercare.
But the true pioneers are entrepreneurs creating their own systems and doing the hard work of building planet-forward and people-forward brands from scratch complete with ethical supply chains and a low waste ethos. Below, we’re highlighting Italian founders of eco fashion startups who are shaping the future of the industry.
Source: Skin of Nature
1. Elena Beraldo – Founder of Skin of Nature
After moving to Hong Kong to work in the apparel supply chain as a sustainable sourcing expert, Elena Beraldo decided to build her own brand Skin of Nature. It offers conscious active-lifestyle apparel and its latest collection, Aquatilis, is inspired by the work of marine biologist and underwater photographer Alexander Semenov. All the pieces are made in small batches with 100% recycled polyester yarns derived from recovered plastic bottles, which slashes the carbon footprint of the garments by 30%, reduces water wastage by 20% and energy use by 60% compared to traditional production methods. To further solidify the brand’s commitment to minimise its environmental impact, 1% of all sales from the Aquatilis collection will be donated to Semenov’s nonprofit of the same name, which supports marine conservation projects.
Claudia Pievani founded Miomojo, the cruelty-free and sustainable Italian fashion brand offering accessories, bags and apparel using materials that do not harm the environment or any animals. While retaining the style and flair of Italian design, Miomojo’s collection ditches fur, wool, silk, feathers or leather for 100% plant-based alternatives such as apple and cactus leather, as well as recycled materials derived from recovered ghost fishing nets and plastic waste, and natural pesticide-free linen, hemp and bamboo fabrics. In addition, 10% of every purchase made online on Miomojo’s website goes towards supporting multiple animal conservation charities all around the world, including Animals Asia, Four Paws, Edgar’s Mission, Mercy for Animals and more.
3. Alessandro Nora, Ludovico Durante & Chiara Latini – Founders of STAIY
Italian trio Alessandro Nora, Ludovico Durante and Chiara Latini (alongside German-Italian Adrian Leue) came together to create STAIY, descrive themselves as the first online platform to offer customers nothing but the most eco-friendly brands, making it super easy and convenient for fashion lovers to shop without having to worry about their environmental impact. Though all from different career backgrounds (startups, finance, marketing and management), the founders are united in their vision that all garments featured on their platform should be evaluated to the highest standards under 5 main “pillars” – water use, air pollution, materials, work conditions and commitment to give back to the community. On the platform, each brand’s score is then turned into “Impact Points”, which can be collected through purchases and then be reinvested into the company’s sustainability efforts. The platform is currently more Europe-centric with many EU-based brands but they have plans to expand globally soon.
Scientists and climate activists have called for an urgent transition to a more sustainable food system. The future food system envisioned is one without animal agriculture, the industry that drives as much as 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water contamination and contributing towards antimicrobial resistance.
In an climate and pandemic-stricken age where environmental and public health is at the top of mind for many, the growing demand for plant-based alternatives has grown immensely.
Yet many are wondering – what happens to all the jobs and livelihoods in the enormous animal agriculture industry, from slaughterhouse workers to dairy producers and livestock farmers?
Turns out, there is a place for meat and dairy producers and farmers – there simply needs to be a transition to sustainable options. Some are already undergoing this shift, and here’s how.
Chicken & cow farms turn to mushrooms
As a part of the Texas-based Rancher Advocacy Program, a support system to help farmers transition to move to new farming practices, farmers Jennifer and Rodney Barrett switched from raising chickens and cows to start their career as vegan mushroom farmers.
While the couple was prompted to make the dramatic change to mushroom farming as a result of Rodney’s long-term health problems that led to the adoption of a plant-based diet, other instances of the profitability of mushroom farming as plant-based meats surge in popularity suggest that there is also a business case for the switch.
Source: Stuff NZ / Brent Williams & Jude Horrill
In New Zealand, Brent Williams and Jude Horrill established Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms in 2018, and now produces around 30 to 40 kilograms of shiitake mushrooms, pink and phoenix oyster mushrooms every week.
Since launching their mushroom venture, the couple has attracted not only restaurant partnerships to use their mushrooms as plant-based alternative ingredients in dishes, but has also been popular amongst locals who are searching for new, healthier and more sustainable meat-replacements in their home cooking.
Dairy producers are now milking oats
One of the early pioneers of helping farmers transition into sustainable options is the Swedish oat milk brand Oatly, which has since its inception taken the world by storm and has even landed on the menus of Starbucks and Pacific Coffee, the two leading coffee chains in Hong Kong, and in mainland China.
In 2017, the company supported dairy farmer Adam Arnesson to switch to growing oats instead of raising dairy cattle. Oatly used Arnesson’s oats to create a specialty line of oat milk, and also monitored the environmental impact of his transitioned farm. At the end, Arnesson saw a significant reduction in emissions while his profits steadily increased.
Source: Tom Levitt / The Guardian
“The big change is that we now can feed over 200 people with food on our farm compared to 60 when we started, and that our climate emissions have reduced to half per produced calorie,” Arnesson said to HuffPost. He hopes that more farmers will follow his example, and see the plant-based movement as a profitable business opportunity while also being beneficial to the planet.
Hälsa, the makers of organic oat milk yoghurts, is launching a similar initiative. It recently celebrated the first Scandinavian organic oat seeds planted in a pilot farm with dairy farmers in the United States as a part of a dairy-to-oat sustainable farming conversion program.
Farmers are also switching to cultivating crops for plant-based cheese
“A lot of farmers see us as a threat,” said Miyoko Schinner, the founder of Californian plant-based dairy company Miyoko’s Creamery in a recent interview. But Schinner is now focused on changing this perception.
Like Oatly, she is now helping farmers switch to more eco-friendly types of agriculture, and is currently looking for dairy farms in the state of California who are willing to work with her fast-growing brand ditch cows for growing ingredients for vegan products instead.
Source: Miyoko’s Creamery
Mikoyo’s Creamery will offer financial support for farms to convert to growing seeds, legumes and even potatoes that can be used to manufacture vegan dairy products such as cheeses.
For many dairy farmers in the United States in particular, switching to sustainably farming crops for plant-based companies could be a lifeline.
Sound therapists believe that sound – music, different frequencies, pure sounds – can help rebalance our energy, emotions and well-being. If you’re looking to explore a new wellness modality – sound therapy might just be it. Here, we take a dive into what sound therapy actually is, different types of sound therapies out there and how it might benefit us.
What is sound therapy?
You’ve felt it before – music can make us feel different ways, from our emotions to our physical reactions. What sound therapy does is help us harness health and wellness benefits from the beauty of sounds, whether it is a song, a tune, a piece of classical music or pure sounds.
The practice of healing with sound dates back to ancient Greece, where music was sometimes used as a tool to help cure mental illness. But this isn’t the only instance where sounds has been harnessed for the purpose of eliciting positive emotions – music has been used to boost morale in the military for years and “studying” playlists are often used to increase work productivity.
Modern day sound therapists believe that sound is healing – aspects of sounds and music can improve our physical and emotional health by helping us feel relaxed, alleviate pain and anxiety or help boost memory and focus. Some research has shown that sound therapy can help improve our immune functioning, lower cholesterol and being exposed to it is associated with better health amongst premature babies.
How does it work?
Sound therapy often takes place with a trained practitioner, and each session can involve different sound and music-related activities depending on the method used. These include listening to music, moving to the beat of a song, meditating, playing an instrument or singing and humming along to music.
One popular form of sound therapy is guided meditation, a form of sound healing where voiced instructions are given, and can involve chanting, humming or repeating certain sounds.
The tuning fork therapy method, on the other hand, uses calibrated metal tuning forks to create specific vibrations to different parts of the body, which is believed to help relieve tension and energy. It works in a similar way to acupuncture, except instead of needles, sound frequencies are used to stimulate certain pressure points.
Another form of sound therapy is neurological music therapy, where you listen, sing, or move to music. This is more commonly used for physical rehabilitation, pain management and brain injuries as well as stress reduction and relaxation purposes.
Where can I try sound therapy?
There are a few studios that offer sound therapy in Hong Kong:
Soundscape offers group, private and online sessions that use sound to help restore balance, help members relax and focus on healing one’s energy.
Sound Therapy HK provides different sound therapy sessions such as gong baths, and is open to corporate groups too.
Red Doors Studio offers gong bath meditation sessions and is one of the pioneers in bringing sound healing meditation to Hong Kong.
Ikigai hosts several meditation classes that are based on sound therapy or incorporates it with other therapeutic practices, such as om-chanting, breathwork with sound healing, and mantra meditation.
Plenty of studios across Asia also offer sound therapy, and here are our favourites:
Soul Sanctuaries has studios across Thailand, Bali, India and Bhutan, and one of the sessions it specialises in is the sound healing practice of Tibetan singing bowls.
The Singing Bowl Gallery in Singapore is a sound healing studio that offers various sessions, including an introduction to singing bowl sound baths, breathing exercises as well as Q&A sessions for beginners.
Alchemie Boutique in Kuala Lumpur is one of the most well-known spots for sound baths in Malaysia, providing hammocks for visitors to listen and bathe in calming tunes.
White Space Wellness Studio in Manila provides private and group 60-minute sound healing sessions that also incorporate breathing and vocal toning exercises.
Want to explore another wellness modality? Learn all about breathwork here.
Sustainable fashion is on the rise, with mainstream brands and luxury labels alike embracing the trend. Yet the truth of it is, many of us still feel overwhelmed as consumers: is it possible to be a conscious fashionista?
Many of us remain confused about how to go about building a wardrobe without leaving behind a detrimental impact on earth. It’s not always an easy journey but we’re here to help. While there is no one perfect approach, there are plenty of options and small actions that you can take to stay fashionable and responsible. Below, check out Green Queen’s 8 “Rs” of building a responsible wardrobe. One to bookmark for sure!
Source: Pexels
1. Repair > Find Yourself A Great Tailor
When your clothes undergo wear and tear, your immediate response should be to repair, instead of buying a new replacement. Don’t give up on your favourite cardigan just because a few holes are showing up! You can sew it up yourself, or if you’re hopeless in the realm of textiles (like many of us are), then find yourself a good, trustworthy tailor (so many in Asia, we are so lucky!) who can refurbish your wardrobe staples from broken jacket zippers to split seams to its original fabulous condition again.
Photo by Cottonbro at Unsplash.
2. Recycle > Opt For Second-Hand
Sometimes, you really do need to update your old wardrobe, or make a couple of more on-trend additions to style up your outfit. There are so many places to look for second hand pieces, more than you can imagine. From high-end preloved accessories and bags that are resold on luxury resale platforms to everyday jeans and jackets that can be found in thrift stores, charity shops and consignment apps, there are second hand options for just about everyone.
Source: Glamour
3. Rent > Sign Up To A Borrow Service
Clothing for hire is one of the most practical and sustainable solutions to ever changing trends in the fashion world. With the rental fashion sector experiencing a huge boom in popularity, there are lots of options available to suit each person’s needs. Those who want a regular wardrobe change can opt for a monthly subscription plan, while others who simply want a special outfit for a one-off function or have their eye on a trendy piece can pay per loan to borrow through platforms or peer-to-peer hire companies. This would increase the number of times clothing is worn before it reaches the end of its life cycle.
Photo by William Mattey from Pexels.
4. Reinvent > Craft Your Way To Better Style
Maybe there are pieces of clothing that are in your closet that have long gone out of fashion. Before you get rid of it (responsibly, of course), is there a chance that you can reinvent it by giving it a bit of a do-up? Be your own designer. Is there something creative you can add onto that old canvas tote, such as sew-on patch work or adding a few pockets in? Could you repurpose a pair of trousers into shorts?
Are there pieces that you’ve fallen out of love with but are still in great condition? Find your clothes a new home by donating it to a charity, giving it up for resale at a second hand store, gifting it to your friends and family or pass it onto someone who will make use of it. Just because it is preloved doesn’t mean it can’t be reloved, rehoused and recirculated.
Source: Stocksy United
6. Recapsulate > Build A Capsule Wardrobe Plan
Come up with an entire capsule wardrobe plan. Sit down with a notepad, reflect and recapitulate everything you currently have, the style you wish to achieve, which pieces you want to recirculate and what you want to curate through sustainable options from recycled resale to rental and refurbishment. Will your newly curated pieces fit into a long-term plan and last you a long time before you grow bored of it? Which pieces will you wear over and over again? Can you build a versatile wardrobe with items that you can dress up and down for all occasions? Plan it out and visualise it before you take action!
Courtesy Pexels
7. Rethink > Do You Really Need It?
Think twice, and think again for another time before you consider purchasing an item. How many times will you realistically wear that scarf? Will it match with the other items in your wardrobe? Will it go off-trend after one season? How many resources have gone into creating the item? These are all the kind of questions we need to ask ourselves and truly rethink before we decide to add another item to the basket.
Photo by Parker Burchfield at Unsplash.
8. Replace > Choose Sustainable & Ethical
If you must replace an item, and you can’t seem to use any of the sustainable channels such as buying second hand and preloved, swapping and renting, think about buying upcycled to prevent supporting brand new production methods. There are brands that create pieces out of upcycled fabrics and materials, such as bouncy castles or ocean waste, or use textiles that have been made of recycled yarn instead of virgin fibres. If you must purchase a new item, then consider its end of life and what kind of impact it will leave behind. Choosing more environmentally friendly, biodegradable, cruelty-free fabrics like sustainably grown organic cotton and linen and regeneratively farmed bamboo are better options than synthetic fibres that will take thousands of years to decompose, releasing microplastics in the process.
Did you know that your average chocolate bar probably contains insect parts? According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, anything less than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate – around two typical bars of store-bought chocolate – is deemed safe for public consumption.
Bugs are constantly present during the food manufacturing process, from crop production to transportation to storage. While you might think that regulators ensure that your end product is bug-free, that might not always be the case.
Part of the reason is it’s nearly impossible to prevent exposure. Bugs are abundant in our agricultural systems, and so regulations control only for excess. Under FDA guidelines, food manufacturers are legally allowed to produce food with traces of insects like cockroach parts, which are considered “natural contaminants” and is considered safe for public consumption.
What’s in your chocolate?
According to ABC News, your average chocolate bar, for instance, contains around 8 insect parts. In a 2017 study by ant and insect control company Terro, this means that chocolate lovers could be eating almost 6,000 pieces of bugs in their diets every single year.
Photo by Tamas Pap on Unsplash
It also means that you could be mistaken if you think that you’re having an allergic reaction to chocolate. Allergist Morton Teich at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that instead, most people who experience hives, migraines, cramps, or itching after consuming chocolate are probably triggered by cockroach parts and droppings on cocoa beans.
But before you decide to ditch chocolate for good even if you haven’t experienced an allergic reaction, Teich explains that preventing bugs from infiltrating harvest would in fact require the use of more pesticides.
Natural contaminants also appear in a number of common staple foods, such as pasta. Under FDA rules, pasta samples need to contain more than 225 insect fragments per 225 grams of pasta before they can be banned from supermarket shelves. This is because insects usually bite through wheat, leaving behind bits in possibly every gram of pasta you consume.
Aside from pasta and chocolate, cockroach parts are also found in popcorn, fruit, and cheese.
Teich told ABC News that it is near impossible to avoid insects in your food, and we should probably stop worrying about it or “you probably would have to stop eating completely.”
Decorating your home with plants won’t just brighten up your home, it will literally make you healthier. Plants offer numerous benefits for our well-being, the most notable of which are that they literally clean the air around them, a must for urban dwellers in busy, polluted cities.
For many of us who have to cope with the hustle and bustle of city life, it is especially important that our homes are a space for mental relaxation and recuperation. From improving the quality of your air to boosting energy and focus, investing in potted plants is becoming more popular than ever. Some studies have even found that indoor plants provide physical recovery-boosting qualities, can decrease the chances of getting ill and lower anxiety and stress levels.
While there are many gorgeous plants out there, we’ve narrowed our must- have list to three. Below, we share the best indoor plants to green your home and clear your air.
1. Green Mist: Eucalyptus in The Shower
Hanging a bundle of the eucalyptus plant in the shower can help relieve symptoms of flu and cold-related illness. The gorgeous scent produces a real spa-vibe to your shower routine as the herb’s essential oils are released by the heat and steam of your shower. Eucalyptus doesn’t just smell good – the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of its natural oils can help relieve congestion, boost mood and mental clarity. This rejuvenating plant also comes with the bonus of brightening up your bathroom with some greenery!
Fresh eucalyptus can often be found in local flower shops or in-store bouquets, and can last for around a week. You can simply tie a bundle together with twine and secure it around your showerhead, just make sure that the plant is not placed directly under the water stream.
2. Snake Plant to Purify Your Living Room: NASA Approved
We spend most of our days out in the city breathing polluted air, making it extra important for our homes to help give our lungs a bit of rest. Indoor air can often be filled with harmful pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide among many others. This is where the snake plant comes to the rescue – it is THE NASA-recommended plant for air purifying.
According to this NASA study, the snake plant – also known by its latin name Sanseviera – improves indoor air quality by removing an unbelievable 107 known air pollutants. It also produces and releases oxygen into the air throughout the night, making it the perfect plant to inhabit your living room and bedroom.
Good news for those who have a poor record of plant keeping: the snake plant thrives in just about any climate, and can go for weeks without water. But for those with pets, it is important to keep this plant out of their reach, as it can be toxic if ingested.
3. Succulent for Your Desk: Work Wellness
Succulent plants have become a hit in recent years, particularly for workspaces. There are many reasons for this, most especially that the popular plants are incredibly low maintenance and boast numerous benefits for wellbeing. Some of these include helping you breathe better by releasing oxygen throughout the night, removing toxins from the air, and helping to keep respiratory illnesses at bay. They contribute to reducing cold and flu-like symptoms, and can even prevent anxiety and fatigue.
Perhaps the most impressive of all is their ability to help you focus, boost brain capacity, and attention. A study at the University of Exeter found that memory, productiveness and work-related functioning in students and employees improved in spaces decorated with small plants such as cacti (aka cactuses, a type of succulent).
All these reasons make succulents a great Insta-worthy addition to upgrade your workspace (and your productivity)!
Climate events will not just be felt through more frequent natural disasters and extreme temperatures, but they will soon have a daily impact on our lives in the way of food.
Believe it or not, we may no longer be able to enjoy many of our favourite foods in the next few years due to a whole host of climate-related reasons, from drought to rising temperatures.
Some crops could be wiped out completely while others will become scarce and expensive. We shouldn’t need another reason to act now and try to prevent climate change from worsening, but rescuing some of your pantry staples from extinction is a pretty good one.
1. Chocolate
We all love chocolate, don’t we? Sadly, due to climate change, the cacao plant could be completely wiped out by 2050. Currently, over 50% of the world’s chocolate is sourced from two countries: Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. The plant is notoriously sensitive to environmental changes, which explains why it can only be found in areas close to the equator. But growing cacao beans is becoming increasingly difficult due to more extreme weather patterns that will raise temperatures and alter rainfall, humidity, and sunshine. The threat of climate change to chocolate is so serious that even confectionary giant Mars, who are famous for their chocolate caramel bars, have partnered up with scientists at the University of California to develop technology to help cacao survive. Without urgent action, we might really be looking at a chocolate-less future, as Mars’s chief sustainability officer Barry Parkin told Business Insider that “frankly, we don’t think we’re getting there fast enough collectively.”
2. Bananas
Another crop likely to be badly affected by climate change is your go-to smoothie ingredient – the humble banana. In a recent study by the University of Exeter, bananas could be eliminated by adverse climate conditions in 10 countries by 2050. Although yields of the fruit have increased since 1961 due to higher temperatures and better production methods, global warming and frequent floods and droughts will threaten banana production.And bananas won’t just be threatened in South America, but also at our doorstep in Asia: India, which is the world’s largest producer and consumer, as well as the Philippines, are projected to suffer marked drops in banana yields in the coming decades.
3. Rice
Our very own Asian staple, rice is also vulnerable. According to a Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report, increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and changes in rain patterns because of global climate change will make water and land resources scarce, which will substantially impact rice cultivation. This will especially impact Asia, where the viability of land to grow rice crops could decline by more than 50% within the next century.
4. Coffee
Another food commodity in danger of extinction is coffee. The morning stimulant is set to disappear as 50% of the land used to grow coffee will not be arable by 2100. In a landmark IPCC report, the body warned of the urgent need to tackle land management, with topsoil erosion happening at faster rates than ever before, threatening irreversible ecosystem loss. A study published in the journal Science Advances stated that popular coffee species are under threat, including Arabica, which takes up 60% of global production.
While global demand continues to drive more coffee plantations around the world, leading to further land-clearing deforestation and fertiliser use, wild mountain coffee plants are dying because they require natural shade and a cooler temperature range. Coffee is also facing the dual threat of diseases, like the fungus called coffee rust, which thrive in higher temperatures brought on by global warming.
Pricing will be a huge issue too and it’s already started. Commodity analysts recently polled by Reuters said that arabica beans prices could rise by 25% by the end of this year. As Starbucks founder Howard Shultz recently told TIME, “Make no mistake, climate change is going to play a bigger role in affecting the quality and integrity of coffee.”
We might have to bid goodbye to delicious Indian aloo gobi and Thai massaman curry, because climate change. Climate change is a serious threat to potato cultivation, with rising temperatures accompanying sea levels pushing potato farmers to move to higher altitudes in Peru, Latin America’s biggest potato producer. But even this is not a long-term solution, as the germplasm curator of International Potato Center (CIP) Rene Gómez told the IPSthat she “estimate[s] in 40 years there will be nowhere left to plant potatoes” in the region.
This article is a part of Green Queen’s collaboration in the Covering Climate Now project, a week-long initiative to raise global awareness of our planet’s climate emergency.
Lab-grown, cultured, cell-based – all these terms refer to cultivated meat, whereby animal flesh or byproducts are produced without any animal killing. And no, we aren’t talking about plant-based alternatives such as Beyond Meat or Omnipork. We’re talking about actual animal flesh grown inside bioreactors using cellular agriculture and tissue engineering instead of traditional animal livestock farming methods. For some, this might feel like science fiction, but dozens of companies (including a fair few in Asia) are already working to bring this technology to market within a couple of years so it’s time to get educated about this new sector of food technology. Here’s a rundown of reasons why food scientists and environmentalists are bullish on cultivated meat and its potential to bring about a healthier, safer and more sustainable food system.
1. It’s slaughter-free
Growing meat from cells means that no animal needs to be slaughtered to end up on your plate as a meal. Every year, around 70 billion animals are reared for food, the majority of which are in industrial farms where they live in cramped, dirty and inhumane conditions. Every day, 5 million animals are exposed to cruelty and added risks in transit to new countries via land and sea journeys that can span weeks. Whether they are funnelled into the global live animal trade or slaughtered locally, animals reared for food have to face a violent end to their lives.
Cultivated meat does not require the slaughter of animals, it is instead grown in laboratories using cells taken from an animal, using a small biopsy done under anaesthesia, and does not subject the animal to cruelty or violence, though it does mean that it is not suitable for vegans as it is still an animal-derived product. And cells from a single cow can produce as many as 175 million quarter pounders – far more than the 440,000 cows needed using traditional farming methods to produce the same amount.
2. It’s hormone-free
Given that it is grown in a clean laboratory environment, cultivated meats are also free from any artificial growth hormones that are typically used in the conventional meat industry to make livestock grow and gain weight faster. Synthetic oestrogen and testosterone are the most common hormones used in livestock and in dairy cows, and while industry-funded studies show no risk, there are independent studies that suggest a link between injected hormones and cancer. Since they don’t require any hormones, lab-grown versions are therefore safer for human consumption and do not come at the added hormone-related risks.
3. It’s antibiotic-free
All cultivated meats are produced in a sterile environment, which means that they do not require antibiotics either. Slaughterhouses are the opposite – industrial animal farms pack livestock into cramped, dirty conditions that are hotbeds for contamination. Some cases have led to foodborne illnesses amongst consumers, more serious outbreaks of diseases have created mass chaos such as the recent African swine fever that wiped out pork supplies across Asia and multiple avian influenza outbreaks that have affected chickens and other birds in the past years.
As the demand for meat continues to grow globally, so has the use of antibiotics in the animal meat industry. The overuse of antibiotics to prevent animals from getting sick is so rampant in the industry that to date, over 80% of all produced antibiotics is sold to livestock farms, according to the FDA. Experts have long warned that this is leading to the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs, with a 2019 study a tripling of the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria in livestock between 2000 and 2018.
Factory farms and slaughterhouses use antibiotics to prevent animals from getting sick in unsanitary conditions (Image Source: Dreamstime)
4. It supports local food production
Because cultivated meat facilities and bioreactors can be built virtually everywhere, it means that meat does not need to be transported from one continent to another. Grown indoors in controlled lab environments, it means that outdoor weather, temperature, land availability are all factors that are unimportant when it comes to this alternative source of protein, providing stable income to local communities and ensuring a resilient supply of protein, not to mention the big savings on transport emissions.
5. It bolsters food security
One major thing that the coronavirus pandemic exposed is the vulnerability of our global food supply chains. With lockdowns, travel bans and export restrictions to curb the spread of the virus came a massive supply shock of many staple foods, from wheat flour to fresh produce and of course, meat.
Food security is top of mind for many countries that are now exposed to the supply chain breakdown from coronavirus and are vulnerable to the climate crisis. Singapore, for instance, launched a SDG 30 million (US$21 million) fund dedicated to bolster local food production to provide a buffer in event of food supply shocks, with a great portion of the money going to support cultivated food techs that can produce local meat and seafood.
In addition to boosting self-sufficiency, locally grown meat will also slash carbon emissions from reducing transportation routes.
6. It requires far fewer carbon emissions (up to 96%)
On the topic of carbon emissions, cultivated protein also contributes a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional meat. According to the United Nations FAO, animal agriculture alone generates 18% of global greenhouse gases – making it one of the leading causes of the climate crisis. It isn’t just the enormous resources that make raising livestock so carbon-hefty, but the methane emissions due to cows and their manure, which is anywhere from 20 to 30 times more potent and heat-trapping than carbon dioxide.
By contrast, cultivated meats can produce up to 96% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. While growing meat in labs will require significant amounts of energy, one study from the University of Oxford found that if facilities were powered by clean energy rather than fossil fuels, there are clear climate benefits to be reaped.
7. It requires a lot less land
Cultivated meat requires less land to produce. The world already uses the majority of arable farmland for livestock rearing – yet meat demand continues to rise due to rapid urbanisation and population growth. By 2050, we could be looking at a global population of 10 million, with demand for protein anywhere from 70% to 100% higher than today’s levels, according to the United Nations FAO.
Farmers are already being pushed to deliberately set forest fires, causing mass deforestation of rainforests, for more land to farm animals. Last year, large parts of the Amazon rainforest – one of the planet’s few remaining carbon-absorption tools against global heating – had been cleared to raise cows. In turn, this has led to mass loss of biodiversity, with estimates saying we could be losing 50,000 plant, animal and insect species every single year.
Performed in a closed system in indoor labs, it is projected that cultured meat production will use up to 99% less land than the current animal agriculture.
8. It’s feed-free
Another reason why animal agriculture uses vast amounts of land is feed cultivation. Cattle pasture is usually replaced by soy cultivation in order to grow enough feed for livestock. Recent deforestation in Brazil was fuelled by a cycle of soy-cattle-pasture-deforestation cycle that stimulated the need for further land clearing. It’s also happening in other neighbouring countries, including northern Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. With more and more rainforest being lost, the hope of keeping global heating at manageable levels is becoming less likely – unless we change the way meat is produced. When both livestock feed and grazing is accounted for, traditional meat production takes up almost half (45%) of the world’s total arable land.
Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in 2019. (Image Source: AFP)
9. It saves a lot of water (compared to traditional ag)
Cultivated meat requires far less water to manufacture. Water scarcity is already a global issue, with the World Resources Institute (WRI) finding that a quarter of the world’s population across 17 countries are already suffering from extreme levels of high water stress due to the climate crisis and water contamination. Scientists doubled down on the warnings of water scarcity in 2020, with experts from the United Nations finding that poor water infrastructure is putting countries at a bigger health risk than the coronavirus pandemic.
In the UN report, the scientists said that water efficiency could be significantly improved if current agricultural farming methods changed. Using conventional animal farming, a single quarter pounder beef patty requires 5900 litres of water to produce – cultivated protein, by comparison, could reduce this by a whopping 96 percent.
To add to the issue of water usage, traditional animal livestock farming pollutes waterways too – runoff from pesticides and fertilisers can also flow into waterways, reaching oceans to harm marine ecosystems.
10. It’s cheaper
While cultured meat companies will still need to overcome a few technological and regulatory hurdles before large-scale production can be achieved, most industry experts do believe that it will reach price parity or even undercut the price of conventionally produced meats. Dutch food tech Mosa Meat, for instance, managed to produce a small scale burger back in 2013 for US$280,000, but believe that within the next two years, as the technology matures and production scales up, the cost of a lab-grown hamburger is projected to be as low as US$10. Upside Foods, another food tech company based in California, is hoping to lower the cost of a single lab-grown burger patty down to US$5 within the next couple of years, while Israel-based Future Meat Technologies believes that they can reduce the cost to an impressive $2.30 to $4.50 by the end of the decade. Once the price becomes accessible and achieves parity with industrially reared meat (whose costs are predicted to rise over the next few years), it’s all systems go the ultimate in cruelty-free animal protein.
Whip up these spring and summer-ready plant-based meals in under 30 minutes.
Sometimes, busy days make it so difficult to fit time for a healthy home-cooked lunch or dinner. But that doesn’t mean that the challenge is impossible! Even with only half an hour to spare, it is totally doable to whip up a delicious and nourishing meal. Plus, it’s important to take breaks in between work, chores and errands.
We’ve got you covered this summer with these 10 seasonal, plant-based recipes – all of them take 30 minutes or less.
Source: Gastroplant
1. Sesame soba noodles
This comforting yet nutritious Japanese cold noodle dish is so easy to make. All you need is a handful of pantry staples and takes at most 15 minutes.
Stuffed with a Mexican-inspired black bean filling and a vegan cheese sauce, these zucchini boats are so pretty and delicious that you’ll find it hard to believe it takes only 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
A summer recipe list wouldn’t be complete without summer rolls! These 20 minute healthy vegetable-filled rice paper rolls with a creamy peanut sauce make the perfect summer lunch.
This simple pasta recipe uses the best of summer seasonal produce – ripe tomatoes, olives and zucchini – and can be tossed together in just 20 minutes.
If you’re really in a hurry, then this one’s for you. This 15 minute vegan burrito bowl recipe calls for beans, sweetcorn, bell peppers and avocado, but can easily be substituted with whatever you have in your pantry and fridge.
Grilled veggie skewers are such an easy dish to cook on a weeknight – requires just 7 ingredients and half an hour. If you can squeeze an extra 10 minutes of cooking time in, then pair it with a vegan chimichurri sauce for a citrus-y punch.
The afternoon heat during the summer months can be unbearable. Cool down with this 20 minute chilled cucumber soup, which goes perfectly with lightly toasted sourdough.
Stir-fries are always fast yet delicious. Try this recipe that tosses your favourite vegetables and tempeh with garlic and ginger. You can whip this up in half an hour and serve with rice.
Can you believe that this delicious noodle dish takes 10 minutes? While you’re cooking your noodles, you can mix your sauce together and stir-fry your preferred veggies to save on time. Throw your cooked noodles into your stir-fry for an extra couple of minutes and it’s ready.
This flavour-packed recipe calls for tofu or tempeh, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, soy sauce and peanuts, and within less than 20 minutes you’ll have a healthy and delicious meal to devour.
Indonesia is incredibly vegan and vegetarian-friendly, but it’s Bali that really stands out as the ultimate plant-based heaven in the country. The island is now well-known for its abundant plant-based food scene, with vegan options available at almost every corner store and restaurant. While you’ll certainly need no help searching for vegan and vegetarian eats (it’s hard NOT to find a herbivore-friendly spot), we thought it’d be useful to shortlist some of the best bites Bali has to offer. Below, the Green Queen roundup of the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants to visit in Bali.
Source: Falafel Temple
1. Falafel Temple
Who doesn’t love falafel? This Middle Eastern-inspired spot is a godsend for those obsessed with falafel and pita, and is completely plant-based. Made from fresh local ingredients and traditional spices, they serve up loaded mezze plates filled with peppers, hummus, falafel, warm pita, olives and more. Falafel Temple is great for large groups and will keep everyone oh-so-satisfied.
Address: Falafel Temple, 35 Jl Pantai Berawa, Canggu, Bali. Open daily: 10.00am – 10.00pm.
Source: I Am Vegan Babe
2. I Am Vegan Babe
I Am Vegan Babe is a western food café in Canggu that is 100% vegan and delicious. Their menu offerings include vegan fried eggs, plant-based mayo, stacked pancakes with maple syrup, burgers and “BLT” sandwich melts – they simply have something for everyone. The café serves healthy options too, such as smoothie bowls, veggie-filled wraps and salads, as well as freshly pressed juices.
Address: I Am Vegan Babe, 49, Jl Tanah Barak, Canggu, Bali. Open daily: 7.00am – 5.00pm.
Source: Sayuri Healing Food
3. Sayuri Healing Food
For raw vegan folks, Sayuri Healing Food is the perfect place to go. It has plenty of healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free options, so everyone is catered for here. In addition to serving what many call the best raw plant-based dishes and desserts in town, Sayuri Healing Food also hosts cooking classes that make for a great activity during your Bali travels.
The Shady Shack is a 100% vegetarian restaurant with plenty of vegan-friendly options, and is one of the most popular plant-based healthy eateries in Canggu. Among their many famous dishes include a Japanese-inspired Nori Bowl, which packs a punch of umami flavours, and a sweet potato gnocchi dish that is topped with almond-based feta. They also serve lots of raw vegan desserts and latte blends that are perfect for an afternoon snack.
Address: The Shady Shack, 57 Jl Tanah Barak, Canggu, Bali. Open daily: 7.30am – 10.00pm.
Source: Swasti Beloved Café
5. Swasti Beloved Café
While this is technically an omni restaurant, Swasti Beloved Café at Swasti Eco Cottages deserves a shoutout for its commitment to farm-to-table dining. They use fresh whole food ingredients sourced from their own garden, and all their dishes are minimally processed to ensure the least nutrient loss. Some dishes on their vegetarian menu (which is very vegan-friendly) include jackfruit “pulled pork” tacos, healthy smoothie bowls and vegan pizzas. What’s not to love?
Address: Swasti Beloved Café, Jl Raya Nyuh Bojog, Br Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, Bali. Open daily: 7.00am – 10.00pm.
Source: Tanaman
6. Tanaman
Looking for the perfect dinner location? Head over to the Potato Head Beach Club, where you’ll find Tanaman, a new eatery serving up traditional Indonesian dishes with a creative twist all powered by plants. From fried mushroom dumplings to fresh Balinese salad and mouthwatering Rendang Nangka made using young jackfruit, there is no shortage of vegan and vegetarian options here.
Address: Tanaman Potato Head, 51B, Jalan Petitenget, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali. Open daily: 6.00pm – 12.00am.
Source: Living Food Lab
7. Living Food Lab
Living Food Lab is a two-story café full of raw vegan goodness. It features 4 food stations in total – breakfast, juice, coffee and salad bar – so there is no shortage of raw vegan food to satisfy any herbivore. Expect loads of healthy, colorful, and nutritious dishes available, such as the Spicy Mexican Stacks made from a medley of fresh veggies, a homemade vegan pate, and in-house corn chip crackers, basil vegan parmesan cheese and a spicy tahini dressing for a kick.
Address: Living Food Lab, 8 Jalan Pantai Berawa, Units 12 – 13, Tibubeneng, Kuta Utara, Badung, Bali. Open Monday – Friday: 7.00am – 9.00pm.
If you must use the e-com behemoth, Amazon, there are still some steps you can take to try and reduce the impact of your order as much as possible.
It can be difficult to completely quit all online shopping. Sometimes, there might be something that you really do need and cannot source from local stores, nearby shops, or even independent e-commerce sites, which leaves you with the final (dreaded) option of ordering your item from Amazon. Ideally, if you have the option to support alternative businesses, then do so, especially given Amazon’s unsustainable and unethical track record.
Below, our guide to achieving almost zero-waste on your Amazon orders.
Source: Amazon
1. Contact Amazon customer service
Open up a chat with the customer service on Amazon’s website, and ask them to make an extra note in your account to avoid plastic packaging or any unnecessary packaging as much as possible on any of your future orders. While this will not guarantee that distributors will follow your suggestion, it does make it more likely that your request will be taken into account when it is being shipped out. According to zero-waste educator Polly Barks, after her request was put in, 3 out of her 5 packages were plastic-free.
Source: Deposit Photos
2. Find a secondhand version on Amazon Warehouse
Try to look for your item on Amazon Warehouse Deals, the e-commerce giant’s secondhand arm that sells used products for a big discount. The warehouse showcases a number of items and the item’s condition – which can range from lightly used to acceptable to heavily worn out – is reflected in the price box. Not only will you be saving some money, buying secondhand is a great way to help recover and lengthen the lifespan of products and avoid contributing to new unsustainable production.
3. Look for Amazon’s “Frustration-Free Packaging” service
Amazon has created a “Frustration-Free Packaging” service, a program that sends your item without unnecessary layers of packaging or boxes within boxes. Instead, your order will come in a recyclable box without excess packaging materials and is usually – though not 100% – plastic-free. This is available for around 300,000 items on Amazon, so it is worth checking whether your wanted item is listed.
Source: TreeClicks
4. Download web plug-in Treeclicks before you order
Founded in 2019, TreeClicks is an extension for web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. Once you have the plug-in downloaded and turned out, TreeClicks helps users plant trees when they shop on affiliated e-commerce sites, which includes Amazon. It uses advertising fees received from these partnered companies for bringing customers to these sites, and diverts a portion of the revenue to tree planting projects in India at no additional cost to users.
Source: Shutterstock
5. Choose one shipment and longer shipping times
If you happen to be ordering multiple items from different vendors or distributors, remember to request for all your items to be sent together in one parcel. It will most likely take longer for you to receive your purchase, but it will mean that fewer cardboard boxes and plastic packaging will be wasted if it all comes in one bulk delivery. Avoiding the fastest shipping date will also mean steering clear of air delivery, which is the most carbon-intensive of all transport options.
Source: Recycle More
6. Recycle and repurpose all your leftover packaging
It is almost impossible to be 100% waste-free when it comes to online orders, let alone Amazon orders in particular. So what can you do with the leftover packaging? Repurpose those cardboard boxes until they are no longer of use and can recycled. Make sure to properly segregate plastics for collection, the best thing you can do is to lengthen the lifespan of packaging as much as possible by reusing and upcycling and responsibly disposing and recycling items. If you are unsure which items can or cannot be recycled and how to properly dispose of packaging, check out Amazon Second Chance where more information can be found about each type of packaging the company uses.
5Mins Read Condoms help protect against pregnancy and many sexually transmitted infections (STIs), are relatively inexpensive and widely available for purchase. However, when it comes to being as conscious about our environmental impact in every aspect of our daily lives, it is important to address whether the use of condoms, which is by nature a single-use product, […]
4Mins Read In just three decades time, we could be looking at a planet of 10 billion people, and we’re going to have to drastically change our current food system if we are to feed the entire world healthily, safely and sustainably alongside the challenges we will face due to climate change. While there is no single […]
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for health and wellbeing. Many people believe that omega-3s can only be found in non-plant-based sources such as fatty fish. However, there are many plant-based foods that do contain omega-3s, and crucially, fish contain omega-3s because they eat plankton and algae.
There are three main types of omega-3s: ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and EPA (docosahexaenoic acid). Eating a variety of omega-3s helps to promote heart health by curbing inflammation in blood vessels and lower levels of triglycerides, thus reducing the risk of heart disease. As well, they are crucial for mood stabilisation and other age-related causes of mental decline. DHA, in particular, is the most critical and is the main structural fat in our eyes and our cerebral cortex, the part of our brain supporting memory, language, emotion and attention.
Plant-Based Supplementation
Depending on how many plant-based sources of omega-3s we can incorporate into our diet, we may still need some extra supplementation to meet the recommended guidelines of 250-500 milligrams per day for adults. Plant-based folk who might not enjoy eating nuts and seeds, or might have allergies to them, can opt for algae-based omega-3 supplements that usually come in pill form, such as spirulina tablets.
Best Vegan Omega-3 Foods
Plant-based sources of omega fatty acids are more ethical as well as more sustainable as they do not contribute to depleting marine species and plastic pollution associated with the fishing industry. Not to mention, fish-based supplements, oils, and seafood often carry the risk of mercury poisoning, making plant-based omega-3s a safer option too.
These plant-based sources of omega fatty acids are not only healthy, but delicious and versatile, too.
Source: Adobe Stock Images
1. Seaweed & Algae
Seaweed, nori, spirulina, and chlorella are different types of algae and all are great plant-based sources of omega-3. They are among some of the few plant groups that contain both DHA and EPA fatty acids, and can be easily incorporated into our diet. Seaweed can be found as a snack; nori is the type of seaweed used to make sushi, and other variations such as kombu can be added to miso soups. Chlorella and spirulina are often sold in powder form and can be added to smoothies, porridge, and juices.
Source: Flickr
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are another fantastic source of omega-3s, especially ALA fatty acids, as well as being high in protein and fibre. Each 1-ounce serving of chia seeds contains over 5 grams of of ALA, and can be easily incorporated into meals as a topping on porridge, an ingredient in granola, salads, and smoothies. Chia seeds can also be left in water or plant-based milk to use as an egg substitute for baking.
Source: Healthline
3. Hemp Seeds
Help seeds are also an excellent source of ALA, containing 2.6 grams of ALA per 3 tablespoons. Like chia seeds, hemp seeds can be sprinkled over salads, smoothie bowls, vegan yoghurt and porridge. Aside from being high in omega-3s, hemp seeds are packed with other nutrients such as magnesium, iron, and zinc, all of which contribute to healthy skin, heart health, digestion, and skin.
Source: Healthline
4. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds come packed with 6.7 grams of ALA each tablespoon, making it one of the most efficient plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to being rich in ALA, they contain high levels of fibre, protein, and magnesium. Just like chia seeds, they can be used as a vegan egg replacement, added to smoothies, and sprinkled on salads and oatmeal. You can also try using flaxseed oil as a dressing on salads.
Source: Unsplash
5. Walnuts
Nuts are a great source of healthful fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. Just snack on a handful of them or add them to any dish. They are also a common ingredient in many trail mixes or energy bars.
Source: Academy of Nutrition
6. Edamame
While edamame does not contain a high amount of omega-3s, half a cup does come with 0.28 grams of ALA, so it can be added into your diet alongside other plant-based sources to boost your intake. Enjoy them in dishes or simply snack on a bunch of them.
Source: Healthy Bazaar
7. Kidney Beans
Who knew that kidney beans contain omega-3s? Like edamame, kidney beans do not pack in an awful lot of omega-3s with 0.1 grams of ALA per half-cup. But because they are such a versatile ingredient for everything from salads to stews and curries, it is an easy way to add them to your diet as a way to increase your omega-3 intake.
Want to know other vitamins and nutrients that you might be lacking and how to supplement them on a vegan diet? Read more about it here.
7Mins Read The pandemic has exposed what scientists have long been warning about – our global food supply is so broken, disconnected, and insufficient that drastic changes must be made in order to feed the world healthily and sustainably. The global food supply chain was among the hardest hit amidst the coronavirus pandemic with 265 million people […]
6Mins Read Regenerative Travel is a travel booking platform offering eager travellers an easy way to choose sustainable tourism. But what does that mean, exactly? With its network of more than 50 independently owned eco-luxury boutique hotels, Regenerative Travel hopes to transform the tourism and hospitality industry into one that leaves behind a positive environmental and social […]
Looking to do your part to fight food waste? You can do a lot without ever leaving home. Here’s how.
Our world is facing an unprecedented food waste crisis, which is contributing more than 10 percent of global carbon emissions that drive the climate emergency. In addition to coming at an enormous environmental cost, discarded food compounds the issues of everyday hunger and malnutrition as well as escalating chronic health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Asia generates more than half of the world’s food waste, but we as individuals can do something about it. Here are 13 practical ways to reduce your food waste right now.
1. Eat the food you buy
Sounds straightforward, but how many times do we leave things in our pantry untouched for days and it ultimately ends up in the bin? Make sure what’s in your fridge, cupboard and kitchen shelves are consumed.
2. Store your food better
Be smart about storing food. Keep raw foods and cook foods separate, and store cooked food above raw food in refrigerators to reduce the risk of contamination. In hot and humid climates like Hong Kong, keep more foods – especially perishable fruits – in the fridge to prevent them from over-ripening before you get to consume them. Sealing foods in air-tight containers will avoid spoilage and reduce food waste.
3. Be organised & plan ahead
Planning ahead with shopping lists when you go to the market or grocery store will help you purchase the right amount of food you need and avoid buying what you already have at home. If you’re going out to a restaurant or café to eat, bring a reusable container or jar with you so you can package leftovers and avoid it going in the bin.
4. Compost scraps
Compost any uneaten food. Think food scraps – apple cores, banana peels, the ends of vegetables. This will help divert food waste away from landfills and actually benefits the soil to help provide nutrients for plant growth.
5. Never buy more than you need
It can be tempting to purchase more than one item at a time to save you going to the store twice a week. Or perhaps there is a discount on buying several of the same products. Fight the urge to do so if you know that you won’t need more than a certain amount, even if it is more convenient or cheaper for you. Remember, it won’t be convenient for the planet.
6. Use your freezer
You can always store dinner leftovers, uneaten meals and cooked foods in the freezer. Even bread – if you have a loaf that won’t be finished before it goes stale or mouldy, keep half of it in the freezer while it is still fresh! It’ll stay just as good in the freezer for months and can be reheated whenever you want in the future.
7. Make “leftover recipes”
Learn some handy leftover recipes. Fried rice, for example, is always an easy go-to for finishing up bits and bobs in the fridge. You can throw in different grains and beans you have on hand to make a stew, or pop half used vegetables in a pan or wok for a stir-fry. Whip up a pasta salad with leftover pasta in your fridge.
8. Get pickling & fermenting
Experiment with pickling and fermenting foods. Kept in brine or vinegar, the processes help preserve and extend the shelf life of perishable foods like cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts – you name it. It can be stored in reusable glass containers in the fridge for weeks or months, and is a super delicious add-on ingredient in other dishes, can be used as a salad topping or just enjoyed on its own!
9. Buy “ugly” produce
Don’t cross off vegetables or fruits just because they look ugly when they are perfectly edible. Choosing less aesthetically pleasing produce that other people might avoid or stores might throw away will help prevent food waste. Plus, they might even be on discount at certain shops. Either way, they’ll taste just as good as the prettier ones.
10. Patron responsible F&B businesses
Support restaurants and food shops that are responsible about fighting food waste. In Hong Kong, look out for businesses that have pledged to waste reduction causes such as donating excess food to charities, selling perishable products at discounted prices at the end of the day, and only supplying as much as there is demand.
11. Donate to food banks
Restaurants aren’t the only ones who can donate to charities – you can do it too. There are food banks dotted around Hong Kong such as Feeding Hong Kong that will take in a number of food items that are left unopened or unused in your pantry, which will help support the city’s hungriest while fighting waste at the same time. You can also volunteer at food banks to help collect uneaten food from F&B partners to distribute to local charities.
12. Say no to buffets
Buffets are abundant with unlimited appetisers, mains, desserts, snacks and more. While there is something for everyone, the concept of buffets means a whole lot of food waste. Dishes on buffet lines are continually replenished before emptied, and at the end of each service, lots of food ends up in the bin, with research suggesting that over half of the food displayed in hotel buffets gets disposed of. By saying no to buffets, you won’t be contributing to these wasteful practices and will be reducing demand for them.
13. Eat what you have, not what you crave
You’re really craving a specific dish, but you know for a fact you have leftovers in the fridge that will go bad by tomorrow. Be responsible – if you won’t be able to consume food you already have before it spoils, then don’t go and purchase more just because you feel like it. If you really can’t ignore your cravings, then remember Tip #6 to freeze uneaten food before you go out and buy only what you need (#5) or if you’re eating out, bring a container in case of leftovers (#3).
3Mins Read Easter is such a fun holiday for kids, but it’s not exactly the most fun for the planet. All the plastic eggs and dairy-filled chocolate bunnies aren’t sustainable, and they aren’t good for our health, either. But there are some easy swaps you can make to green up the spring holiday. Below are 7 ways […]
Tofu, also known as beancurd, is a well-loved food across Asia and the world. It is one that almost every Asian family, be they omnivores or plant-based, keeps stocked in their pantry.
Tofu has been making headlines recently in the Western world as plant-based eating goes mainstream, but the vegan-friendly protein has long been a staple in cuisines across Asia for centuries.
You might know tofu as the plain beige-coloured block sold in almost every grocery store. But it’s so much more than that – as someone who grew up in a Cantonese family in Hong Kong, I can attest to the fact that tofu appears on the dining table nearly every night in its many renditions (and there are dozens). The options are endless – soft and jiggly, chewy, smoked, fried or even airy in texture – and each can be seasoned and flavoured differently, from spicy to sweet. I can barely keep track of all of my mother’s delicious tofu gastronomic creations, and I still look forward to try her next beancurd dish with buzzing excitement.
If this is news to you, then allow me to let you in on the wonders of every type of tofu used in Chinese cuisine. And for those of you who are already familiar with it, here’s a warm reminder that you may want to fall in love with tofu all over again.
Source: More Than Veggies
Soft tofu (軟豆腐) – yun dou fu
White in colour and tender to touch, soft tofu (yun dou fu) contains the highest water content of all tofu types and is widely used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese cuisines. It’s similar to Japanese silken tofu, but while very soft it has a bit more “body” to it, making it slightly easier to handle and cut. It’s also a little better at holding its shape throughout the cooking process compared to silken tofu. While cooking, soft tofus soak up sauces and flavours, making it ideal to pair with salty flavours and ingredients. Soft tofu is often steamed with soy sauce and sometimes chilli oil, and topped with finely julienned ginger, chopped spring onions and sesame seeds. It’s also common in braised dishes, such as braised veggies or mushroom and glass noodle clay pots.
Source: Lee Kum Kee
Firm tofu (硬豆腐) – aang dou fu
Firm tofu (aang dou fu) is known as “regular” tofu in northern Chinese cuisines, and as its name suggests, is firm in texture and holds its shape even when pressed. It’s slightly more yellow in colour than soft tofu owing to its higher soybean and lower moisture content. Because it’s easier to pick up with chopsticks, firm tofu is often diced or sliced then pan-fried and served with rice, but also features in braised and soup dishes.
Source: Cook1Cook
Dry tofu (豆腐乾) – dau fu gon
Dry tofu (dau fu gon) is the firmest type of Chinese tofu, containing very little water content. It is pressed and flat in shape, and is chewier in texture. In many Chinese dishes, dry tofu is used as a meat substitute, owing to its smokier taste compared to other more neutral-tasting tofus, and is often sliced before stir-fried with vegetables such as celery, black fungus, lotus seeds and garlic.
Source: Cook1Cook
Five spice tofu (五香豆乾) – mm heung dou gon
Five spice tofu (mm heung dou gon) is a popular type of dry tofu. The outside layer is dark or medium brown in colour, while the inside is beige. Usually sold in smaller blocks that are about half an inch thick, they are enjoyed in stir-fries after being finely sliced or sometimes served in cold appetisers with sesame oil, black fungus and cucumber.
Source: 1SuCai
Fried tofu (炸豆腐) – za dou fu
Fried tofu (za dou fu) comes in many different shapes and sizes, from squares to triangles. It’s not really crispy as you’d expect from fried foods and instead of being crumbly or jiggly, it’s more spongy and airy – making it a perfect ingredient in soups and sauces as it absorbs all the flavour. In Cantonese cuisine, you’ll find fried tofu steamed in a “master stock” and served with braised peanuts as an appetiser.
Source: Da Chu Yi
Tofu puffs (豆泡) – dou pok
Tofu puffs (dou pok) are a type of fried tofu, which is the least dense out of all the fried tofus out there. These golden sponges or puffs are nearly “empty” with air inside each puff, so most of the bite and flavour is in the deep-fried layer. They are often served in Chinese hot pots, as like other fried tofu they are great at soaking up flavours. Tofu puffs are also very common in other cuisines across Southeast Asia, including Thai dishes such as pad thai and Vietnamese bun cha.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Tofu skin (腐皮) – fu pei
Tofu skin (fu pei) is the top coagulated layer when soy milk is boiled and a “skin” is formed on the surface. These layers have a richer soybean taste than soft tofu, and are sold either fresh or dried. The dried version can be cooked after soaking in water for a few hours. Tofu skin appears in braised vegetable dishes, clay pots, and also as a substitute for spring roll wrappers and in dim sums. They are also layered, compressed, smoked and seasoned to imitate the flavours of chicken and duck in traditional meat-free Chinese dishes.
Source: U-Lifestyle
Dried tofu stick (腐竹) – fu juk
Dried tofu sticks (fu juk) are a type of tofu skin, but rather than coming in large sheets, they are sold as dried long threads or sticks. After reconstituting in water for a few hours or overnight, dried tofu sticks can be cooked in stews and clay pots, but is perhaps most commonly used in traditional Chinese dessert soups (tong sui) such as gingko barley sweet soup.
Source: Xuite
Fermented tofu (腐乳) – fu yu
Fermented tofu (fu yu) is a kind of pickled tofu. Dried tofu cubes are soaked in Chinese rice wine, salt water, vinegar and other flavourings such as minced chillies to ferment them slowly, and the end product are cubes that look like feta cheese but are cream cheese-like in texture. Unlike other tofus, jars of fermented tofu are shelf-stable and only have to be refrigerated once opened. Also unlike other tofus, fermented tofu isn’t considered a protein in a dish. Instead, the very salty and creamy tofu is used in Chinese cooking as more of a flavouring agent, giving veggie stir-fries an umami punch or served on top of plain rice congee. Personally, I love water spinach stir-fried with white fermented tofu!
Want to know more about Chinese cuisine? Read about Chinese vegetables that are in season this summer here.
As consumers become increasingly conscious of their fashion choices, the industry is scrambling to switch to more animal-free and vegan leather to retain their share in the quickly shifting market.
According to a recent report, the global vegan leather sector will balloon to US$89 billion by 2025, with the majority of the growth led by Asia-Pacific. But it isn’t just animal welfare that brands have to consider – consumers are now demanding sustainable alternatives too, which means that decades of using petroleum-based plastic superficial leathers are now out of fashion, while emerging new plant-based leathers are in.
Let’s take a look at what’s now out there in the market.
Source: Piñatex / Mary’s Pineapple
Piñatex (aka pineapple leather)
Piñatex is one of the first natural vegan leather brands that emerged as an alternative to PU and PVC, which are plastic and petroleum-based alternatives widely used in animal-free products for the past years, but are harmful to the environment. Created by Dr. Carmen Hijosa, Piñatex has a leather-like quality thanks to cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves. But while far more eco-friendly than PU and PVC leathers in terms of requiring fewer carbon emissions to produce, it is still mixed with polylactic acid and a petroleum-based resin, which makes the end-product non-biodegradable.
Source: Luxtra
Mango leather
Dutch startup Fruitleather Rotterdam has created mango leather, which is a durable vegan material made using leftover mangoes sourced from fruit markets. The fabric is created by mashing and boiling mangoes, a process that eliminates any bacteria, and then mixing it with various natural additives before spreading the mashed paste into sheets to dry. However, while the material itself claims to be 100% synthetic-free and helps to reduce food waste, it is pressed into a polyester-based textile backing, which is derived from petroleum-based plastic. Mango leather has recently been used in London-based sustainable label Luxtra’s new collection of vegan leather handbags.
Source: MuSkin
Mushroom leather
Mushroom leather is one of the best-known vegan leather materials now out there rivalling pineapple leather. The appearance resembles cowhide, but requires absolutely no animals – it is made from the tops of Phellinus ellipsoideus mushrooms, which are naturally tanned to give its leather-like look. It is biodegradable and generates a fraction of the environmental footprint compared to conventional cow’s leather. Check out Bolt Threads, Myco Works, and Ecovative, all leaders in the space.
Source: Samara
Apple leather
Turns out, apple skin pulp can also do the job of recreating leather. Fashion brand Samara, for instance, have worked with a small factory in Europe to create vegan leather using the byproduct of the juice industry – apple skins. Apple skin pulp is then mixed with microfibres or PU when necessary, which is plastic-based but is used in far smaller quantities compared to full PU leather alternatives. Another company, Italy-based Frumat Leather, has also used apple skin to replace leather.
Source: Vegea
Vegea (aka grape skin leather)
Italian biomaterial startup Vegea has created a natural raw material mimicking leather out of the skins, seeds and rasps of grapes that are used in wine production. Transforming “wine waste” into an eco-friendly soft leather-like material, Vegea’s invention has won them multiple high-profile partnerships, including with fast fashion giant H&M to make handbags and shoes and luxury car maker Bentley to line the interior of its 100th anniversary car.
Source: Desserto
Desserto Leather (aka cactus leather)
Mexican entrepreneurs Adrian Lopez and Marte Cazarez have developed a vegan leather alternative made from a species of cacti called prickly pears, which require very little water to grow, and can easily survive in different climate zones. Called Desserto Leather, the cactus-based organic material, which is naturally tanned, possesses all the features and functionalities of animal leather at a fraction of the environmental cost. The innovation has won Lopez and Cazarez the VII International Green Product Award in Munich, Germany.
7Mins Read International Women’s Day is internationally recognised on the March 8th every year, and represents a focal point for women’s rights and is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. At times, it appears as though global environmental and social crises are too overwhelmingly large to tackle. But there are some […]
Are you ready to make the move to becoming more zero-waste? These books can help.
Faced with our overflowing landfills, the global plastic ocean pollution crisis, and our ecological emergency, it’s more important than ever to make impactful changes to our daily lives. If you’re in need of some motivation and guidance in your low-waste journey, we’ve pulled together the must-read books on making the shift to a zero-waste lifestyle.
1. Mottainai Grandma
Mottainai Grandma, also known as “The Waste-Not-Want-Not Grandmother” is written by Japanese author Mariko Shinju. Inspired by her own efforts to try and explain wastefulness to her child, this easy read is all about eliminating waste and countering the throwaway consumerist habits that have permeated our mainstream culture.
The Year of Lessis a self-help memoir documenting author Cait Flanders’ two-year shopping ban journey. This book showcases the benefits of transitioning into a low-waste life, from finding fulfillment without consumption to turning away from costly and unhealthy “stress-relief” go-tos like shopping, alcohol, and food. This book will inspire you on your low-waste path to less things, less waste and less impact on our earth. Plus, it has some pretty practical tips too, which will help you break free from the grips of our wasteful consumer culture.
Meet the new king of decluttering in Goodbye, Things by Japanese minimalist Fumio Sasaki. This bedside read will introduce you to new minimalist technology, from colour and information minimalism (hello, emotional and mental decluttering!) to LOHAS, which stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Encouraging readers to adopt these principles in their daily habits, Sasaki’s minimalist agenda will no doubt encourage more mindful, environmentally friendly ways of living.
Authored by American journalist and deputy editor at New YorkMagazine David Wallace-Wells,The Uninhabitable Earthis a 2019 book that is an expansion of his eponymous 2017 article. In the book, Wallace-Wells details the depressing trajectory the world is headed towards if we continue to take no action: food shortages, a global refugee crisis, climate wars, severe flooding, and economic devastation, just to name a few. If there is a book that will motivate you to take environmental issues seriously and make dramatic changes to your daily habits to reduce our impact on the planet, it’s this one.
5. Banish Clutter Forever: How The Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life
Banish Clutter Forever is a book by Sheila Chandra, where she proposes the solution of the “toothbrush principle” – that organising our homes according to the way we use and store our toothbrush- as a great decluttering tool. This step-by-step guide will help you say no to all the extra purchases that end up as “lost” things in your apartment. While the book geared towards organisation, the principle Chandra introduces is useful to help all of us on our journey to bidding farewell to the cycle of annual clear-outs and purchases driven by our wasteful consumer culture.
5Mins Read With the climate crisis climbing to the top of the global agenda, more people are beginning to take notice of the connection between our consumption choices and the carbon footprint it leaves behind. While some questions about the footprint of food can appear to be relatively straightforward, the reality may not always be as simple […]
3Mins Read The widespread cultivation of industrial hemp might hold the key to save the planet, fight pollution and efficiently tackle our worldwide climate crisis. So why isn’t it? According to a 2019 analysis published in the journal Science, the cheapest way to solve our environmental issues and drive reforestation could be planting billions of hemp trees. […]
