Hannah's Veggie Lifestyle

The more we find out about the damaging effects of fast fashion , one question has been stuck in the back of my mind: If we all boycott these brands, what happens to the millions of workers when they are no longer needed to be employed? It's pretty clear that those at the top of the industry about those making the clothes. So chances are, if fast fashion brands were to go out of business, those at the bottom are not going to be given a big redundancy fee- even though the billionaire owners could probably  definitely afford it. So, what would happen if we did all give up fast fashion tomorrow? Mainly, the planet would thank us big time. From lower carbon emissions to saving water, it would dramatically reduce the amount of harm done to the environment from clothing. In reality however, people aren't all going to give up fast fashion at the same time. It starts with individuals committing to making change, so not everybody is going to wake up and think 'today is the day I...

Completely vegan chocolate cake - who would know? We are all aware that reducing our meat and dairy intake is a great way to reduce our individual impact on the environment, as well as holding large companies accountable for the damage they do too, of course. So, I've decided to share some of my favourite meat/ dairy replacements for when you want a taste of the original, with a much smaller environmental impact! I'd love to say I'm a vegan, but if I can't find a good enough alternative for some dairy items, I do still eat the original (although in much smaller quantities than I used to). As veganism continues to grow, so does the incredible alternatives available, which means it's getting easier and easier to swap out meat and dairy products in our diets. It's still important to incorporate lots of unprocessed foods like fruit and veggies into your diet, so I do try and only eat these when I truly want an alternative. But, if it's helping us eat less dairy ...

In my last blog post on fast fashion I promised I'd share some tips for reducing the amount of fast fashion we buy, so here it is! Below you'll find lots of options for keeping your wardrobe fresh without giving into the temptation of fast fashion as a quick fix. If you've got good intentions to stop buying fast fashion but it's feeling like an overwhelming challenge, why not take part in Oxfam's Second Hand September ? Or if you want to start right now, you could do your own version in August instead! Once you've completed a month, hopefully quitting forever won't seem as hard.  And if you do end up buying fast fashion, don't give up completely. Just like with any lifestyle change, slipping up is often inevitable, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Admit that you made a mistake, return the item if you can (or if not, make sure you get good wear out of it), and carry on with your commitment to buying less fast fashion. Lowering the amount...

Since  Vidhathri Matety  went undercover at a factory in Leicester making clothes for Boohoo and found terrible working conditions, the hashtag #BoycottBoohoo  has been found all over Twitter and Instagram.  Great- this news story is raising awareness of the exploitative nature of fast fashion, but why is such an uproar being caused now, when this is not a new problem? Yes, scandals appear in the news every so often (think the  £1 Missguided bi kini ), but we hear about them, make a fuss, and then forget about it.  Simply boycotting Boohoo is not enough. Just because other brands such as H&M and SHEIN are not being targeted in the news right now, it doesn't mean they are any better. To make a real difference, we need to commit to stop buying from all fast fashion brands, even when it's not flooding our newsfeeds. Over 600 items added  per day-  on a site ever-increasing in popularity. The biggest excuse I've heard countless times for continui...

Coconut yoghurt, granola, sliced strawberries  and banana sprinkled with chia seeds... what better way to start the day? For those of you that know me well, I hate getting up with a passion. When I have to get up early I'll sit blinking at you for twenty minutes until my brain and body catch up with each-other, and don't even think about asking me to do something for you. But, I also hate doing nothing, so wanting to sleep and be busy is not exactly the easiest conflict to solve (and yes, I have tried going to bed earlier. It doesn't work- I just end up sleeping even longer). If I do wake up late I usually skip breakfast and have an early lunch, but this always ends with me eating rubbish in the evenings. I love the fact that there are so many options for breakfast, but what I don't love is the idea of eating them when I've just woken up. I'm much more of a 'eat breakfast food at dinner time' kind of girl, but that leaves me stuck for what to actually e...

This isn't exactly going to come as a surprise, but all of the cookbooks are vegetarian. But if you're a meat eater, don't stop reading! You don't have to commit to a 100% vegetarian or vegan lifestyle to enjoy these recipes (although I can promise you, you won't regret it if you do). 1. MOB Veggie- Ben Lebus The more I learn about MOB, the more I love them. It started off with one guy wanting to help young people cook delicious dishes cheaply, and it's grown so much since then. This book has helped me to experiment with new flavours at university without blowing all my weekly food budget on expensive ingredients. I love the fact that every recipe has a song associated with it too- it shows how much thought has gone into every single dish.  Favourite recipe- Veggie Nasi Goreng This is in the brunch section of the book, but I always make it for dinner and it's become a firm family favourite. Make sure you undercook the rice slightly when you boil it so it doe...

Now the weather has warmed up, it's the perfect time to get gardening. Here's a simple idea for germinating seeds using materials you might already have in the home! Slowly but surely, I've been convincing my family to swap to plant milk. However, this means we're also throwing out a lot more cartons. Due to the mixed materials, cartons have to be recycled at a specific centre, which currently we only have one of- in Yorkshire. This plant is capable of recycling up to 40% of the cartons produced here in the UK, but an article by The Times found that only 10% are actually recycled. Considering many people swap to plant milk for environmental reasons, it's ridiculous that most of the time the cartons end up in landfill, slowly breaking down and releasing greenhouse gasses. You can make plant milk at home, and it's a great option if you've got a zero-waste shop nearby because then you can make it entirely waste free. I have tried making my own oat milk ...

XR's hourglass logo, to represent time running out for many species. At the beginning of my second year of university I realised I felt a bit useless. First year of university flew by with settling in, going out, and getting to grips with my course. I was very lucky to be coming back to Cardiff last September with an amazing church family, course-mates I could always count on and a fab group of housemates.  But after the first couple of weeks of settling back in, I realised that other than church, I wasn't really doing anything to help other people and make a lasting impact. I decided I wanted it to be something environmental, so, I messaged my friend Sophie after seeing her post about Extinction Rebellion online. After chatting to Sophie, I decided to go along to a meeting. I went along to a meeting (dragging my housemate along too because I was a bit nervous) having done absolutely no research on what, or who, Extinction Rebellion were. I don't really know why, as I...

Lots of people are using extra free time to have a spring clean and redecorate the house (or just watch Netflix- which is totally fine too). But if you're feeling extra motivated to changes things up around the house, why not make some changes for the good of the planet too? Here are 5 easy ways to make your home more eco-friendly...  1. Get serious about food waste. Via Unsplash It's become pretty common to have a food waste bin now, but we should still be trying to put as little in it as possible. When you chuck out food, you're not only wasting money, but also wasting all the energy and resources used to produce and transport it. Even if you're pretty good at not letting the edible parts of food go to waste, there are lots of ways to reuse food scraps. Potato peelings can be baked with a little oil, salt and pepper for some zero-waste crisps, coffee grounds are a great fertiliser for your plants, and you can regrow loads of fruits and vegetables from scraps (...

Can our planet cope with increasing demands? Even though it might feel like it's been a few years now since everyone went crazy for coconut oil, with many claiming it's practically a food from the gods and (something about being healthy) (even though it's actually got more saturated fat in than butter), the demand for all things coconut is still growing. New products are constantly featuring coconuts are constantly appearing on supermarket shelves, whether in drinks, desserts or even loo roll- don't worry, I'm as confused as you are on that one. There's a lot of conflicting information about whether coconuts products (particularly coconut oil) are healthy or not, but we won't get into that side too much. Just remember that swapping to coconut oil or coconut sugar doesn't magically mean you're not using oil or sugar, and just because it's trendy doesn't magically make it healthy. Admittedly, I love all things coconut. I'll always happi...

Is its versatility speeding up deforestation? I gave up counting years ago how many times I'm asked 'what about the environmental impact of soya?' when people find out I'm a vegetarian. I understand why they ask- it's a hugely argued topic that just seems to cause more and more concern as we're encouraged to eat less and less meat. But if it's true that 90% of soya is used for animal production, then why are veggies and vegans always the first to get the blame? It's true- soybean production is on the rise. Since the 1950s, it has increased 15 times over. Even if you don't think you're eating it, you probably are. It's in the obvious like soy sauce, tofu and some veggie burgers. But it's also in a lot of everyday foods that we consume without even realising. Around 27% of vegetable oil is made from soya, and it's also commonly found in many household staple like bread, ice cream and cereal. According to WWF , soya production is t...

Is our love for olive oil harming Britain's favourite birds? The market for new foods to make oils out of continues to grow and is showing no signs of slowing down. Coconut oil had it's moment in the spotlight and now new options are popping up on supermarket shelves, such as pumpkin seed oil and rice bran oil (don't worry, I've never  heard of it either). But one oil that has established itself as a staple in our diets is the humble olive oil. From 1990/91 to 2015/16, consumption of olive oil increased by 763%, according to the Olive Oil Times . However, and you've guessed it- there's a pretty upsetting consequence for using this heart-healthy fat. Olives are often harvested nocturnally because cooler temperatures help to preserve the olives natural flavour. Sounds pretty harmless, right? But birds from central and northern Europe, including well-loved British birds such as robins, settle down to rest in olive bushes during migration in the winter. So when t...

Is the water consumption worth it? Daria Shevtsova ~ Pexels Yes, you might have spent the last 15 minutes perfecting that avo-on-toast picture to let your Instagram followers know  you're #cleaneating. But if I were to tell you that the avocado industry is causing families living nearby to lose their clean water supply, does it still count as clean eating? A world without avocados everywhere might sound odd now, but when they were first brought to the UK in the 1960's they were not a big hit. Marks and Spencer introduced them as 'Avocado pears' in shops in 1968, but the name caused a lot of confusion. One customer sent in a complaint after stewing the 'pear' and serving it with custard. It wasn't until the 2010's that the fruit (I know, no wonder people got confused) really took off. Now it seems to be in everything- from chocolate mousse to sushi, french fries to soup... you name it, it probably (definitely) exists. There's even a Nati...