In honor of the 45th Earth Month, CNU’s Green Team created the CNU Sustainability Food Challenge: a simple, fun, and interactive way to learn more about the food you eat on a daily basis!
How it works: Participants who take on the challenge will subscribe to one food rule per day (see below), post about it on any social media forum using the appropriate hashtag (also below), tag @CNUGreenTeam, and BOOM. You’re playing the game. At the end of the week, three players will be chosen – hence the tagging – to WIN Green Team swag and Farmer’s Market Dollars!
The Challenges:
April 1st: #WastelessWednesday
Why: Toxins found in some plastic, like our to-go eating utensils, pose potential health hazards, won’t decompose in landfills, and create health risks in and around their processing plants.
How: Keep a spare metal fork and spoon in your backpack for those sunny days when you want to get to-go and eat outside. Rinse it in the bathroom and somewhere in your bag for never-ending usage! Did you know you get a discount at Einstein’s for using one of those reusable CNU coffee mugs your parents bought you as a Freshman?? You can also recycle that coffee sleeve, other cardboard products, paper, and plastics #1-3 at the recycling receptacles near library printers, in the DSU eating areas, and the Freeman Breezeway.
April 2nd: #ThirstfulThursday
Why: Water helps the body maintain a balance of fluids, control calorie intake, energizes muscles, and helps your skin look good.
(Well, not exactly like this.)
How: Make sure to drink your body weight in ounces of water each day with a reusable, BPA-free water bottle (ex: I weigh 135 pounds so I should be drinking around 68 ounces). Fun Fact: tap water is often CLEANER than bottled water. For today, try to take a quicker shower!
April 3rd: #FishyFriday
Why: Bycatch (unneeded fish, juvenile fish, turtles, dolphins, etc. that are caught in fishing nets and left to die) severely impact the diversity of the ocean. Farm-raised fish are often kept in cramped bins and are feed unnatural diets. Larger fish, such as wild tuna, accumulate toxins from smaller prey that have fed off of plankton that now feed on plastics and other heavy metals from dumping.
How: Pay attention to the type of fish you eat. Bigger game often = more toxic levels. Avoid fish on this day in general! Remember, it’s a challenge!
April 4th: #SodaFreeSaturday
Why: Soda companies are often found to continue pumping water from areas even during extreme droughts. Soda products are also full of huge amounts of sugar made from high fructose corn syrup which is known to contribute to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
How: Simply avoid soda for the day and check out the documentary “Tapped” (also really good for learning about the bottled water industry).
April 5th: #SugarFreeSaturday
Why: Sugar leads to many of the health issues mentioned in the previous day. Along with that, the daily allowance is never listed… coincidence? Think again. Even those “fat free” and “100 calorie” snack packs contain sugar – how else would those things not taste like cardboard?
How: Start looking at your labels! A healthy young adult should only be consuming about 25 grams of sugar per day (including fruit sugars). For today, try avoiding all added sugar products. Also, check out the documentary “Fed Up” for more info about hidden sugars.
April 6th: #MeatlessMonday
Why: There are many environmental reasons to cut meat out entirely, including reducing methane production (which contributes to global warming), increasing intake diversity (which = healthy diet, because most likely you’ll start eating a ton more veggies, fruits, and legumes), and reducing the amount of animals that go through a horrific raising and slaughtering process (I dare you to google search “CAFOs”).
How: This is another simple one: DON’T EAT MEAT! Instead, try increasing your leafy greens, protein rich legumes (lentils, nuts, beans, etc.), and watch one of those videos of a slaughterhouse that makes you think twice about consuming meat products (just kidding… sort of).
April 7th: #TotallyDairylessTuesday
Why: It’s the more sustainable option (see above for the methane mention) and healthier on many levels. Think about it, we’re the ONLY mammals who consume dairy after maturation + the USDA apparently allows a certain amount of “pus” into milk systems – YUCK. It’s also more ethical (again, look up “Dairy CAFOs”).
How: Avoid all dairy products for the day! Switch to the provided almond milk options (soy is a skeptical option, but you can always try it) and put requests in the suggestion box for more alternatives.
Remember: This week is a challenge, but have fun with it! And you have the potential to win some cool stuff as well. Try cooking with your friends and research alternatives to some of these meal options. You’ll be surprised with what you find.
For more information, check out CNU Green Team.