🌱 The Grumpy Optimists #46
How to get involved in nature volunteering, our Veganuary review and why $700 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef may not be a good thing.
Hello all, happy Tuesday. 👋
We’re a day late this week and for that we can only apologise - sometimes life comes at you. This week we’re looking at whether a $700 million deal for the Great Barrier Reef is good or bad news for the climate, how the UK generated record energy from wind, and as we recap Will’s experience of Veganuary, we look at the climate benefits of switching to a veggie diet.
Finally, Mari looks at her experience with the Conservation Volunteers and the benefits of getting out and enjoying nature. Yes, we’re that wholesome!
Let’s dig in!
👀 Articles to read
💨 UK wind generates record energy. As Storm Malik battered Scotland this weekend it helped produce an all-time high of more than 19,500 megawatts of energy - or more than half the UK’s electricity. It also helped bring the price of UK energy to new lows. Renewables for the win.
🐢 Australia pledges $700 million for the Great Barrier Reef. While the pledge is welcomed in order to protect the reef, critics have also suggested that it is meaningless without real climate action from the Australian government. Pouring money into fossil fuels, whilst trying to protect the very thing they damage, appears to be an ongoing issue.
🛢️ US judge stops Gulf of Mexico oil license in a win for the climate. A federal judge cancelled Biden’s 2021 sale of new oil-and-gas leases citing that the greenhouse gas emission analysis was insufficient. The case is a huge win for green groups, creating legal precedent for future rejections of oil-and-gas licenses. This news comes as an oil spill sprays crude oil in the Amazon.
🥦 54 Wealthy countries could help the planet by switching to a veggie diet. It’s no surprise that animal-based foods produce higher emissions than their plant-based equivalents - not just because of livestock burping and farting, but also because of the land that they use up. Switching to a predominantly plant-based diet could see 54 countries fulfil their share of commitments to limit global average warming to 1.5°C, capture almost 100bn tonnes of carbon in soils and free up an area of land larger than the EU. That’s land that can be more efficiently used to grow crops or re-wilded to biodiverse habitats that can sequester carbon.
🌳 The Conservation Volunteers: Getting out and enjoying some nature / Mari
At some point last year I realised I was reaching a physical and mental health rut. I was spending most of my days behind a desk or at least in front of a screen. It felt ironic that my job involves protecting the environment, but I was spending little time in nature. When my knees started aching and even making cracking sounds when I got up, I realised something had to change before I became a premature OAP and hermit.
The Conservation Volunteers are an organisation that brings communities together to maintain green spaces and learn more about the local ecosystem- be it in a protected Nature Reserve or a small urban park. You can search for opportunities near you on their website and get involved. Having really enjoyed getting stuck into conservation clubs at uni, I decided it was time to get back into some green action.
I’ve got into wildlife surveys at The Paddock, where they conduct weekly bird, fungi and invertebrate surveys. Logging species populations can help build a case for greater protection status of green space, inform monitoring and evaluation to improve conservation practices and help better understand the behaviour and ecology of species.
Since I’ve started doing these surveys, I’ve noticed and appreciated wildlife in London so much more. I look up at trees when I hear bird songs to try and identify what species it’s coming from. I’ve downloaded nature identification apps like Merlin, PlantNet and iNaturalist to help me on my learning journey. It really helps that the two people who run the surveys at the Paddock, Cassandra and Anna, have a wonderfully infectious enthusiasm for wildlife. To be fair, there’s much to be delighted by - from adorable long-tailed tits (honestly, they look like little fluffy lollipops!) to hedgehogs!
I’ve also enjoyed getting into some more laborious work such as pulling out brambles, cutting back invasive plants and coppicing at Crouch End Open Space and Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park. The latter is also a wetland, which means sighting some pretty cool freshwater critters like newts and herons.
It’s also a wonderful way to spend quality time with pals - something a little different to the usual overpriced pint in a London pub!
I can’t recommend conservation volunteering enough. Lots of us started rightly relying on walking in parks during lockdown to get ourselves out of our cooped-up existence. This is like that but on steroids. Marvelling over a curious flower, enjoying birdsong or getting fit by tugging at a stubborn bramble - all these things are great for both your mental and physical wellbeing. I really feel a sense of community making friends with fellow nature nerds and working together to protect something we all really care about.
🍆 Veganuary - Week 4 / Will
With February within touching distance, today officially marks the end of Veganuary. As always seems to be the way with this sort of thing, I was just starting to get into it. Over the last week I’ve noticed a slight shift in my mindset - cooking and eating vegan has become a more natural part of my daily routine. I’m beginning to learn the go-tos, discover the shortcuts, and my cravings have definitely eased (if not completely disappeared - I’ll see you very soon, cheese).
I’ve also been reflecting on what the challenge has meant to me and which aspects I want to take forward beyond January and into my everyday diet. I’ll be sharing a little more about this next week, but for now, let’s crack on with some highlights from Week 4…
😋 Best meal: Vegan Chilli. I’m sorry to say I forgot to take a picture of this - all I can say is that it smelt so good I didn’t waste any time before getting stuck in. You’ll have to take my word for it. Healthy, not too complicated to make; a great vegan spin on a classic winter warmer. To take this to another level, add a dash of BBQ sauce. A close second this week was roasted red pepper, tomato and garlic soup (see page 13).
Top Tip: Be creative and take time away from the recipe book. As I said last week, meal planning is an excellent way to make sure you’re eating a varied, balanced vegan diet. But try not to be too rigid with this - following recipes isn’t always the key to a tasty meal. Giving yourself room to experiment will help you maintain an element of fun and let you stretch your knowledge of plant-based diets. I tried doing this yesterday for my Sunday brunch and here’s what I came up with:
All I did was throw some brussels sprouts into a pan and fry them up with some celery, basil, mushrooms, cashew nuts, pine nuts and some Richmond Vegan bacon. A dash of seasoning, and to finish it off, I mixed in a Merchant lentil pack. Nothing fancy, but it tasted great and helped me discover some new combos which worked well together. Give it a go and see what you come up with!
✅ Biggest revelation: KFC’s vegan burger hits the spot. As a veggie, I’m acutely aware of the lengths you sometimes have to go to if you want to get some decent fast food. Over the weekend I sampled KFC’s vegan burger and I’d say it’s a bit of a game-changer. Along with the McPlant, it seems the big chains are finally stepping up their offerings to vegans and non-meat eaters alike. Gone are the days of stumbling into McDonalds at 3am on a Saturday and ordering fries, while you watch all your meat-eating mates tuck into their chicken nuggets.
Veganuary finished, cheese, I’m back!
Have a great week folks!
The Grumpy Optimists 💚