Friends of the Earth, People & Planet and the NUS are offering students £500 for the most creative way to get people eating a more sustainable diet. The ‘Get Gobby’ competition – open to students across the UK – is based on research from the Oxford University showing that 45,000 early deaths could be saved if we cut down the amount of meat we eat and replaced it with more vegetables. Unsustainable meat and dairy production also accounts for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Students are not known for their healthy eating habits but the prize recognises that the stereotype is not always the case – 40 universities across the UK have student food co-ops providing low cost healthy food to students, including at Manchester.
The initiative urges aspiring journalists, graphic designers, advertisers, campaigners, scientists or social entrepreneurs to get involved. Awards will be given in three categories – written, creative and practical, giving students the opportunity to submit anything from blogs and social media campaigns to short films or campaigning kits. More information is available at www.foe.co.uk/getgobby.
Notes to editor:
1. For more information about the competition contact Clare Coatman by emailing clare.coatman@foe.co.uk . For information about Friends of the Earth in Manchester email lyndsey@manchesterfoe.org.uk .
2. Researchers from Oxford University analysed the health implications of a range of dietary options and concluded that lower-meat diets could cut deaths from heart disease by around 31,000, deaths from cancer by 9,000 and deaths from strokes by 5,000 each year. The lower-meat diets they analysed cut diseases and deaths because they contain less fat from meat, less salt from processed meat and more healthy fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates. The report also highlights how factory farming and processing of meat has made it less healthy, with an average supermarket chicken today containing 2.7 times more fat than in 1970 and 30 per cent less protein. For more information please see here http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/healthy_planet_eating.pdf
3. Entrants will be invited to target one of the following groups 1. Family; friends or other students; 2. Local community or businesses; 3. University caterers; 4. Local MP.
4. The judges will award the prize based on the entrant’s persuasiveness and innovation.
5. There are student food co-ops (‘Scoop groups’) at Aberystwyth University, Bristol University, Bath University, Birmingham University, Lancaster University, Cambridge University, Cardiff University, City University, Swansea University, Royal Holloway, Glasgow University, Edinburgh University, Keele University, Leeds University, Manchester University, Aston University, Bangor University, Edge Hill University, Imperial College, Kings College, Kingston University, Liverpool John Moores University, LSE, Portsmouth, Southampton Solent, Winchester University, Oxford University, Durham University, Newcastle University, Warwick University, Roehampton University, Sussex University, St Mary’s University, Falmouth University, Aberdeen University, School of Oriental and African Studies, Southampton University, Oxford Brookes, Stirling University, Sunderland University, University of Central Lancashire, UCL, East Anglia University, Kent, University of Brighton, University of Chester, St Andrews University, Strathclyde University and York University. For a map with contact details click here .
6. There are ‘Part Time Carnivore’ groups at Bristol University, Bath University, Birmingham University, Cardiff University, Edinburgh University, Aston, Bangor University, Edge Hill University, Imperial College, Kings College, Kingston University, Liverpool John Moores University, LSE, Portsmouth University, Southampton Solent, Winchester University, Roehampton University, Falmouth University, Aberdeen University, East Anglia University, Kent University, St Andrews University, Strathclyde University and York University. For more information click here .
