Practical Recipes on Campus

Overview: Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet for environmental and social justice. Then, share this information with your peers by creating examples of balanced meals that are affordable, accessible, and able to be prepared in a dorm environment. Research and communicate the resources and emissions saved from making the recipe plant-based rather than animal-product-inclusive. 

Learning objectives: 

• Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
• Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.
• Quantify the impact of eliminating animal products from one’s diet on planetary health.
• Be able to discuss the relationship between food and the environment with peers and offer practical suggestions for transitioning to a more plant-forward diet.
• Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences including your peers and the public, such as active listening and asking critical questions.
• Learn about skills and competencies required in culinary and environmental science professions, such as recipe creation and environmental impact analysis.

Stages:

1. Investigation
   1. Survey the selected audience (i.e. dorm neighbors, sports team, or those who share an academic focus) to understand their considerations when choosing their food.
2. Preparation and Planning
   1. Research the connection between food and the environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.
   2. Reflect on survey results to determine the standards that each recipe must meet, including cost, ease of buying ingredients, and cooking method.
   3. Brainstorm at least ten different plant-based recipes that are affordable, accessible, and practical for the audience to cook. Each recipe should be for a balanced, nutritious meal that includes fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and protein. 
   4. Calculate the environmental savings of each recipe compared to a similar recipe that includes animal products.
3. Action/Demonstration
   1. Prepare and distribute recipes (i.e., live cooking demonstration, printed handouts, video, etc.) and communicate environmental benefits.

Deliverables:

• Survey distributed to the audience asking about preferences, restraints, etc. 10 plant-based recipes that fit the needs of the audience
• Documentation of the presentation of the recipes (i.e., video recording, handouts, etc.)