Vegan food and drink options will be promoted throughout March in the Sheffield Student Union building, in a bid to encourage more people to buy plant-based options.
As part of the move to advertise more sustainable choices on its premises, Sheffield’s Student Union has introduced discounts on the vegan options being sold within its food outlets.
Discounts will apply for the duration of the month in union outlets such as, Coffee Revolution, Bar One, and Interval, where a 20 percent discount will apply to the plant-based options on the menu. A 10 percent discount will also apply to vegan bubble tea options at Pearls.
The new initiative, ‘Plant Made March,’ has been implemented by Welfare and Sustainability Officer, Jo Campling, as part of her role in representing student’s thoughts on issues of environmental sustainability.
Emphasising the importance of sustainable food options, Miss Campling said: “The reasons for advocating for plant-based options in the Union is largely because of the huge environmental impact of these choices.
“The idea of the scheme is to encourage people to make one plant-based choice, and then hopefully they’ll also get it the next time.”
Through promoting more individual choice towards plant-based food options, Sheffield Student Union hopes to create more widespread, environmental change throughout the student community in Sheffield.
While Miss Campling suggests that individuals should not be viewed as culpable for the climate crisis, she proposed that the large scale of Sheffield Student Union may make the organisation somewhat responsible if attempts are not made to prioritise sustainability.
This discount scheme therefore acts as the Student Union’s next step towards environmental sustainability, after beef was removed from the building’s food outlets last year.
Alongside these discounts, sustainability will also be promoted during March through posters and table talkers, shown throughout the Student Union, giving information on the environmental benefits of plant-based diets.
Piotr Zieba, a student at the University of Sheffield, supported the discount scheme for promoting vegan options.
He said: “People potentially feel that if they’re not paying for meat then they’re getting ripped off, so maybe if they’re paying less then they’re more likely to try vegan options.”
While the promotion of sustainable food options is a main aim of the project, prioritising the affordability of food for students is also a key aim of the project, particularly during the nationwide cost of living crisis.
Miss Campling said: “The project is making food more affordable as well as promoting plant-based food, because of course with the cost of living crisis it is quite nice to have cheaper food.”
Students at the University of Sheffield also supported the discount scheme both as a way to promote environmental sustainability, and to make food more affordable.
Elouise Garland, a student at the University of Sheffield, said: “Discounts are definitely an incentive for people who aren’t vegan to at least try vegan options.”
It is expected that the scheme will be built upon in future months, in the aim of making more sustainable food choices available throughout Sheffield’s Student Union.
