Leading a sustainable life is a daily challenge and it can be hard, especially if you are alone in this undertaking. I myself have to admit that I am trying- rather often unsuccessfully- not to buy goods wrapped in plastics or to reduce the consumption of meat on a weekly basis. These little adjustments do not change the world for sure, but it is still a little contribution that at the end of the day certainly matters. Plus, in this I am not alone. Many people at university are good examples of how to lead a sustainable life. Seeing that other people manage to do what you would actually like to do makes it less impossible to achieve, beyond being a constant source of inspiration. Especially, there is a friend who is very proactive and cares about the environment more than any other person I have ever met. So, when the other week she asked me if I wanted to help her out for a workshop on how to cook Vegan Lasagna, I must say I was not the most enthusiastic people. The common belief is that vegan equals not as tasty as the meaty one, hence I was a bit suspicious about the whole thing. But Italians never back off when it’s time to cook so I accepted to help her out.
So two weeks ago, 12 people gathered together to learn how to cook in a sustainable way. And this only sentence says a lot, I think. The Green Office organised the event and transformed a simple cooking session into a funny competition. Have you ever watched an episode of MasterChef? Well, the idea was this one: 3 teams cooking different lasagna(s) under the leadership of an Italian. We managed to put in the oven a spinach and pumpkin lasagna, a mushroom and tomato one and a zucchini pesto one! Check out the recipes here!
We cooked together, we listened to Italian and Dutch music, we got to know each other in a friendly environment. We then tasted the three different lasagna(s) that each group had cooked and we elected the pumpkin and spinach lasagna as the best one.
©Silvia Giudici
Well, it was a funny evening and we all learnt a bit on how to lead a more sustainable life!
If you want to know more about other sustainable event on campus, you can always check The Leiden University Green Office page on Facebook!
Brilliant blog. Sustainable living is so important and everyone can do their bit to help. The vegan lasagne looks great too.