The Veganuary initiative has encouraged people to go vegan for January, and this year KCLSU is jumping on board too!

Whether you’re a meat-eater, vegetarian, or a flexitarian, there is no doubt that there are many ethical, environmental and health reasons to go vegan: an average vegan diet produces nearly half the CO2 of a meat-eater’s diet – 1,055 kg v 2,055 kg. Health wise, going vegan can reduce your chances of getting type two diabetes, heart disease and even premature death. If you’re an animal lover, you might be conscious of the negative effects on the animals we farm for their meat, milk and eggs. 

Despite these startling statistics, the vegan lifestyle can be very daunting for someone who has no experience avoiding meat and animal products, which seem to be everywhere. Even those who try can find the diet expensive and lacking their favourite foods – but the Veganuary initiative tries to change that by giving the vegan-curious more options than they could dream of! 

The Vegan Society  have an environmental campaign called Plate Up for the Planet which aims to show you how to take your first steps on the journey of using plant-based alternatives. It also shows you what environmental benefit this can have with each switch. Making ‘one little switch’ will help tackle greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.

At KCLSU, we are doing our bit this Veganuary to make vegan options accessible to all! We’re offering free alternative milks for all drinks at The Shack – that’s soy, oat, coconut and almond milk – and charging 20p extra for cow’s milk – so why not give one of our alternative milks a try? 

What’s more, The Vault and Guy’s Bar offer a selection of vegan meals which will be perfect for this cold season. We’ve launched Quorn Nuggets at Guy’s Hut - simply come to Guy’s Hut and ask for your Free Quorn Nugget.

With these great little incentives, we hope we can encourage you to try Veganuary this month – even if it’s only for a day or two, a little goes a long way – and you might just discover something you love!