LAGOM - September 2023
Sautéed cabbage and onions + renting with TDR
Hello, hello!
We are now on Substack! Your email looks a bit different, but it’s the same—the vegan recipes, original articles, product recommendations, interviews, profiles and interesting links. We’ll also publish Substack Notes occasionally, more in-the-moment updates. But such change has been long brewing. And for you, those who have been with us over the years, our Founding Members, our long-time BFFs, you will receive our paid emails complimentary during October and November, an additional essay and a curated list of our 20 favourite discoveries—what we’re reading, podcast episodes, discoveries and loves, each month.
So now, here we are in Spring Equinox, a fresh start. We’re taking off, taking on challenges. Where and towards what shall we direct this energy? Inspired action dissolves what remnants of stagnation remain, and we again remember why we are here. Our intent has always been to engage people from all disciplines; inspiring systems change to prioritise collective well-being. Spirit meets us at the point of action.
On that note, New Zealand. VOTE! Go vote in these elections! Voting is your voice! Recognise that the climate crisis is on our doorstep, and the window to a stable planet gets narrower each year. Environmental issues are human rights issues. And humankind must act—and to get there in time, we must work together. NOW. It’s go, go, go. We have some big wins coming, and everyone’s participation is required.
Sautéed cabbage and onions
Inspired by a Hot Slaw, you simply can't go wrong with this recipe—sautéed cabbage and onions with red pepper flakes, dill and garlic. Good olive oil and lots of lime juice. It’s just the best. The unexpected flavours are so warming and make for an easy weeknight dinner. Serve this side with tempeh, forbidden rice and kale in the oven with pepper flakes at 180 degrees Celsius for six minutes, drizzled with tahini dressing and finished with sunflower and sesame seeds. So good!
I rented a dress with The Dress Room rental
A lack of money and space led me to rent a dress for my friend’s wedding at The Dress Room rental, an online and physical space located in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It was an interesting, fun experience, both in terms of service and creativity. The process also made me think deeper into the idea of ownership and shopping. Have you rented before? Here is my experience at the link below.
Our September issue round-up
September is conventionally fashion month, halfway through the year, when new collections are presented to the world, and most fashion weeks are programmed in the Western hemisphere. More recently, it also became the month to celebrate second-hand, through second-hand September, the Oxfam UK campaign to encourage people to shop for pre-loved clothing and reduce fast fashion consumption. For the occasion, we curated a list of all our content related to the subject to expand your knowledge and get inspired:
—To understand the fashion industry issues regarding sustainability economics, consumerism, waste and pollution.
—To reflect on how to make the fashion industry a more circular and social economy.
—To get inspired on how to dress with style without buying new things, it is here (perfect timing for our friends in the North Hemisphere) and here (still quite chilly in New Zealand!).
—Substantial tips on how to best shop for second-hand and where, plus how to care for your shoes. You want your well-invested garments to last.
Happy reading!
VOTE in these elections!
Saw this post the other day, “can we afford to vote for climate”, and thought that question might be more “can we afford to not vote for climate?” Auckland's January 27 flood is the most expensive weather event in insurance history. It is here and the upper North Island that now face an ever-increasing risk of extreme heatwaves. Increased climate variability, frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall, heatwaves and prolonged drought inevitably impact the stability of food security. And food prices explode. Fair Food distributed 1,776,457 meals last year. People cannot afford to eat. It is all interconnected, climate, poverty, politics. So VOTE. The cost of living crisis is a direct consequence of the cost of doing nothing—climate justice is human rights justice. Exercise your rights this October! Vote for liveable incomes and fair tax system. Vote for clean energy and to ban oil drilling. Vote to regenerate the land, for spongey cities. Vote for a commitment to climate action. Vote for a better country.
Amandine's edit
A simple way to measure the scale of the overall climate crisis and how far modern society has come in a short time, releasing carbon into the atmosphere, is to learn about your birth PPM. Carbon dioxide is measured in PPM, parts per million, so your birth PPM will be the concentration levels of CO2 in the atmosphere the month you were born. I used this French website (you have to put your month in French, too) and learned that the concentration in March 1988 was 351PPM, slightly above the maximum acceptable level. The Nature Conservancy website has an English version, followed by a video laying out the basis of Carbon reduction. In her book Rise and Resist, Clare Press mentioned that more and more people are getting a tattoo of their PPM number. Sometimes, I think about it too. Current PPM levels are above 418 PPM. Reaching 500 PPM means a 3-degree global temperature increase, making life conditions extremely difficult on our planet—something to keep in mind.
Since the Caker closed its brick-and-mortar shop early September in Auckland, indulging in a delicious “ready to eat” vegan cake has proven a mission. Yet I still needed a cake for our wedding party with our New Zealand friends last weekend. By the magic of the algorithm and advertising spying through my phone, I stumbled across Bluebells Cakery on Instagram. Based in Kingsland, Auckland, the shop was also a minute away from our venue. Their website is convenient, and they have two options for a signature vegan cake. A chocolate raspberry and a vanilla dairy-free cream, which was also gluten-free, so that is the one I picked. And my gosh, what an indulgence it was! The cake was light, sweet, and its frosting was so creamy. Everyone who had a piece enjoyed it thoroughly. We loved the leftovers the day after, too. They also have three cafes in Tamaki Makaurau where you can try more of their pastry. I’ll order again for sure.
At the end of October, I’ll run the 11km Traverse, parallel to the Auckland Marathon. With the ticket purchase comes an opportunity to run and fundraise for a charity of your choice. I chose to help the Auckland City Mission. Many charities are currently going through a difficult position after the massive local and national government funding cuts to keep enriching the rich. I think that those who can have to step in and support these non-profits provisioning for the community where the government keeps failing.
The Auckland City Mission provides vital social work to those in need, people experiencing material or health hardship, homelessness or living transiently, supporting their path to positive outcomes. For this fundraiser, I was given the primary goal of $500. It is always better to collect more, of course! To achieve my goal, I need a minimum of 100 people to give $5. This $5 cost less than a flat white. My page is still bare, but it is here if you’d like to chip in $5 or more—donations are going through a secured online platform. The cut-off date is the 29th of October. I think the City Mission is a cause worth giving up some caffeine this week, or the next.
Trace's edit
Goji, when she was a potat, thankfully did not chew a lot. But she did steal our socks and destroyed almost all my boyfriend's socks. I'm slowly replacing them, and the next pair on my list are these Rubbish Socks from Untouched World—made from an exclusive 50/50 blend of raw merino fibre and natural recycled materials. It's ultimately super refreshing to see textile recycling from a material destined for landfill used to create a high-quality product with infinite recycling potential. These socks would also compost. They are 100% natural fibre. And they're made locally. Production-run scraps are sent to their Wellington spinner, shredded and spun into new yarn. This process is utterly free of water and dye—so it's less resource-intensive. Rubbish Socks are $40 a pair, and if you sign up to receive emails, you'll also receive 10% off your first order. You're welcome.
I have taken a hiatus from purchasing skincare. My products were not used to completion, so now I am using everything, and I’ve emptied another nine or so bottles for the TerraCycle® collection this past two months. Inevitably, however, I will need more exfoliants and serums because I love those things (and my skin needs them), and I want to try some products from Typology. The clarifying face scrub (it has 2% Sulfur!), their hyperpigmentation and firming serum and the firming night mask with organic prickly pear oil (you have to love a product that works while you sleep)! Typology is a French brand; their concise formulations are Peta-approved and made in France. And because they are French, they must comply with the stringent European regulations for cosmetics, which ban over 1,300 ingredients. They also have a no-use list and ingredient priority is given to those that are the product of organic farming. Typology is also a Certified B Corporation. So, if you are looking for new products that are clean, efficace, and not tested on living creatures, you might join me in placing an order! Typology ships to most places.
I recently subscribed to the New York Times and, while researching for something unrelated but not entirely (carbon emissions and commercial real estate), found this gem: How New York’s Public Hospitals Cut Carbon Emissions: More Vegetables. Basically, YC Health + Hospitals, the country’s largest municipal health system, made plant-based meals the default, and it reduced food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 36 per cent. That means the food contains no meat, dairy or eggs. If a patient doesn’t like the first option, the second offering is also plant-based. Anyone who wants meat has to make a special request. This is AMAZING. I also recommend reading the comments. Someone asked about B12 (obviously), and another proposed this change be implemented in prisons. Of course, there are those who say this move is to alienate farmers and destroy the U.S. food system (LOL), but as another commentator writes, “I can’t stop laughing at the outraged comments of a hospital serving healthy food to patients. You want Taco Bell in the ER? Order delivery.”
Thoughts, questions, you can always direct reply to these emails.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Tracey Creed & Amandine Paniagua
