Mangetout Momentum - The Climate Action Challenge

Mangetout moment? What on Earth is Mangetout moment?

That's my exact question when my Green Technology lecturer gave us a series of assignments, starting from a personal sharing of our own Mangetout Moment to making a pledge on climate action which then became a one-month Mangetout Momentum experiment. There are 5 climate action areas for this assignment, in line with the Bite-Size Climate Action project developed by Universiti Malaya and University Nottingham Malaysia Campus.

Going back to the basics of Mangetout Moment, the concept that I understand is the one-second moment of realization that triggers a long thought process when it comes to our daily actions and impacts. It involves a decision-making process that requires a battle between guilt and making a change. We started off by reading Guardian writer Leo Hickman's inspiring journey after having his Mangetout Moment. I think Leo’s Mangetout Moment created a window of opportunity for him to reflect on his lifestyle, question the ethics of his actions and how he could work it out within and beyond his family.

My first Mangetout Moment was when I learnt about the differences between ‘need’ and ‘desire’ in consumerism from a sustainability camp. I remember how I was caught in the hype of impulse-buying in Japan, simply because I either thought the items were cute or rare – this is inclined towards my desire to own the items, regardless of the necessity. As a result, I had to ship 2 huge boxes of my

purchases when I moved back to Malaysia and the postage has costed a high level of carbon footprint.

On the other hand, by practising the concept of ‘need’, I have begun to challenge myself simple yet vital questions before purchasing anything for the past 7 years: “Do I need this item? Will it be useful in the long run?” I think these two questions are sufficient for beginners in sustainable consumerism before getting into the phase of calculating the impact. If one thinks that the item is not necessary and will not be used in a long run, hence, it’s best to not consume it. So far, I am doing a fairly good job in practising sustainable consumerism but only limited to non-edible items such as clothes, shoes, books, household appliances and bags.

I have yet to have a structured approach in sustainable consumerism of food, which is the reason I chose 'Food' from the 5 climate action areas. Although I have done some simple efforts such as composting and being an occasional vegetarian, I think I need to challenge myself to do more than just these two, especially in terms of being conscious of the food-related carbon footprint of different food products.

Hence my pledge (in which I do agree that it can be quite ambitious is:

"Hi this is Nabila and I pledge to be more educated about the food industry, practice an eco-conscious diet and reduce the carbon footprint of my meals.

The actions involved are:

1. Having vegetarian meals during the weekends (at the same time I get to try out interesting vegetarian recipes)

2. Search for more info on the ingredients whether they are sustainably produced

3. Doing a weekly stock check on my family's food inventory so that we can plan our meals and avoid over-buying and wastage"

Source: https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/to-tackle-climate-change-rethink-what-you-eat/

The reason I chose to do something about food is because of my current interest in our food system starting from production until consumption stage. I must admit that I don't have much knowledge about the different diets that can help the climate, the different food policies as well as the carbon footprint of the food industry. Nevertheless one thing for sure, the food system is far more complex than what I imagine now. As a consumer, I should practise my rights to be more informed about the food I consume as well as to strengthen my role as an environmentally conscious consumer.

Speaking about carbon footprints, I found a useful directory for foodprint (foo + D + print) calculators:

How will I fare in this challenge?

I foresee that it may not be an easy journey because this challenge would also involve my parents as I am staying with them. They are a part of my lifestyle and we share common values as a household society. I am pretty sure vegetarian meals will not be something they look forward to, especially my father.

This is the reality, folks. As an individual, some actions may be easy to carry out as we are only accountable of ourselves. Nobody would be complaining about a vegetarian meal you prepare if you live on your own or if you cook for yourself. It's somewhat different when you share a space, time, culture, lifestyle and life itself with others. The decisions that you make will affect the people surrounding you in that particular society, in my case it would be my household. This is actually a common situation that people face in a multistakeholder crisis or project. There has to be consideration of different stakeholders and their voices.

All the best to me.

And my parents.