For her #100DaysOfGreenNevis project, Nevis saxophone player, Jenny Akroyd has taken a ‘green pledge’ and gone vegetarian for the duration of the challenge.
“As well as trying generally trying to make green choices, my main pledge is to go vegetarian for 100 days! It’s something I have been thinking about doing for a while, but until now I haven’t found an impetus. At first I was quite daunted by it, I’ve been a meat eater all my life, and 100 days is actually quite a long time. However, 15 days in and it is actually okay, in fact, more than okay.
I work in a school and I have been looking after those kids who need to be in, which means the majority of my veggie lunches are covered by the canteen. My week night dinners have also been taken care of by my angel sister who has made me a vegetarian dinner every night. At weekends I often cook for myself, and last weekend I made a load of veggie burgers to act as a meat supplement for family roast dinners. I’m also excited to try out lots of the recipes that my veggie and vegan friends have recommended!
As someone who is a big fan of baking, one thing I am very aware of is how many dairy products I use. I bake a few times a week which means I get through lots of eggs, butter and milk! Last week I decided to have a go at developing my own vegan cookie recipe. I made many batches, varying the ingredient ratios of each bake to get the perfect cookie. It turns out vegan cookies are really easy to make, and equally as delicious as those containing dairy. As a butter substitute I used vegan margarine (block stork), and as an egg substitute I used banana. This is what the cookie looks like so far. I have a few more variations I want to make, but I think I’m onto a winner!“
From 1 February 2021, Nevis is running #100DaysOfGreenNevis, where our musicians, staff and trustees will each take on a task for 100 days linked to Sustainability. We’d love you to join us, either by following the campaign online to get ideas of what you can do, or to show us you own actions for us to share. If you would like to know more, do get in touch at georgina@nevisensemble.org
Nevis Ensemble’s #GreenNevis campaign in 2019 won the Environmental Sustainability award at the 2020 Scottish Awards for New Music, and was shortlisted for Best Campaign by Julie’s Bicycle.