Sustainable Shopping

Foodprint.org is a website that offers tips on shopping sustainably for food.  

Sustainable shopping includes where you shop for food, what you buy, how you use food, and how you discard of it.  

 

The best places to shop sustainably are local food markets. If you can grow food yourself, that’s even better. Local foods have a lower carbon footprint due to a lower carbon emission associated with shipping.  

 

All foods and products have a different carbon footprint. Even two different brands of the same product have different carbon footprints, so understanding what we are buying and where it comes from is important for sustainable shopping! Food labels tell us a lot about where our food is from and how it was produced, but they are not always the easiest to understand or read. Foodprint.org provides a wonderful, in-depth look at reading food labels at this link https://foodprint.org/eating-sustainably/food-label-guide/ 

 

Cooking at home is a great opportunity to lower your carbon footprint. Eating out or buying prepackaged meals means that a lot of the sourcing, packaging, and ingredients are out of your control. It can be fun to learn and try new recipes, and even if its difficult to get started, it is rewarding to try a new recipe and love it! This blog has many resources for sustainable recipes that contain little to no meat products and consist of local ingredients; however, you can make every meal more sustainable by reducing meat in meals, using the parts of veggies you normally toss (like stems of broccoli or cauliflower), or composting leftovers. On average people throw away more than 25% of the food they buy. 

  

Sustainable shopping and cooking often means saving money through using more of what you buy and finding creative ways to use leftover ingredients. 

Garden Fresh Salsa

Do you want a two-step salsa recipe?  This is the perfect recipe because it’s quick and sustainable! 

Ingredients 

  • 5 medium sized vine ripe tomatoes 
  • 1 medium onion 
  • 1-2 hot peppers, finely chopped (jalapeño or serrano are good)  
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 
  • Juice from ½ of a lime 

Instructions: 

  1. Chop tomato and onion into a quarter-inch dice.  
  2. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. 

You can also add salt and pepper to taste (½ teaspoon of each). If you like cilantro, you can add 2-3 teaspoon of chopped fresh cilantro.  

https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/garden-fresh-salsa/ 

Be Well Blog – Student Wellness Center

The Be Well Blog is a holistic wellness blog geared for college students brought to you by the Student Wellness Center staff, student employees and student volunteers. The Be Well blog provides education on a variety of wellness topics through written post, videos, and pictures. The Be Well Blog shares events, opportunities, and provides a different view of the Student Wellness Center. Subscribe and share with your fellow Buckeyes! We hope this blog will help you on your journey to Be Well and Thrive! 

Go.osu.edu/BeWellBlog 

 

In addition to the resources highlighted this week, the Student Wellness Center also offers a variety of programs and services to help all Ohio State Students live happier and healthier lives. Learn more about the free offerings at swc.osu.edu.

Nutrition Coaching – Student Wellness Center

Nutrition Coaching is intended to help students identify any imbalance in their food intake and explore ways to optimize their nutrition needs. Nutrition coaching includes a nutrition assessment, education and goal setting. Nutrition Coaching can help with weight management, meal planning and grocery shopping, dining out, body image, food allergies, health condition, sports nutrition and more.  

 

  

To learn more and schedule a coaching session, please visit go.osu.edu/nutritioncoaching  

Financial Coaching – Student Wellness Center

Financial Coaching is a one-on-one peer coaching program that empowers students to make informed financial decisions. Financial coaching can help with personalized budget development, student loans, credit and credit card education, retirement and investing, post-graduation planning and more. Financial Coaching also offers group presentations and workshops for all Ohio State Students.  

 

 

iGrad is a financial literacy online service offered to Ohio State students free of charge. This interactive website allows you to complete personal finance education course and activities around the follow topics: student loans, smart borrowing, planning for retirement, investing, identity theft, budgeting, banking and credit cards.  

 

To learn more and schedule a financial coaching session please visit go.osu.edu/yourfinances 

Wellness Coaching – Student Wellness Center

Wellness Coaching takes a positive approach to personal development, focusing on your strengths and using the Nine Dimensions of Wellness model as a framework for generating goals that are meaningful for you. This one-on-one peer program provides students with a coach to listen and provide guidance to go from surviving to thriving in life. Wellness Coaching may help you with stress management, navigating transitions, balancing relationships, improving confidence and more. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtxMXD4k5g8&feature=emb_title

Wellness Coaching also offers group coaching and weekly group meditations. Group coaching is peer led and strives to create a culture of care by bringing students together in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment to engage in authentic and open conversations around wellness. Group coaching fosters a community that will support you and your goals. Weekly meditation offers a brief meditation and space to process reactions with a Wellness Coach. Meditation sessions last 30 minutes. 

To learn more and signup for a one-on-one, group, or meditation session, please visit go.osu.edu/wellnesscoaching  

Mental Health and Wellness in a Virtual World

There are several resources at Ohio State to support positive Mental Health and Wellness on campus that have been adapted to fit in our socially distanced world. Find on-demand mental health resources through CCS and many other additional opportunities through other offices on campus. Whether you just need to talk to someone or you want to learn new skills and strategies for improving your mental health, there are resources for you that you can access daily. “Let’s Talk”, for example, was designed to provide opportunities for students to have a brief, confidential conversation with a counselor at CCS. It’s perfect for quick problem solving. This program is available Monday – Friday.

Want to binge-watch for Mental Health? CCS staff share their favorite strategies for supporting positive mental health in a bite-size video series.

These are helpful when you need to discover new ways to reduce stress, manage anxiety, or improve your mood. It can also be said that we are certainly in a period of “Time and Change”. This collection of resources are intended to help navigate today’s world. As you navigate life as a commuter student, remember to reach out. Because you are not alone!

 

 

Buckeye Block Watch

Buckeye Block Watch is a program from the Student Life Office of Off- Campus and Commuter Student Services to promote community development and safety off campus. This safety awareness initiative is available to all Ohio State students living off-campus and increases awareness of safety practices and available resources.  

As a part of Buckeye Block Watch movement, you pledge to: 

  • Be alert! 
  • Know your neighbors and watch out for each other. 
  • Report suspicious activities and crimes regardless of when they happened. 
  • Learn how you can make yourself and your community safer. 

 

https://communitycrimemap.com/ is a website that offers an up to date crime map. It is a good tool to use when finding a new place to live or when visiting new neighborhoods. Being alert and educated is the best safety practice. Put in any address and see recent crimes and crimes that are more common in the area. 

How can you look out for your neighbor? 

We encourage students to report any suspicious activity to 311, Columbus’s NON-EMERGENCY Service Center available to residents. If there is an emergency, be sure to call 911 immediately.  Even when life seems hectic, continue to watch out for your neighbors and friends.  

Double-Meat Italian Subs for the Game

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb Ham 
  • ½ lb Salami 
  • ½ lb Pepperoni 
  • 12 slices of Provolone Cheese 
  • 2 Large Italian Bread  
  • Banana peppers 
  • 2 Tomatoes 
  • 1 Onion 
  • Shredded iceberg lettuce 
  • Italian sub sauce 
  • A touch of Oregano 

Prep: 

  • Slice the bread (if needed) 
  • Chop your onions 
  • Slice your tomatoes  

Steps: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 
  2. If the bread is not pre-sliced, slice the bread in half and lay the halves on a baking sheet 
  3. Lay ham on both slices of the bread. Try and lay the slices of ham so that the pieces are not laid flat. 
  4. Lay salami on both slices of the bread on top of the salami.  
  5. Lay the pepperoni on both slices of the bread on top of the salami.  
  6. Lay the provolone cheese on top of the pepperoni.  
  7. Sprinkle oregano on top of the cheese 
  8. Put in the oven. Depending on how done you want your subs, the time will vary. I prefer my subs golden with the cheese melted.  
  9. Take subs out of oven and put cold ingredients on one slice. Sprinkle shredded lettuce, banana peppers, onions and place the tomato slices on the subs (as much or as little as you want) 
  10. After all the cold ingredients are on, pour a little Italian sub sauce on one slice and then bring the slices together. 

Recommendation: 

  • Cut the onions and tomato while the sub is in the oven to save time.  
  • I would recommend cutting the subs into sections after bringing the two slices together.  

Roasted Chickpeas

yellow corn on glass bowl

Roasted chickpeas are a delicious, easy, and healthy snack! With one cup of chickpeas having 12 g of protein, this snack will keep you full for hours, making it the perfect option to pack for a long day on campus. With this recipe, I typically eyeball how much of each seasoning that I use, so feel free to do the same. You can also add in or take away any seasonings you want – this recipe is super customizable! 

Ingredients  

  • 1 can of chickpeas 
  • 1 tbsp of Olive Oil 
  • Salt 
  • Pepper 
  • Garlic powder 
  • Chili powder 
  • Dried parsley flakes 
  • Red pepper flakes  

Instructions 

  1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees 
  2. Drain and rinse chickpeas with cold water. Spread them out on a flat surface (like a cutting board) and pat with a towel to dry.  
  3. Spread chickpeas onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other seasonings. Mix everything together to make sure your chickpeas are evenly seasoned 
  4. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until they have reached your desired crispy-ness. Toss chickpeas two or three times while cooking.  
  5. Remove from the oven, cool and enjoy! 

Note: if you want to save any for later, store them in any air-tight reusable container. No need to refrigerate!