Dear EPFL President, Catering Managers, and Student Representatives,

We are writing to you as a concerned group of students (UNIL and EPFL). We are acutely aware - as you must be too - of the climate and ecological crises; not only this but we are also mindful that animal farming and fishing are leading drivers of them.

In 2018, Dr Joseph Poore and Dr Thomas Nemecek collaborated to produce a meta-analysis of around 38,000 farms across the globe. Their findings - alongside an extensive body of other evidence - demonstrate that, beyond all reasonable doubt, the production of animal products is causing enormous damage to our climate [1]. Whether through direct greenhouse gas emissions, pollution of waterways, or the secondary impact of disproportionate and inefficient land use, it’s evident our insecure, unsafe, and unfit-for-purpose food system cannot continue unchecked.

A growing body of academic literature is exploring and proving the benefits of adopting a safe, secure, and plant-based food system. Dr Helen Harwatt and Dr Matthew Hayek carried out research for Harvard University in 2019 that suggested the UK could be carbon-negative if it combined the switch to plant-based production with rewilding the land freed up by this change [2]. 

We are aiming to reframe the mainstream environmental debate so that a fully plant-based food system can be celebrated as a key solution to the climate and nature emergencies. We are not demanding a ban on animal products from campuses, but rather that our universities divest from these industries at their outlets just as they have fossil fuels. We are advocating for our academic institutions to act in alignment with the best interests of future generations now.

EPFL is already acknowledging the issue, and we encourage it to take a more courageous and coherent stance as in 2023, EPFL published the climate & sustainability strategy that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 40% (from respectively 2006 and 2019 levels) by 2030.  EPFL is willing to cut food-related carbon emission by at least 40%(from 2019 levels) by 2030 [3].

Also, EPFL has written down explicit goals to serve seasonal, local, organic meals. However, although commonly considered central to the environmental impact, the geographical origin of food turns out to be almost negligible, the type of food consumed being the main factor in the ecological impact. [4][5]

Several European universities are already positioned on plant-based catering. Currently in the University of Berlin, students will be able to order meals from menus that are 68% vegan, 28% vegetarian and just 4% meat [6]. Universities in Birmingham, Stirling, London have passed motion to go 100% plant-based before 2030. More recently Graz university has supported a motion to go 100 % plant-based and the three cafeterias in Neuchatel(CH) are entirely vegan. 

The collective decisions we make presently greatly influence the future on Earth of young people. Students deserve to know that their universities are leaders in fighting against climate change and realizing their sustainability pledge. Without taking the food issue more seriously, EPFL would be behind university peers and not on track in reducing its carbon emission and realizing its sustainability pledge.

We are in a crucial period for the future of all life on Earth, the decisions we make now will shape the future of humanity and the natural world. Our young people, many of whom study at your institutions, deserve to know that their universities are actively working to create a future for them to graduate into. 

We think EPFL should also ensure that plant-based menus are affordable by making healthy food accessible in terms of price. Indeed, student precarity is a serious topic affecting Swiss students [7][8] and universities such as UNIGE lead by example  by guaranteeing 5 CHF menu prices for students. [9]

Therefore, as students, we are calling on you to use your positions to speak up and begin the transition to 100% just and sustainable plant-based catering at EPFL, and guarantee healthy and affordable plant-based menus at 5 CHF in most cafeterias. Our universities have, for centuries, been shining lights of intellectual, moral, and scientific progress. What we are asking for here is no different. We truly believe in the power of people coming together and making positive change. We are asking for you to step up and be part of building a better, kinder, and safer world.

Kind regards,

Sources:

[1] J. Poore, T. Nemecek, Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers.Science360,987-992(2018).DOI:10.1126/science.aaq0216

[2] Dr Joseph Poore, Dr Thomas Nemecek, “Repurposing UK agricultural land to meet climate goals.” n.d. Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program. https://animal.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/Eating-Away-at-Climate-Change-with-Negative-Emissions%E2%80%93%E2%80%93Harwatt-Hayek.pdf. 

[3] “2030 Climate & Sustainability Strategy.” 2023. EPFL. https://www.epfl.ch/about/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Climate_Sustainability_Strategy_EPFL_2023.pdf. 

[4] Weber, c. L. , & Matthews, H. S. (2008). Food-miles and the relative climate impacts of food choices in the United States.

[5] Ritchie, Hannah. 2020. “You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local.” Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local. 

[6] Oltermann, Philip. 2021. “Berlin's university canteens go almost meat-free as students prioritise climate.” The Guardian, August 31, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/31/berlins-university-canteens-go-almost-meat-free-as-students-prioritise-climate. 

[7] RTS. 2023. “Les étudiants étrangers en Suisse sont les plus précarisés.” December 12, 2023. https://www.rts.ch/info/economie/14542992-les-etudiants-etrangers-en-suisse-sont-les-plus-precarises.html. 

[8] “Situation sociale et économique des étudiants.” 2021. Situation sociale et économique des étudiants | Office fédéral de la statistique. https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/education-science/personnes-formation/degre-tertiaire-hautes-ecoles/situation-sociale-economique-etudiants.html.

[9] “Repas à 5 francs pour les étudiant-es.” n.d. Université de Genève. Accessed January 10, 2024. https://www.unige.ch/batiment/campus-durable/alimentation/repas-a-5-francs/