Club project encourages sustainable eating habits


Photo courtesy of Jennifer Cui

The USC Conscientious Living Organization: Veganism, Environmentalism, Reducetarianism club, a campus organization which encourages students and staff to consider sustainable eating habits, began its annual Reducetarian Project on Thursday, marking the beginning of a 30-day pledge to reduce animal product intake.

“Through that 30-day process, you can choose whatever method works best for you, whether that’s meatless Mondays, vegan on the weekends, dairy-free,” said Jennifer Cui, president and founder of CLOVER. “[You can do] whatever you feel like is sustainable for 30 days.”

The club, which focuses on veganism and the environment, comprises both members from last year as well as members of the USC Animal Rights Association and the Vegetarian-Vegan Club. The three organizations decided to merge together this semester due to shared member interests and previously co-hosted events.

Cui first put the Reducetarian Project into action last year after speaking with Brian Kateman, one of the founders of the Reducetarian Project, to destigmatize veganism. She had to consider a lot of things when altering the project for USC’s campus.

“I kind of just went in a little bit blind and tried to figure out, structure-wise, how am I going to make sure people actually stick on this diet, where am I going to do this, how is this going to work, so I kind of just worked through all that and then had [the foundation] as support,” she said.

The Reducetarian Project formed around the idea that sustainable eating does not have to be all or nothing.

“You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian,” Cui said. “You just have to be open-minded and want to learn more about why people are using plant-based [diets], what are the benefits [and] how to do it. We’re there as a support system to help you through whatever way you decide to be a reducetarian.”

The Reducetarian Project kicked off with a screening of Okja, a Netflix film focusing on the meat industry, and ended with the screening of What the Health, a documentary exploring the health benefits of a plant-based diet and the aspects of meat, eggs and dairy that can be potentially damaging to health and the environment.

“What we hope to do is to get students and faculty members involved in plant-based eating,” Cui said. “We already have a new plant-based section in the new dining hall in the Village, which is awesome; we’re just moving toward having plant-based options at all events, educating people on what a plant-based diet is and mitigating the negative stigmas that vegetarianism and veganism [have] on campus.”

Those who opt to participate in the 30-day pledge are encouraged to send in photos of their food and comments about their progress, which make them eligible to receive tickets for weekly raffles. Students can also receive raffle tickets for attending CLOVER’s weekly meetings during the span of the project. CLOVER is expecting increased participation in the pledge this year, in large part because of the recent involvement fair, Cui said.

“We doubled our number on our mailing list this year, so we’re at … 313 people,” she said. “We’re trying to max out as much as we can too.”

Club members are also looking forward to developing improved sustainability habits through the Reducetarian Project.

“I’m going to continue to develop in all the goals that I’ve set out for myself,” said Irena Preda, a member and graduate student studying vocal arts and opera. “I think it’s a great opportunity to really test how much I can adhere to the goals that I set out if I really focus on it. [It’s a great opportunity to] be able to talk to people who feel the same way about the issues that are important to me.”