I’m challenging myself #BECAUSE I want to protect the planet.

By Julie Byrnes

I’m challenging myself to fundraise for Greenpeace #BECAUSE.....

It’s food revolution time! 

I am fundraising for Greenpeace by challenging myself to cook and eat 7 delicious bug recipes! I will share my recipes with everyone who makes a gift and provides me with their email. 

Why am I doing this? Because our industrial food system is heating up our planet. It depends on intensive fossil fuel use and growing practices that threaten natural ecosystems and causes up to 37% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. 

Raising cows, pigs and chickens is so resource intensive that it actually generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks and automobiles combined. Cattle ranchers also have to clear cut millions of square kilometers of forests for grazing pastures to keep up with demand, decimating natural climate cooling “carbon sinks.”

Bugs on the other hand, have a much lower environmental impact. They don’t need a lot of water, they don't take up a lot of space nor do they eat large quantities of food. According to Andrea Liceaga, an associate professor of food science at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, their feed to growth ratio is almost 1 to 1. They are also good for you: high in protein, full of healthy fats, iron, and calcium — and low in carbohydrates. And apparently...delicious. I've never eaten them before so I'll confirm this as I go!

We need a global food revolution that changes the way we grow and produce what we eat.  The brilliant and dedicated Greenpeace team is working hard to make this happen. 

With your support, they can do even more. Please chip in with a donation of $25, $50 or whatever you can afford to support my fundraising campaign.

Thank you for your support ❤️

My Progress

Personalized my page

Made a self-donation

Shared my profile page

Received my first donation

Increased my fundraising goal

Reached 25% of my fundraising goal

Reached 50% of my fundraising goal

Reached 75% of my fundraising goal

Reached my fundraising goal

Thanked my donors

My Updates

Pesto cricket pasta was delicious!

Monday 1st Feb
Here's the first meal of my 'eating bugs for the planet" challenge. Why am I doing this? To raise money to support Greenpeace's important work and to explore insects as a more sustainable alternative to eating animal meat and fish.
Last night, I made pesto (Quebec raised) cricket pasta, with sun dried tomatoes and portobello mushrooms. It was actually delicious! Zero "ew" factor so far.

The pasta tasted like whole wheat and they were jam packed with nutritious protein. Interesting fact: crickets are about 58 to 65 percent protein per bug.

I've been finding it challenging to find insect-based edible products, Vrac et bocaux in Montreal is the only local place I've found so far. I prefer buying from a store than ordering online to avoid packaging.

I've also been asking myself a lot of the same questions I usually do when shopping for food: i.e is it locally sourced, is it ethically raised and what's the actual environmental impact? I'm finding out that crickets are most popular for locally sourced edible insects these days in Montreal.

Here are a few articles and blogs you might find interesting on eating insects to build a more sustainable future:
- https://davidsuzuki.org/story/save-planet-eat-insect/
- https://phys.org/news/2019-06-insects-good-planet-insist.html

The adventure continues...
Thanks for your support!

Thank you to my Sponsors

$208

Benjamin Lacaille

Keep up the good work!

$104

Nicholas Bleser

Make sure the bugs are deep fried first!

$104

Laurence Lavigne Lalonde

t'es hot! je t'aime

$78

Anne Marie Byrnes

Go Julie! <3

$62.40

Carol Laurence

Please let us know when you are eating bugs, so we can dine with you.

$52

Mary Byrnes

I'm so proud of you every day Julie. I love you. Love, Grandma

$52

Francine Maurice

Merci de nous aider à sauver la planète. Cependant, ne mange pas trop d’insectes. Ils sont très utiles pour la biodiversité...

$52

Pat Chapman

You are so adventurous - eating bugs! Good challenge and cause! 💕

$31.20

Marie Andrée

Keep up eating bugs

$31.20

Anonymous

Good luck .. Ill try and make one of your recipes..

$31.20

Francine G

You are inspirational. Francine and Barry

$26

Julie Byrnes

$26

Gerald Bleser

$20.80

Stephanie Thibault

C’est effectivement une avenue à explorer et à implanter tranquillement! Très belle cause! Pas encore prête moi-même à jumper in, je peux cependant dire ceci, t’as toute mon admiration !

$15

Étienne Soucy

$10.40

Mc

Oh my god Julie! This is such a good challenge.

$10

Ranjana Chakravorty

Wow Julie! It takes a lot of courage to take such an initiative. All the best!

$5.20

Miriam

Wow you are so brave Julie!!! Good Luck!!!

$5.20

Sid Choudhuri

Great idea! I've tried cricket flour in cookies and it tasted like whole wheat flour. I think this is truly the food of the future!