Veganuary 2026 at The Open University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Open University marked Veganuary with a programme of online and on‑campus events exploring plant‑based living through the themes of sustainability, ethics and health. A total of 217 people registered across the month’s activities, demonstrating strong engagement from staff and students.

Event highlights
 
  • Eating for the environment: Shonil Bhagwat, Professor of Environment and Society, explored how everyday food choices impact the planet and introduced ways to adopt more environmentally conscious eating habits. 
  • Ethical veganism: What it is and why it matters for social justice. Ethicist Matthew Melsa, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, guided attendees through the principles of ethical veganism, highlighting its links to fairness, equality and wider social justice movements.
  • Plant Power: Exploring the nutritional and health benefits of a vegan diet: This session was a 'watch party' of the documentary, The Game Changers. 
  • The Great Vegan Bake‑Off: The month concluded with a creative celebration inviting staff and students to showcase their best vegan bakes, either at the Milton Keynes campus or virtually. Take a look at the delicious offerings our talented bakers created!
     

 
Visit our Veganuary events page to watch recordings of these events, explore ​presentation slides and related articles. 

 
Campus catering impact
 
Throughout January, The Hub at our Milton Keynes campus supported Veganuary by offering a 10% discount on hot vegan meals and free oat milk (with soya already available for free).
This promotion contributed to a noticeable shift in plant‑based choices with 563 plant‑based meals served, (including 330 hot meals) and 1,022 milk‑alternative drinks  sold (928 with oat milk, 94 with soya milk) highlighting the growing interest in sustainable food options across the campus community.
 
Raising awareness
 
To help spark conversations and raise visibility, Veganuary messaging was displayed across the Milton Keynes campus via posters, digital screen displays and leaflets promoting plant‑based choices. In addition, staff and students were encouraged to sign up for Veganuary’s email newsletter via a dedicated OU link, resulting in 44 newsletter sign‑ups.
 
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Veganuary at the OU this year. We hope it was an accessible and inspiring way for to learn, experiment and reflect on the role of plant‑based living in supporting a more sustainable future. We look forward to building on this in 2027.