#SwitchUpYourLunch to make a difference in Oxfordshire
Green Templeton College is supporting the #SwitchUpYourLunch campaign on Monday 14 June as part of a pledge to improve Oxfordshire’s ecological footprint.
Our kitchen will be serving an exclusively vegan lunch menu on this day, and we’re encouraging all college members to #SwitchUpYourLunch and get involved.
Our #SwitchUpYourLunch menu
If you’re in college on Monday 14 June, enjoy a tasty vegan option from the click-and-collect lunch menu.
There are a range of delicious hot meals, salad bowls and baguettes available.

Hot meals
Option 1: Baked sweet potato with 5 bean chilli and kale
Option 2: Vegan mince bolognese with penne and green salad (soya, celery, sulphites, cereal)
Salad bowls
Option 1: Chargrilled vegetable pasta salad with vegan pesto (cereal, sulphites)
Option 2: Smoked tofu and quinoa salad (soya)
Baguettes
Option 1: Roast field mushroom with lettuce, tomato, Sriracha sauce and crispy onions (cereal, sesame, soya)
Option 2: Chickpea salad (cereal, mustard)
Bookings for this #SwitchUpYourLunch menu can be made via the Meals Booking platform as usual and close on Friday 11 June at midday.
If you’re working or studying remotely, there are a range of vegan and vegetarian lunch ideas on the Good Food Oxford website.
Don’t forget to share pics of your lunch with #SwitchUpYourLunch!
Enjoy!
About the campaign
Across Oxfordshire, food makes up 43% of our ecological footprint, which is more than transport or energy.
The #SwitchUpYourLunch campaign, organised by Oxfordshire Greentech and Good Food Oxford, wants to encourage everyone in Oxfordshire to make a positive difference to the environmental impact of our food, and improve our carbon footprint in this county.
This is the third year the campaign is running. In 2020, 38 organisations across Oxfordshire took part in the pledge and more than 50,000 people across Oxford were reached.
The organisers hope that by encouraging people to choose vegan or vegetarian for just one day, this can help slow climate change, conserve natural resources, and improve your health
Nina Osswald, co-ordinator at Good Food Oxford, said: ‘Our Oxfordshire wide network of sustainable food producers includes veg growers as well as farmers of sustainable, grass-fed meat and organic dairy. If we all commit to eating a lot more veg and choosing better quality meat and dairy, but less frequently, we can make a big difference to our overall impact on climate change. Furthermore, it tastes delicious, can be healthier and cost less.’
Our commitment to sustainability
Green Templeton is committed to working collectively for a sustainable future.
Our catering team already lead on sustainable initiatives including Meat-Free Mondays. As part of doing our bit to combat climate change, conserve resources and improve health, the kitchen have one plant-based day each week, which means a range of tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes to fuel you through the day!
The team also use local food suppliers, and choose Fairtrade sugar, bananas, tea, coffee, chocolate and biscuits for conferences and events. Excess food from the kitchen is delivered to local food banks across Oxford.
Find out more about Green Templeton’s sustainability efforts and achievements.
Alumni in Switzerland came together in Geneva on Swiss National Day for the first in-person gathering of our college`s Switzerland Alumni Group.
After the group’s inaugural online meeting earlier in the year, the gathering was a chance to finally put faces to names, reconnect over memories of Green Templeton and Oxford and hear where life has taken everyone since.
Conversation ranged from career paths and professional exchanges to life in Switzerland and ideas for the growing alumni group.
Josephine Agyeman-Duah (DPhil Women’s and Reproductive Health, 2018), Chair of the Alumni Group, said:
‘It was splendid to reconnect with GTC alumni from different periods and to celebrate Swiss National Day together in Geneva. Our first in-person gathering was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen connections and our GTC alumni community in Switzerland.’
The group is now looking to establish a committee and hopes to connect with other Oxford and Cambridge alumni groups in Switzerland.
#GreenTempletonCollege #OxfordAlumni #GTCAlumni #Oxford #Geneva #Switzerland
Happy International Cat Day! 🐾
It’s been quite the year for Vincent!
After several years of making the college his home, we are delighted to say that we have officially adopted him. A familiar and much-loved face around the college grounds, he has a special way of bringing smiles to everyone he meets.
We’re so proud to officially call him ours!
Happy International Cat Day, Vincent! 💚🐈⬛
✨ Come behind the scaffolding with us.
We were given rare access to the Radcliffe Observatory restoration project, climbing onto the roof to see the incredible conservation work taking place behind the scenes.
From spectacular views across Oxford to the Observatory`s intricate zodiac carvings, we discovered details that are normally hidden from view.
Join us as we explore one of Oxford`s most iconic landmarks!
Earlier this summer, we were delighted to welcome audiences to our inaugural Garden Play, with a series of sold-out performances of Shakespeare`s `As You Like It` set in our beautiful college grounds.
Our gardens became the Forest of Arden as students, staff, alumni and the wider Oxford community came together to enjoy open-air theatre in a truly unique setting. Even better, the production has received fantastic reviews from Oxford`s student press.
A huge thank you to everyone who performed in and supported this wonderful initiative.
These peaceful moments around college were captured by work experience student Izzie.
They celebrate the beauty of the college gardens and the simple joy of taking a closer look!
Thank you Izzie for sharing your perspective with us 🌸
