Climate Justice Implications
Enila’s climate justice implications are multifaceted. First, regarding mitigation, the shop directly contributes to reducing GGEs by offering products with inherently lower carbon and land footprints. Each vegan ice cream scoop chosen over a dairy-based alternative represents a tangible reduction in demand for resource-intensive animal agriculture. Widespread adoption of diets low in animal products could yield global GGE mitigation potentials of 4-8 GtCO2e annually by 205018, and enila helps foster this dietary shift by making vegan options appealing and accessible.
Second, regarding equity and access, enila serves diverse clientele, including neighbors, tourists, and individuals with dairy intolerances, thereby normalizing and promoting plant-based eating within its community. Climate justice demands that sustainable options become accessible to broader society19, not merely remain niche products for the affluent. Local businesses like enila can tailor offerings to community needs and preferences. Jung’s involvement in a loose “vegan restaurant alliance” with other Basel businesses like Mystifry and Vegitat suggests collective efforts to build a supportive ecosystem for plant-based choices, enhancing their visibility and accessibility. Further, enila opened in the same building and at the same time as Chemiserie, a buy/sell/trade shop specializing in recycled fashion. Per the World Economic Forum, using recycled content in clothing can reduce CO2 by up to 80%, as well as reducing chemical and water use, improving soil quality, and stopping the diversion of water from surface and groundwater sources20. Offering eco-friendly food and clothing in a neighborhood helps normalize making these conscious decisions.
Third, enila challenges dominant food narratives. The WPD, with its reliance on animal agriculture, is deeply entrenched culturally and economically. Small independent businesses successfully modeling alternatives demonstrate the viability and appeal of different eating patterns. Jung’s journey from personal health quest to vegan entrepreneurship illustrates how individual actions can seed local change. Her business, approaching profitability after three years, exemplifies how sustainable practices can align with economic viability21.
Limitations and Context
Despite its positive contributions, limitations exist. Not all vegan diets are equally sustainable—environmental footprints vary based on crop type, farming practices, and transportation methods. While enila makes commendable efforts, the full lifecycle assessment of every ingredient remains complex. For instance, coconut milk production raises questions about sustainable harvesting and labor practices in some regions.
Moreover, one small ice cream shop cannot single-handedly reverse global food system impacts. Meaningful change requires widespread adoption of sustainable diets, sustainable agricultural practices, and drastic reductions in food waste. More citizens of the Global North becoming “reductionist” would have a larger impact than a smaller population being vegan.
Enila’s significance lies in its role as a catalyst, educator, and alternative provider. The shop’s focus on quality and manageable production within its existing space reflects a sustainable business ethos contrasting with the growth-at-all-costs mentality driving many unsustainable practices in the food industry.
Conclusion
Climate justice requires action on various fronts to stop environmental destruction, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a sustainable and just world. Within the food and agriculture sector, there are various leverage points that can be used to reduce GGEs and thereby mitigate climate change. In this article, we discuss diet as a form of climate activism, specifically veganism, as part of the transformation to a sustainable food system. While governance and policy change are absolutely necessary to reduce GGEs and bring about a just transformation on a large scale, smaller, local action is a vital part of the movement. Aline Jung’s enila serves as a compelling example of how business practices aligned with vegan principles can positively contribute to climate justice. By addressing dairy’s high environmental footprint, conscious sourcing, waste reduction, and community focus, enila enhances its positive impact on the climate justice movement. Local enterprises like enila are indispensable for translating ecological data and ethical imperatives into tangible experiences, demonstrating that choices aligning with planetary health and social equity can also be delicious, one scoop at a time. ◼︎
Enila’s climate justice implications are multifaceted. First, regarding mitigation, the shop directly contributes to reducing GGEs by offering products with inherently lower carbon and land footprints. Each vegan ice cream scoop chosen over a dairy-based alternative represents a tangible reduction in demand for resource-intensive animal agriculture. Widespread adoption of diets low in animal products could yield global GGE mitigation potentials of 4-8 GtCO2e annually by 205018, and enila helps foster this dietary shift by making vegan options appealing and accessible.
Second, regarding equity and access, enila serves diverse clientele, including neighbors, tourists, and individuals with dairy intolerances, thereby normalizing and promoting plant-based eating within its community. Climate justice demands that sustainable options become accessible to broader society19, not merely remain niche products for the affluent. Local businesses like enila can tailor offerings to community needs and preferences. Jung’s involvement in a loose “vegan restaurant alliance” with other Basel businesses like Mystifry and Vegitat suggests collective efforts to build a supportive ecosystem for plant-based choices, enhancing their visibility and accessibility. Further, enila opened in the same building and at the same time as Chemiserie, a buy/sell/trade shop specializing in recycled fashion. Per the World Economic Forum, using recycled content in clothing can reduce CO2 by up to 80%, as well as reducing chemical and water use, improving soil quality, and stopping the diversion of water from surface and groundwater sources20. Offering eco-friendly food and clothing in a neighborhood helps normalize making these conscious decisions.
Third, enila challenges dominant food narratives. The WPD, with its reliance on animal agriculture, is deeply entrenched culturally and economically. Small independent businesses successfully modeling alternatives demonstrate the viability and appeal of different eating patterns. Jung’s journey from personal health quest to vegan entrepreneurship illustrates how individual actions can seed local change. Her business, approaching profitability after three years, exemplifies how sustainable practices can align with economic viability21.
Limitations and Context
Despite its positive contributions, limitations exist. Not all vegan diets are equally sustainable—environmental footprints vary based on crop type, farming practices, and transportation methods. While enila makes commendable efforts, the full lifecycle assessment of every ingredient remains complex. For instance, coconut milk production raises questions about sustainable harvesting and labor practices in some regions.
Moreover, one small ice cream shop cannot single-handedly reverse global food system impacts. Meaningful change requires widespread adoption of sustainable diets, sustainable agricultural practices, and drastic reductions in food waste. More citizens of the Global North becoming “reductionist” would have a larger impact than a smaller population being vegan.
Enila’s significance lies in its role as a catalyst, educator, and alternative provider. The shop’s focus on quality and manageable production within its existing space reflects a sustainable business ethos contrasting with the growth-at-all-costs mentality driving many unsustainable practices in the food industry.
Conclusion
Climate justice requires action on various fronts to stop environmental destruction, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a sustainable and just world. Within the food and agriculture sector, there are various leverage points that can be used to reduce GGEs and thereby mitigate climate change. In this article, we discuss diet as a form of climate activism, specifically veganism, as part of the transformation to a sustainable food system. While governance and policy change are absolutely necessary to reduce GGEs and bring about a just transformation on a large scale, smaller, local action is a vital part of the movement. Aline Jung’s enila serves as a compelling example of how business practices aligned with vegan principles can positively contribute to climate justice. By addressing dairy’s high environmental footprint, conscious sourcing, waste reduction, and community focus, enila enhances its positive impact on the climate justice movement. Local enterprises like enila are indispensable for translating ecological data and ethical imperatives into tangible experiences, demonstrating that choices aligning with planetary health and social equity can also be delicious, one scoop at a time. ◼︎
Climate Justice: Basel in the World is a colloquium at the University of Basel, co-organized in the spring semester 2025 by students from the AG Nachhaltigkeit and Prof. Dr. Janina Grabs. It is supported through funding by Impuls.