12 April 2018
Even though we face some huge environmental problems, if we all make small lifestyle changes they can have big impact for our planet. Green Living is a monthly series of articles suggesting practical, easy steps we can all do to make sure our beautiful Earth is preserved for our children by Paul Woodhead, Green Party Councillor for Hednesford South on Cannock Chase District Council.
I'm sure most of us remember the TV show "The Good Life", part of their dream of living sustainably was growing and producing all their own food. Even though we have such busy lives and can't do this, there are many ways we can eat better quality food and consider the environment, with all that we buy.
First and foremost, buy what you need, consider how much food you need and the use-by date of what you are buying. Research in by the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) using information from 2015 shows that the average person throws away 69.4kg of avoidable food waste per year and this is increasing at 5% every year. This equates to about £700 per family. Food Waste can be avoided significantly with meal planning for a week at a time. Also bear in mind that a use-by date does not always mean the food is spoiled, check it and use your judgement and common sense. Your nose has been telling us if food is spoiled long before someone stuck a little label on the container.
Reducing this avoidable food waste can be further improved by making meals from leftovers and pantry/fridge stock items. Cooking as a family, even in our busy lives, can be a great social and life skill to involve the children and get them off phones and tablets for a little while.
Food miles from field to fork is important and knowing where your food comes from can help reduce the carbon footprint of your meals. This is often best known through your smaller, local shops who will generally use less packaging for the food you buy. You will also be supporting your local economy as 63p in every pound will stay local as opposed to 10p with a multinational business. Choosing seasonal fruit and vegetables and even going along to pick your own will help connect you to where and how your food is produced and, if you can, grow your own. Tomato seeds or plants are a great way to start.
The amount of chemicals and antibiotics in our food is a constant concern for us all as we build up resistance to antibiotic drugs and evidence emerges of the impact of pesticides on our health as well as the environment. Choosing organic produce will make a difference.
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