It’s time for change. A change in attitudes, a change in lifestyle and a change in our diets. With 26% of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE for those in the business) arising from the food industry, and with the livestock trade accounting for half of the industry contributions, it’s unsurprising that a third of Britons have reduced or excluded meat from their weekly shop. But it’s about more than simply becoming an environmental vegetarian/vegan.

One of the major contributors to GHGE from the food industry aside from livestock, is fertilizer (32%) and next after that is food miles (12%). The NO component of industrial fertilizer has 300 times the heat retaining ability of CO2 and over 200 million tonnes of the stuff is spread over the fruits and vegetables that make their way to your local Tesco or Asda. And when it comes to food miles, well, let’s just say that 50% of the UK’s food is already being imported from abroad and with Boris in charge of Brexit… who knows what’s going to happen. With the average meal travelling 1200 miles from farm to plate and 25% of all HGVs in Britain carrying edibles, it’s safe to say that the carbon footprint of your Sunday roast is not going to be offset by that succulent from Columbia Road.

And it’s not just planetary health we should be concerned about. Diet is a bigger determinant of morbidity and mortality than unsafe sex, alcohol, drugs and tobacco use combined! Meanwhile antimicrobial resistance is still on the rise and it has been shown that there is a direct link between routine dosing of livestock with antibiotics to improve yield and increasing levels of multi-drug resistant organisms. Now if that’s not something to worry about I don’t know what is…

So what can I do?

Now I’m not suggesting that everyone immediately adopts veganism because I like cheese just as much as the next gal. But we can all reduce our weekly meat and dairy intake and increase our fruit and vegetable consumption. Not only that but it’s time to go green. Try growing your own, organic vegetables to improve not your health, and the planet’s health. It tastes better, it’s more nutritious, has absolutely no nasties, almost no food miles, no toxic fertilizer and it there is a huge amount of satisfaction from nurturing a baby seedling into a fully grown plant! And of course I mustn’t forget to mention our wonderful Sustain@BL society, here for all your enviro-conscious needs.

Here’s some handy tips to get those Green Fingers started!

Buying

Organic food can be expensive, so growing your own is a good place to start but if that sounds a bit too much effort try these local gems.

Growing Communities Hackney

-          Local Veg boxes starting at £7.75

-          Farmer’s Market 10-2:30pm St Pauls Church Stoke Newington

Bulk Market Hackney

-          Organic vegetables

-          All your cupboard essential refills (don’t forget to BYOJ – bring your own jar!)

Tower Green Hamlets

-          Weekly veg boxes starting at £10

 Our very own Griff Inn

-          It’s not all about the organic local veg so make sure to take advantage of the Meat Free Monday deals across SU outlets!

Growing

Where?

Space is tight in the City so use pots indoors or on a balcony or apply for a raised bed allotment through QMUL’s Green Mary (email sustainability@qmul.ac.uk to register interest).

What?

If you’re a green fingered novice then a really easy way to start your own garden is with potted herbs such as oregano, sage, rosemary or basil! Pick up from any big supermarkets and place on a sunny windowsill with good drainage and water regularly.

Anything Else?

If that’s too easy, then check out our Grow Your Own Winter Veggies list online. Or if growing your own isn’t an option why not volunteer locally at Spitalfields City Farm 11am-2pm on Wednesdays or join Cranbrook Community Food Garden’s Garden Club on a Thursday evening or Saturday morning.