October 2009 Archives

In my family, wasting food is unacceptable. This is not new: my mother would not tolerate wasted food since, when she was a child in Germany during World War 1, she was malnourished. Fortunately, Quakers provided a Soup Kitchen where she lived, so she survived.

The need to avoid food waste is now recognised, but one third of the food we buy is still thrown away - and only two thirds of fruit and vegetables that are grown in the UK reach the shops in the first place. One third of the harvest is wasted either because it is not up to the supermarkets' standard or because it is in excess of supermarkets' need during a good harvest.

On Farming Today today (October 31st) we were told that, in the UK, 4.4 million apples and 5.1 million potatoes are thrown away every day.

A few Local Authorities put this waste food to good use. On Farming Today we were told about Wychavon District Council which collects food waste, takes it to a composting plant and then spreads it on farmland as a soil improver.

Hilary Benn tells us that "... if all the food and other organic waste that the UK produces could be harnessed ... it could provide enough heat and energy to run over two million homes."

In Birmingham we can put waste food in our bins and it is taken to the Tyseley Energy from Waste plant, along with other rubbish that cannot be recycled.

Some of us prefer to keep our dustbins odourless and prefer to compost food waste - but rats can be a real problem if we add food to garden waste in our traditional compost heaps.

I am familiar with two solutions:
We have a Green Cone in our garden.

An alternative is Bokashi, which is recommended by Lynne Jones MP.

Check the websites for explanations of their merits and details of the costs.

SusMo is one of three groups in the Birmingham regional finals of the British Gas GREEN STREETS competition, to be held next Wednesday at the NEC.

The project has six partners and the plans range from installing a roof mounted photovoltaic system on St Mary's Church that would deliver renewable electricity, saving costs and generating income, to providing 20 low-income households, that are in need of energy efficiency, with improvements such as roof insulation, solid wall insulation, new boilers or solar hot water.

A grant of £182,400 is requested - watch out for news of the result on the Moseley Forum Website and on local notice boards.

Some of us may be tempted, in a panic reaction to the approaching climate change disaster that is significantly affected by our greenhouse gas emissions, to change our lifestyles in an unsustainable way. The risk is that, as with strict slimming diets, we may reach a personal breaking point and then binge.

Reduction is a more sustainable approach than prohibition, and it is easy, and more effective, for almost all of us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, gradually, than for a very small number of us to strive for a "zero carbon" lifestyle.

I came across a useful brochure recently "Omnivore or vegetarian?" which quotes Caroline Lucas MEP: "A vegan driving a 4X4 does less damage to the planet than a meat eater on a bicycle".

The brochure states "...the production of a kg of beef generates approximately the same GHG emissions as driving 250 km." It records other environmental factors, such as: "For every litre of milk produced, we use 990 litres of water in the production process. This rises to over 15,000 litres for a kg of beef."

However the recommendation is to reduce meat and dairy consumption, not for us to change our diet overnight. Occasionally eating vegetarian or vegan food is an easy decision for all of us. It just means that we need to pause and reconsider what ingredients we will buy and what we will eat.

Once in a while try buying some soya, rice or almond milk, soya yoghourt, a vegan margarine and either make or buy a vegetable spread, to replace some of your meat and cheese sandwiches.

Look at some simple vegan recipes and buy a few ingredients if they are not already in your kitchen.

If you plan to eat out, ask the restaurant what vegetarian or vegan dishes will be on the menu. The more requests that restaurants receive, the choice and standards will improve to please the market. As the cost of ingredients in a vegan dish are usually significantly less than for a meat or fish dish, the cost of the dishes is often less. However, for restaurants unaccustomed to vegan cooking the costs, at present, are similar as the labour costs are greater.

The most important thing is to enjoy what you eat, and there are so many delicious vegan and vegetarian meals for you to choose from. Please spread the word and pass on your tips.

I haven't written about the Northfield Ecocentre since May and, as there is a lot happening this month, this is a good time for an update.

There are three regular, open, free, events:
> campaigning for beginners,
> a gardening club and
> a sewing club ,
plus more free events during half term week.

The following are the events for the rest of October - please check the "comments" items on the right in case there are further updates and check the website for further details.

10th from 10:00 - 13:00
Gardening Club

15th from 18:30 - 19:30
Campaigning for Beginners: Guest speaker from Birmingham Friends of the Earth

16th from 10:00 - 12:00
Sew, Darn and Tea

17th from 10:00 - 13:00
Gardening Club

23rd from 10:00 - 12:00
Sew, Darn and Tea

24th from 10:00 - 13:00
Gardening Club

27th from 9:30 - 15:30
Family Fun Day - including nature walks and storytelling

29th from 15:00 - 19:00
Warm for Winter: Everything you need to know about how to keep warm and save money this winter. Talk to the experts plus family activities and free, organic soup.

30th from 10:00 - 12:00
Sew, Darn and Tea

31st from 10:00 - 13:00
Gardening Club

Please spread news of these events to everyone you think may like to join in, save money and make a difference to the future of our planet.

There is an interview with Luke Olley, the new assistant co-ordinator at the Ecocentre, on page 5 of the latest Go Green supplement of the Birmingham Mail.

First an explanation, in case this "post" looks odd: I'm writing with my little finger on an iPod touch, I will sort out defects when I return to my PC.

I'm on holiday this week - a very enjoyable holiday with a "lighter footprint" which I recommend to all, reasonably fit, readers.

We took our bikes on a train travelling south from Birmingham, to Malvern Link. We have cycled an average of 29 miles a day, mainly on single track, hilly, roads in good weather.

Travelling by bike you stop and take detours when you spot something interesting (such as a church described as "Strawberry Hill Gothic") and you deserve frequent stops at pubs and cafés for home made refreshments.

The contrast to Birmingham with the roads through farmland, woodland, small villages and historic small towns is far greater than to most European cities.

We will return to Birmingham, after the short return train journey from Malvern Link, greatly refreshed.