Food is the area in which it is easiest to go green and get immediate results.

Buy local food or grow your own
The most effective way of reducing the environmental impact of the food you eat is to buy locally and to buy vegetables in season.  Shopping locally:

•    Benefits the environment because food travels fewer road and air miles, has less packaging, creates less waste and is seasonal.
•    It's good for the local economy because it keeps money in the area, creates jobs and businesses locally and gives farmers a bigger cut of the price-tag.
•    It's good for the community helping to build links between people in urban areas and the countryside.
•    It's good for people’s health because fresher food contains greater nutrient levels.

If you would like to buy local food then it is worthwhile joining local organic box schemes or visiting farmers’ markets, farm shops and local food specialists (delicatessens, health food shops, fishmongers and butchers).   There are a number of web sites which provide listings of producers, local farmers markets and food suppliers:

•    Big Barn (https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/)
•    Farmers' Markets (www.farmersmarket.net)
•    The Foody (www.thefoody.com)
•    Local Food Works (www.localfoodworks.org)
•    National Farmers' Retail & Markets Association (https://www.farma.org.uk/)
•    Specialist Cheesemakers Association (https://www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk/)
•    Wholesome Food Association (https://www.wholesomefood.org/)

Newcastle Council also has a Directory of local farmer’s markets and shops which sell local produce.  Contact: Doreen Blakemore 211 55 33.

If you want to go one step better and buy local produce which is also organic then the following web sites and contacts may be of use to you:

•    About Organics (www.aboutorganics.co.uk) 
•    Gusto Guide (www.gustoguide.co.uk) This site contains a database of UK organic food shops, restaurants and wines.
•    Organic Food (www.organicfood.co.uk/books.html)
•    North East Organic Programme (www.northeastorganic.org).  The site contains an excellent directory of farms, shops, markets and demonstration farms as well as details of various UK organic certification schemes.
•    Northumbria Organic Producer (www.nop.org)
•    North East Organic Producer ( )
•    National Farmers Union (www.nfuonline.com)
•    Soil Association (https://www.soilassociation.org/)
•    Touch Local Business Finder (www.touchnewcastle.com) and search for local organic food

Growing your own vegetables, of course, is best of all the options.  To find out about your nearest allotment call the Allotments Officer, Mike Cranston on: 0191 211 6217. 

Newcastle has lots of gardening clubs and health food experts.  To find out which group or person might best suit your needs, you can do no better than contact Newcastle’s Food Coordinator, Nicola Cowell on:  232 3357.

If you would like to find out more about gardening but don’t want to join a club then you can make a good start by looking up:

•    The Composting Association (www.compost.org.uk)
•    The Garden Advice website (www.gardenadvice.co.uk).
•    Garden Organic (www.gardenorganic.org.uk)
•    A Small Wildlife Garden (www.asmallwildlifegarden.co.uk)
•    Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org)
•    Wild About Gardens (www.wildaboutgardens) 

Choose the organic option

The agricultural revolution has brought with it many developments which are causing increasing concern to the public – be it genetically modified organisms, the widespread use of herbicides and insecticides , the routine use of antibiotics with animals reared in factory farm conditions and poor animal husbandry practices.  Buying organic food addresses all of those issues and has the added benefits of improving bio-diversity and the condition of soils, reducing contaminants in the food produced and better nutrient value.  Why organic (www.whyorganic.org) is an excellent web site that explains all the benefits of going organic.

The main campaign group promoting organic farming is the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org).  Newcastle is lucky enough to have its own Soil Association expert, Mick Marston, who can be contacted on: 01207 562 317.   The Soil Association has a superb directory which lists suppliers of a whole host of organic products (not just food).  Strangely, it’s not on their web site but you can find it at: A Lot of Organics (www.alotoforganics.co.uk).

Please refer to the section called ‘Buy local food and grow your own’ for more information.

Have a vegetarian or vegan diet

Meaty western diets are hugely damaging to the environment, cause tremendous suffering to animals and can be harmful to people’s health.  Livestock grazing is one of the biggest causes of forest clearance and loss of biodiversity.  It has threatened or eliminated more plant species than any other single factor.  In the UK 90% of agricultural land is used either directly or indirectly to feed livestock.  Believe it or not, the farts from grazing farm animals are one of the main causes of methane – one of the most damaging greenhouse gases - and animal waste is one of the main sources of ammonia production – the greatest single cause of acid rain.  If that wasn’t bad enough, a day’s food production for a meat diet is 3-10 times more wasteful of water and fuel resources than a vegetarian or vegan diet and yet farm animals convert only 5-15% of the food they eat into meat, eggs or milk!

If you’re thinking of turning vegetarian or vegan then it’s worth checking out a number of web sites which offer support and help:

Viva (www.timetogoveggie.com)
Vegetarian Society (www.vegsoc.org)
Vegan Society (www.vegansociety.com)
Animal Aid (www.animalaid.org.uk)

If you would like to know a little more about the meat industry but don’t want to see horrible images then its worth checking out The Meatrix (www.themeatrix.com).  This site plays a darkly humorous comic cartoon strip.  No real nasties – honest!

Compassion in World Farming (www.ciwf.co.uk) is a superb organisation campaigning for much more humane farm animal husbandry practices. 

If you feel that you must eat meat then the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org/chickens) and the RSPCA’s Freedom Food both have labelling schemes which set out minimum animal husbandry standards.  However, it is worth noting that the RSPCA’s scheme has been heavily criticised by some animal welfare organisations for the low animal welfare targets it sets.   Another option might be to support the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (https://www.rbst.org.uk/).  The RBST is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside. 

Many people who give up meat still eat fish but, in fact, eating fish also has many environmental implications.  Stop Over Fishing (https://wwf.org.uk/stopoverfishing) is an interesting web site which outlines some of the issues surrounding the fishing industry.  If you still wish to eat fish, the Marine Conservation Society’s website (https://www.fishonline.org/) can help you identify which fish are from well managed sources and/or caught using methods that minimise damage to marine wildlife and habitats.
 

Buy Fairtrade

Fairtrade means paying farmers in poor countries a fair price for the work they do, and a guarantee that the price they are paid will always cover the cost of production – no matter how low the market price goes.  The Fairtrade Foundation (www.fairtrade.org.uk) awards the Fairtrade Mark, the only guarantee of independent certification in the UK.  The Fairtrade mark is a guarantee of:

• Fair prices and fair wages
• Decent working conditions
• Improved health and safety standards
• Security of long-term contracts
• Respect for people, e.g. new opportunities for women and children
• Environmental improvements, emphasising sustainable production
• More control over their own lives, through participating in democratic organizations

The British Association for Fair Trade Shops (www.bafts.org.uk) provides the most comprehensive list of fair trade shops (mostly food).

Newcastle Council is trying to promote the fair trade message.  If you would like to know more, contact:  Stella Carmichael 211 6117