Why waste food?
The most foolproof way of reducing your food-related impacts is to make sure you don’t throw food away! This doesn’t mean you should always grimly hoover up whatever’s on your plate – damaging your body by forcing it to eat food it doesn’t need isn’t going to do anyone any good. But basic respect for the plants and animals you consume and for the earth that provides them should make it easy to start being more aware of what portion size you and your family really want, more realistic about whether or not you’re going to get round to cooking all that tempting fresh produce, more careful about how you store the food you have. Plus – if you can find the time – there are all the old tricks for using up leftovers. This doesn’t have to be a penance – after all, that’s how Pancake Day was first invented, and good homemade soups will always be the best there are. Love food hate waste is a great site for recipe ideas and tips
Change what you buy and eat
Buying and eating less meat and animal products and less processed foods, avoiding genetically-modified food, choosing organic or fair trade or locally-produced products and growing your own food are all ways of reducing the impact of what you eat on the environment. The amount of packaging around your food and drink is another area where you can make a difference.
Take it steady – be kind to yourself!
For most people, real, sustainable change in their lives and their habits happens slowly. As you become more aware of what you eat and drink, and the impact that producing it has on the world around you, you will naturally start changing the decisions you make, at a pace you can properly assimilate.
Green eating and drinking at present is a compromise. You’ll often have to choose between chemically grown food and over-packaged, air-freighted organics; between organic and fair trade; between ethics and economy. But every green choice you take will make a statement – and a real difference.