World Environment Day

World Environment Day is a celebration of Earth, a chance to raise some much-needed awareness about all that we can do to protect it. As it’s known, it provides the air we breathe, the food we eat, the land we place our homes and offers remarkable beauty both in its landscapes but also in the plethora of life forms it supports, including ourselves. Nevertheless, despite all that it gives, the earth as we know it is in desperate need of our support.

Food waste

Food waste reduction provides various benefits for people and the planet: alleviating food security, tackling climate change, saving money, and decreasing pressures on land, water, biodiversity, and waste management systems (UNEP, 2021).

When it comes to food waste, statistically, the UK is one of the worst offenders in comparison with other European countries; and according to the European Commission, it’s estimated that 14 million tonnes of food are wasted in the UK alone. Jessica Keynes (2019) even notes that UK households binned £13.5 billion worth of edible food in 2015, which is on average £540 per household.

From a global perspective, the “Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (2013) conducted research in which it estimates that if food waste were a country, then it would be the third-highest emitter of GHG emissions.” (TooGoodToGo,2021). It is also estimated that worldwide up to 50% of all food produced is lost or wasted before or after it reaches consumers. (TheWorldCounts,2021). Stark numbers in contrast to the number of people facing food poverty.

Soil and Land Pollution

Soil and land pollution is dangerous not only for humans but also for other life forms and vital ecosystems. Conventional agricultural practices such as the overuse of highly toxic fertilizers and chemical pesticides are one of the biggest causes of soil and land pollution which contaminate and poison healthy soils, food, and drinking water (European Environmental Agency,2021). Not only does this affect our direct consumption of the food we eat and the water we drink, but the utilization of agricultural chemicals can be a big risk to workers with high exposure to some of these chemicals said to increase the risk of developing skin cancer. 

Human History and Environmental Disaster

Historically humanity has not always been mindful of their home with countless environmental disasters that have taken place. For example, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 is mentioned as one of the biggest disasters in human history (Jesse Greenspan, 2018). Taking a broad look at the damage that has been done, if Earth’s history is condensed down to the same time frame as a calendar year, it can be said that modern humans have consumed one-third of all-natural resources in just the span of 0.2 seconds!

Climate Change

With the continued release of greenhouse gases, planet Earth has never been warmer. From record-breaking heatwaves leading to an increase in forest fires to more frequent droughts that cause damage to agriculture and water security to longer and stronger hurricanes causing displacement and death, global warming is something that needs serious attention. NRDC (2021) states that “if we are unable to reduce our emissions, scientists believe that climate change could lead to the deaths of more than 250,000 people around the globe every year and force 100 million people into poverty by 2030.”

Edible London’s Role

Edible London is focusing on bringing solutions to food waste and other environmental issues. In this fight against food poverty and food waste, in just the last quarter of 2020, we received 72,991kg of surplus from partner groups, of which 58,433Kg was saved for redistribution, and 14,558kg sent for compost/anaerobic digestion. Just looking at this small 3-month snapshot, we estimate it to have helped save 182,477kg of CO2equivalent: check out our 2020 Impact Roundup here for more info. Along with our work in preventing food waste, we also help turn disused/derelict urban areas into green community accessible growing spaces (using nonchemical soil friendly farming methods) in our mission to help regrow the circular food economy, and rebuild our communities, from the root upwards. 

It’s Time to Act!

Although it’s good to help raise awareness, and something we will always strive to do that here at Edible London. It’s sadly all in vain if we do not start to make the changes necessary to help combat the problems we face. Today we have spoken about a few issues but more important is what we do with that information moving forward.

Below is a list of a few things that can help start/continue your journey into becoming a more environmentally conscious individual in the actions that you take.  

– Volunteer (donate your time to a project that helps the planet: you can sign up as a volunteer at Edible London here if interested).

– Adopt a plant-based diet.

– Switch to a green energy provider – solar energy, wind energy, etc.

– Ditch the car and commute via bicycle/public transport.

– Work towards the 5 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Rot (e.g food waste in a compost), Recycle.

– Shop organic or from surplus.

– Mind your water use.

– Start growing some of your own food (you can even grow on your own windowsill).

– Support a tree-planting project.

– Travel by train not plane.

And remember: Educate yourself! Once you start educating yourself on the topic, you can help others understand how important and valuable it is to protect this beautiful ball of rock and water we call home. 🙂

#WorldEnvironmentDay