Food
Agriculture contributes about 7% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions and if you include additional emissions such as distribution, manufacturing and consumption this accounts for approximately 20% of the UK emissions.
Food miles are the distance that food travels from where it is grown to the plate we eat it off. Half the vegetables and 95% of the food we consume in the UK does not come from our shores. The food we eat makes a huge contribution towards climate change and unnecessary waste. Making small changes today can lead to a healthier and tastier life!
For glossary of terms click here.
In this section: Eat seasonally - Vegetable boxes - Grow your own - Kashrut - Eat less meat - Organic - Fish
Eat seasonally
Easting seasonally, locally and unprocessed food can be much better for the environment. Local out of season produce usually requires energy-intensive techniques such as heated greenhouses, or refrigerated storage. For information about what’s in season click here.
There are also farmers markets where you can buy fresh produce grown locally. To find a farmers market near you click here.
Vegetable boxes
Make sure you try buy fruit and vegetables that are not in packaging. A good way to do this is order a fresh vegetable box from a supplier such as Able and Cole.
Grow your own
Growing your own food can be cheaper, fresher and fulfilling. It provides healthy and delicious food that is good for the environment. Whether you are interested in growing food in your own home, or starting a community food growing project, there is lots of advice and information to help you get started.
Read The Big Green Jewish Website's tips on growing your own.
Alexei Charkham, a Jewish Allotment holder from North London write a blog about growing on his allotment, to read more click here.
For more information click here.
Kashrut
The Jew & the Carrot is the fastest growing on-line resource tackling the relationship between Judaism, food and climate change. Launched in November, 2006, The Jew & The Carrot is the epicenter of Jews, food, and sustainability on the web. It brings together 3,000 years of Jewish thought and food tradition with contemporary issues like sustainability, organic eating, nutrition, food politics, and healthy, delicious cooking. The Jew and the Carrot is a project of Hazon.
Eat less meat
A 2006 United Nations report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."
Producing meat uses up a lot of energy and water. Limiting your meat intake will help to reduce usage of energy, water and CO2.
For more information about Judaism and Vegetarianism see this article.
For more information on Judaism and Vegetarianism click here.
Organic
Organic farming offers the best, currently available, practical model for addressing climate-friendly food production. This is because it sequesters higher levels of carbon in the soil, is less dependent on oil-based fertilisers and pesticides and confers resilience in the face of climatic extremes.
New research from the Soil Association reveals that if all UK farmland was converted to organic farming, at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each year - the equivalent of taking nearly 1 million cars off the road. The research reveals that widespread adoption of organic farming practices in the UK would offset 23% of UK agricultural emissions through soil carbon sequestration alone. (Information from the Soil Association)
Fish
Overfishing is the greatest single threat to marine wildlife and habitats, with many fish critically endangered. When an entire fish population is destroyed it can have huge knock-on effects on the local ecosystem. Help to play your part by making informed choices about the fish you eat, starting with what to avoid and what you can eat instead.
You can help by ensuring that you only buy sustainable fish. For frequently asked questions about sustainable fish click here.
Some species have already been fished to commercial extinction, and many more are on the verge of extinction. To find a list of fish to eat and fish to avoid click here.
Join in The End of the Line campaign - The End of the Line is not against fishing. It is not against eating fish. But it is for a responsible attitude towards the oceans.
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