[074] SUSTAINABLE EATING
I'm delighted to be working with Organic UK* for a mini-series of podcast episodes to mark Organic September - an annual month long awareness campaign by the Soil Association In collaboration with the Organic Trade Board.
In the same way that 'sustainability' and 'sustainable living' mean different things to different people, 'sustainable eating' will too. With that in mind, we've collated a brilliant panel to discuss what it means to them, the impacts our choices around food have on the planet, and how we as individuals and families can take some simple steps to eat more sustainably.
Our brilliant panel comprises Melissa Hemsley – self taught cook and author of a stack (technical publishing term..) of amazing cookbooks including her latest Eat Green – based on the 15 most commonly thrown away foods; Ben White from Coombe Farm Organic - an organic farm in Somerset breeding and rearing slow-growing native breeds to produce award-winning meat; and Tim Field, head of sustainability at Daylesford – one of the most sustainable farms in the UK.
Enjoy!
* This is a paid partnership with Organic UK.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media
Useful links
- Organic UK
-
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ORGANIC
What exactly is 'organic'?
We're all pretty used now to seeing the label on some of the foods on our supermarket shelves, and maybe even on our beauty products or even some of our clothes. But what does it really mean?
If pushed, I'm guessing most of us would say "something to with pesticides" perhaps, and if asked why we choose organic (if we do) we might say that we think it's better for us. But is this true?
To celebrate and promote #OrganicSeptember I've teamed up with Organic UK* to create a mini-series of podcast episodes and blog posts delving a bit deeper into all things organic. In this post, I'm going to try to answer some of the most commonly asked questions, and create a kind of 'beginners guide' to organic.
This is a bit of an epic post. But it's a bit of an epic topic. I hope it's helpful!
* This is a paid promotion with Organic UK
1. What is organic?
Collins Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary
Merriam-Webster (Have to be honest, not a clue what this really says...)
The Soil Association is a charity that campaigns for good food for all, produced with care for the natural world, it also has standards for organic food and drink that the majority of food / drink sold in the UK are certified to, and on their "What is organic?" page, this is what they say:
"Organic is a system of farming and food production that aims to produce sufficient quantities of high-quality food. This is done using methods that deliver a breadth of benefits across our whole food system, from people to planet, plant health to animal welfare."
In the Organic 101 podcast episode Lee Holdstock, Trade Development Manager at Soil Association Certification came up with this:
"Organic is a method of agriculture, a way of farming. Working with nature. It's stewardship. Handing over the land to our children and grandchildren in a fit state. It's about taking responsibility."
Now I feel like we're getting somewhere! It sounds a bit like what many of us are trying to in our own lives.
Going back to The Soil Association website, they list a number of principles:
2. Is organic a legal definition?
Yes! The good news is it's EU law (since 1991) that for a product to be labelled 'organic' it must be certified and meet a minimum set of standards. If you're a super keen-bean you can check out what those EU standards are here.
3. What logos and badges should we be looking out for?
Food labelling can be confusing, and there are a plethora of different badges and logos around. If you're knee deep in the supermarket shop with a screaming toddler in the trolley, the good news is that there are a couple of key logos to keep your eye for:
The EU organic logo - all organic food sold in the UK must meet the EU regulations in order to display this badge. Don't even ask about Brexit.
EU organic logo
The Biodynamic Association are another organisation supporting producers, and providing organic certification, which you can read more about here.
The Biodynamic Association Certification
The Soil Association is the UK's largest and oldest certification body and licenses over 70% of the organic produce for sale here in the UK. And they have higher (read stricter) standards over and above the EU ones, which you can check out here. You will undoubtedly have seen their logo around, but maybe not realised exactly what it means.
Soil Association logo
Organic Farmers and Growers (OF&G) certify over 30% of the UK organic sector, so is another logo to keep your eyes out for.
Organic Farmers and Growers logo
4. What are the benefits of organic?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I'm going to say 'lots!', and I'll briefly outline them below. But one thing I really want to highlight that I don't think I had quite grasped before, is the huge benefit that organic has when it comes to the climate crisis. Soil stores carbon within it, and healthy soil is able to lock more carbon away. The vast majority of artificial fertilisers are fossil fuel based potentially giving our food a hefty carbon footprint before it's even left the farm to make it's way to the supermarket shelves. Routine use of pesticides kills off not only the 'pests' but also the beneficial insects as well, and as we heard in Episode 72 of the Sustainable(ish) podcast with Buckley's Bees, insect populations are crashing, having knock on effects on the ecosystems they inhabit, as well as a potentially catastrophic impact on how we farm.
One of the things I bang on about a lot, is the power of the choices that we make. When we're choosing organic, I think it's fair to say we're making a choice for the planet. For the health of our soils, our wildlife and nature, and for future generations.
Here's that list of benefits I promised:
- Better for the planet
According to the website Farm Carbon Toolkit, agriculture is responsible for 9% of all Greenhouse Gas emissions in the UK. Together with related emissions from changing land use and cutting down forests, it accounts for around 30% of GHG emissions globally. The Soil Association's research shows that if Europe’s farmland all followed organic principles, agricultural emissions could drop by 40-50% by 2050. That's a massive chunk of carbon saved right there. - Higher welfare for livestock
The Soil Association's standards for animal welfare are the highest of any certification in the UK - you can take a look at them here. - Better for nature and wildlife
Organic farming uses far fewer pesticides meaning that there is around 50% more plants and insects on organic farms, and 75% more wild bees. - Better for our own health
The routine use of pesticides and antibiotics in many conventional farming systems can mean that residues can be present in the food that we eat. Choosing organic hugely limits (eliminates?) the amount of chemicals that we are unwittingly ingesting.
There's lots more info on the benefits of organic on The Soil Association website here.
5. Can organic feed the world?
There is an argument that to feed a growing global population that we need to keep pushing for higher and higher yields, and that farming organically would mean that we wouldn't have enough food (yields can sometimes be lower).
Conventional farming has weakened the soil - when I interviewed Anna at The Urban Worm she blew me away when she told me that here in the UK we only have around 30-40 years of healthy soil left. And the poorer the soil becomes, the lower the yields will be, and the more artificial fertilisers we need - it's a vicious cycle from which it will be very difficult to recover.
30% of all food produced is wasted. And 30% of the global population is clinically obese. So really, what we're looking at as the population grows, isn't a problem of volume of food - it's more about the quality of the food, and distributing it effectively.
If we're able to shift farming practices to ones that preserve soil health, produce better quality food, and reduce food waste, we'd go a long way to being able to feed the world without wrecking it.
6. Why is organic often more expensive?
There may well be people reading this, thinking "that all sounds great, and I would love to choose more organic, but I'm on a budget and organic is often more expensive".
This is such a complex area, and we touched on this a bit in the Organic 101 podcast, talking about the fact that in the same way that the price for 'fast fashion' comes is the cost to the people working in the industry and the planet, the price for highly intensive, processed food is to the planet, and that we aren't seeing the 'true cost' of food production reflected in the prices we pay.
There's so more info here from Clare McDermott at Soil Association Certification:
- Smaller volumes / diseconomies of scale
The organic market is (still) only 1.6% of total food and drink – that’s quite small despite it growing rapidly. And that means it doesn’t reach the large economies of scale that you can achieve with non-organic. That might be at growing level (where actually yields and return are higher often for organic) through having smaller manufacturing runs in factories to having to keep production lines separate. The cost comes down when you get bigger volumes and dairy, for example, which has a higher penetration and market share (more people buy organic dairy) is nearer in price to non-organic. - Higher labour costs
Economies of scale come into this again - it's harder to pick a small field of carrots than a large one. There are some areas where its more labour intensive and less mechanised and there is also more hands on management. - Pricing decisions by retailers
This one is key as non-organic food will often be on promotion. These promotions don't reflect the true cost of production and makes the organic differential look really large. Organic food will also be on promotion, but less so as it is seen as a value add line for them. This is especially true of products like milk, which many supermarkets us a loss leader to get people through the doors.
Ultimately we need to decide on how we feel about a cheap food culture which is coming to the forefront of the debate currently, alongside do we want to pay more for food that has a benefit to the environment.
7. Why is organic fruit and veg in the supermarket usually packaged in single use plastic?
It's SO frustrating isn't it? We're trying so hard to do the right thing - we're looking for organic produce, and we're looking for loose fruit and veg because we're trying to reduce our plastic footprint, and it feels like we have to make a choice. We can have one or the other, but not both. Why?!!
I asked this question in the Organic 101 podcast, and Guy Singh-Watson from Riverford explained that it's often for the convenience of the retailers. When you have conventional apples next to organic ones, and the organic ones cost more (see points above for why!) there needs to be some way of distinguishing between them. The packaging also provides a way for the retailer to give you the information you need about the organic product, eg certification etc. Do have a closer look at the packaging though, as many retailers are making changes to introduce things like home compostable and recyclable versions.
Yes, it's hugely frustrating. One option to think about is to look into local veg box delivery schemes. These will often be organic and come with substantially less packaging - I really notice the difference in our bin if I forget to order our fruit and veg box!
8. How can we as consumers help to push for more organic products and practices?
AKA How can I be organic(ish)...?
- Buy organic if and where you can!
Organic UK are running a 'Power of One' campaign, encouraging consumers (us) to swap out regular item for an organic one in their weekly shop. Remember, that as with all things Sustainable(ish) it's not all-or-nothing. Can you get a veg box once a month? Or every other week? Can you go 50:50 on your milk? Shop with the seasons - when it's in season, fresh, local organic produce will often be cheaper/comparable to conventional. - Share the choices that you're making
If you join in with the Power of One campaign, there's some lovely graphics you can share on social media. If you make a swap, share it! If you've found out some stuff from this (mammoth) post or the podcast series, share your favourite stats and the changes that they've inspired - start a conversation! - Lobby your supermarkets
If you want organic produce and their range is really poor, ask them why they don't have more. The more of us that do this, the more they will realise there is a demand.
- Write to your MP
Ask them to support progressive policies that actually support organic farming and practices. - Grow Your Own!
Even if it's just a few herbs on a windowsill - this will give you a huge appreciation for famers and food producers, it helps us all to slow down and to appreciate the processes involved in growing good food and the miracles of nature
What have I missed?
What other questions have you got about organic?
Did you learn anything new?
Let me know in the comments!
[073] ORGANIC 101
I'm delighted to be working with Organic UK* for a mini-series of podcast episodes to mark Organic September - an annual month long awareness campaign by the Soil Association In collaboration with the Organic Trade Board.
Most of us are now quite familiar with the concept of organic food, and maybe even organic textiles, but (and I'm speaking for myself here) maybe we don't really have that great a handle on what it actually means. Is it a legal definition? What does it mean if a product is organic? Is it just about pesticides? Is organic really any better for me and the planet?
In this episode we've put together a brilliant expert panel to answer all those questions and more! Lee Holdstock from The Soil Association, Harriet O'Regan from Organic UK, and Guy Singh-Watson from Riverford joined me around my virtual kitchen table for a cuppa, and we dived into all things organic. Even as someone who gets an organic veg box, and regularly seeks out organic produce in the supermarket, I'm not sure I'd have been able to explain the benefits to friends and family in a very articulate or persuasive way. But I hope that after listening to this episode, we'll all feel like we have a greater understanding of what exactly "organic" means, and the role it has to play in the health of the planet and feeding the world.
Enjoy!
* This is a paid partnership with Organic UK.
Organic is...working with nature. It's stewardship. Handing the land over to our children and grandchildren in a fit state. It's about taking responsibility
LEE HOLDSTOCK
The Soil Association
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media
Why Organic?
Image from The Soil Association
The Power of One Challenge!
As with all things Sustainable(ish), organic doesn't have to be 'all or nothing'. No-one is expecting you to covert to 100% organic, and as Harriet points out in the podcast, you'd struggle even if you wanted to, as there are some products that there aren't organic versions of.
But I hope after listening to this episode, and to the others in the Organic September mini-series, you'll be a convert (if you weren't already) to the power that organic farming has to help us to pass on a healthy planet to our kids and grandkids.
As consumers we have a lot of power to amplify the impact of organic by making some simple swaps.
Next time you're shopping, can you swap one of your regular products for an organic one? Just imagine the surge in demand if everyone who was able to do this, did it!
[072] THE PLIGHT OF THE HUMBLE BEE
I'm delighted to be working with Organic UK* for a mini-series of podcast episodes to mark Organic September - an annual month long awareness campaign by the Soil Association In collaboration with the Organic Trade Board.
We'll be diving into all things organic - what the term actually means, how we know if something is organic, AND crucially, the impact that organic food and farming has on the planet.
We're kicking off with the brilliant episode with David and Emma Buckley from Buckleys Bees. Talking, unsurprisingly given the name of their business, about bees!
DID YOU KNOW?
- Bees and insects are essential pollinators of our food - It's estimated that it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops manually if wild bees disappeared
- Bee and insect populations are crashing - every square kilometre in the UK has lost an average of 11 species of bee and hoverfly, between 1980 and 2013
- In the UK at present there are around 270,000 active honeybee hives, compared to a million in 1900
- 98% of natural wildflower meadows have been lost in the UK since the early 1900s
- Plant, insect and bird life is 50% more abundant on organic farms
Tune in to learn more about the wonderful work of bees, why they's so vital, how organic farming can help to support them, AND how we can help them in our own gardens too.
Enjoy!
(Heads up on the sound quality - it's pretty rubbish at the start of the podcast, but improves quickly, so please do bear with!!)
* This is a paid partnership with Organic UK.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media
Useful links
- Organic UK
- Organic September
- Buckleys Bees
- Website
-
[071] A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO CARBON FOOTPRINTS WITH JO HAND AT GIKI ZERO
Carbon footprints - we've probably all heard the term, but what exactly is a carbon footprint? And why does it matter?
Do I have a carbon footprint?
How do I know what it is?
How do I reduce it?
What do I need to reduce it to?
ALL the questions about carbon footprints!
Luckily in this episode I'm chatting to Jo Hand, co-founder of Giki Zero, an app and website that allows you to easily measure and track your individual carbon footprint.
Because I'm a bit of an eco geek, I've tried out a few different carbon footprint calculators, and whilst they're great for giving a ballpark figure, they don't allow for much nuance, and the only way to really see it come down is to do something really drastic, like go car-free, or move to a smaller house - neither of which are hugely practical right now.
So when I tried out Giki Zero I was geekily excited to see that this is a calculator that does allow us to factor in many of the smaller changes we're making day to day, and to see our footprint shrink!
Jo answers all of the questions above, and many many more, including sharing her top tips for the big impact things we can do to reduce our footprints.
Listen in, then go and check out Giki Zero! Let me know what your score and your footprint are!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
[070] RECYCLING 101 WITH DENIS THE DUSTCART
Once upon a time (I'm looking at you 1990's) we were told that all we needed to do to be green was to do our recycling. And although it might have taken a while to catch on, most of us now diligently sort our rubbish out into a gazillion different bins and boxes each week, and feel good that we're doing our bit.
However, sadly we're now realising that there's much more to saving the planet than simply popping our tin cans into the right bin, and that actually even the act of recycling is in itself bloody complicated (technical term for the UK's recycling infrastructure).
One of the reasons that our recycling varies so widely across the country, is that it's managed by local councils, and many of us may have visited our council website or Facebook page for information about what we can and can't recycling where we live. But whilst we might find the information we need, we very rarely find anything else to engage us on the topic, answer some of our trickier questions, and (whispers) entertain us.
Which is why Denis the Dustcart, from Exeter City Council, is such a revelation and I was so excited to interview him. Well, not actually Denis himself. He's a dustcart. Actually, he's not even a dustcart, he's an emoji dustcart persona. So I spoke to Merrick Palmer, recycling officer at Exeter City Council and Denis' alter-ego. Who happens to be very funny, and very good well-informed (by the recycling team at the council), and very good at writing engaging posts around all things waste and recycling on the Denis the Dustcart FB page.
Make Your Money Matter
I'm a big advocate (ie I bang on a LOT about it) of the power of our choices, and for casting a vote for the kind of world we want when we SPEND our money, but it took me a long time to cotton on to the power of any money we might have in banks, savings and pensions.
According to Make My Money Matter, there's about THREE TRILLION POUNDS invested in UK pensions.
And much of it is being used to fund things like fossil fuels, arms, deforestation and more (the same applies to our savings, ISAs and current accounts). All things that I'm sure none of us would choose to fund and would be horrified to think that our money was helping these kinds of industries. Moving our money is one of THE most powerful things we can do to help fight the climate crisis.
Yes, it's a pain in the ass.
Yes, it feels horrendously grown-up.
No, that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.
THREE SIMPLE THINGS TO DO:
- Check out how well your current bank is performing on Switch-it.
Simply find your bank on the drop down and see how well they score.
You can see the results and they click to switch and it gives you more ethical alternatives to choose from. - Send an e-mail to your pension provider asking them to get to Net Zero by 2050. There's an easy to use template and you can choose your pension provider from the drop-box on the Make My Money Matter site here.
- Sign the petition on Make My Money Matter calling on all UK pension providers to 'put people and planet on a par with profit'.
For more info on all things 'good money' check out:
Had you thought before about the power of your money?
Do you know who your pension is with? And what they're investing in?
Are you now inspired to do a spot of investigating and maybe switching?
Let me know!
[069] SAY IT WITH (BRITISH) FLOWERS WITH SARA WILLMAN
Who doesn't love a bunch of flowers?
Well.....it turns out the planet might not be too chuffed with them if you buy a bunch of imported flowers.
I don't know about you but I'd never really given much thought to the impact of flowers on the planet, other than to think that they're probably a good thing - they're natural, bees love them, what's the harm?
DID YOU KNOW?
A bunch of imported flowers from Holland or Kenya can have the equivalent carbon footprint of a flight from London to Birmingham!
Tune into this great chat with Sara Willman from My Flower Patch where she talks about the impact of flowers and how we can lower that impact (by around 90%!!) by buying British flowers.
Enjoy!
Sara Willam from My Flower Patch (pic credit Katie Spicer)
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Useful links
- My Flower Patch
-
[068] HOW TO WASTE LESS AT WORK WITH LIVVY DRAKE
This episode is going out at the start of July, and in the eco world, July is all about plastic, thanks to the brilliant
[067] LOCKDOWN GUILT
Welcome back to the Sustainable(ish) podcast!
My goodness it’s been a while! I thought I’d have a little break after doing 12 podcasts in 12 days for the book launch, and then a month or two passed, and then a global pandemic hit. And now here we are 6 months down the line!
How are you? How is life treating you? How has lockdown been for you?
It’s a strange old time isn’t it?
When lockdown started I descended into a massive funk. My husband was furloughed for the first four weeks, and it turns out he’s someone who likes to get on and do things, and was very productive in a tidying the house and doing all those jobs we never get round to type way. Me, not so much. I just wanted to lie on the sofa and read trashy novels, in between random bouts of tears and attempting to get my head around home schooling the kids.
But today I want to talk a little bit about ‘lockdown guilt’.
I’ve spoken to so many people, online, via e-mail, on webinars I’ve run, and in my six week coaching group, who are feeling really guilty that they’re not able to make some of the changes that they want to because of the circumstances we find ourselves in in lockdown.
Enjoy...!
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Useful links
- The Sustainable(ish) Online Festival
- Find me on Sustainable(ish) on social media:
- Facebook
- Facebook group
- Instagram
- Twitter
Have you been feeling any lockdown guilt?
Let me know in the comments!
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