Food Waste and resolving our complacency with the wasted food mountain.

The food waste issue is mentioned in the UK mass media again – it is something we all face on a regular basis. This time the emphasis is upon the calls for supermarkets to end their BOGOF deals in the interest of reducing the millions of tonnes of food waste.

The BOGOF deals (Buy One – Get One Free) psychologically primes us that we are making great savings when we are out shopping and doubling our purchases for prospectively half the price of costs ….. yet the reality is the food will not be eaten quickly enough and will go off and inevitably end up in the compost bin/black bin.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves: Do I really need to buy this? Or is it an issue of people believing that food is useless once it hits the expiry date? Can we risk keeping food an extra day or two for consumption after the expiry date?

The different sources of information may not always be consistent with each other – yet it is plausible that ten’s of thousands of tonnes of food is wasted each year (by many countries).

What can we do to reduce this waste stream contributor?

Grow your own:

Is it possible that growing your own food will give us a new found respect for food? Understanding the cycle, the process, the responsibility or growing it, harvesting and eating it?

Home Composting:

Is it not a cop-out to just assume “It’s okay – we can throw it in the composting bin?” It’s a more benign manner to dispose of excessive/expired food stuffs.

Composting is important – in fact: it is critical to return the nutrients to our soils. Yet it should not be abused! The more localised the composting can be done with zero to few miles travelled - If composting was fully comprehensive (where primarily some composting is done on-site of the domestic home, the restaurant, the office place, the college campus etc. then excessive amounts were picked up by council services) then it can be an even more sustainable process for us to support (than sending it long distance to be composted elsewhere.)

Yet to reiterate: please do not abuse composting as a fall-back just as we become more complacent with our fridges food stock.

 

Food Banks:

Again – an important part of society; these social enterprises have risen up in a post-economic downturn era to support record numbers of families and individuals who have been forced into economically compromising conditions. Yet we should not just abuse Food Banks strained resources by piling on food which we should ourselves not be wasting – as if it goes off whilst Food Banks are trying to distribute them; it is hardly fair on that social enterprise nor the desperate end recipients.

 

A constant burning food torch:

What we need is a constant reminder; posters may be an idea? Yet will become an irritation until ignored …. perhaps community mass composters? Or will we get more complacent with these? Any ideas? Local food growing programmes where everyone gets involved to remind us of how precious food is and how many of us may take it for granted as being on tap? For now all we can hope for is the media keep reminding us periodically … yet we need something else in play.

 

What can you do?

More flooding - what positive small steps with responsible basin use, toilet use and garden expansion can save us?

The UK media have put a lot of coverage behind the terrible floods that we have faced around the UK with particular emphasis upon South West with many towns, villages and general districts being hit the worst. Many will blame poor infrastructure; the sewers and river way management or other associated issues.

The Authorities such as the Environment Agency will give information/warnings on where floods may occur, yet we should be more empowered to contribute to minimising the flooding impacts - this is achievable in small steps too.

Sometimes token measures adopted by each home will have a massive knock on national positive impact to reducing the overburden on our sewer systems and thus helping reducing our burst banks and flooding of homes, industry and agricultural space.

Whatever the final error - it is all based on causal events which we should all partake in to reduce impacts. What we place down the sink and toilet will go to the sewers, when the sewers are full (build up in non-liquid waste) a backlog will occur and people's domestic guttering may find itself oozing out with unwanted filth, sludge and pungent smells.

If the sewers are full (or blocked) the rain water will not be appropriately directed away from cities, towns, villages and fields.

It starts with the toilet:

• Don’t flush wet wipes.
• Don’t flush away sanitary towels.
• Don’t flush anything artificial other than toilet paper.
• The only thing that should go down the loo is urine, blood, vomit, faeces and toilet paper – too many people assume a toilet is a 2^nd domestic bin. This is not appropriate.
• Consult the internet for basic ‘Keep the toilet from getting blocked’ methods before needlessly wasting professionals time (and your wallet).

… Everything but the Kitchen sink:

• Add a Strainer / Stopper Waste Plug to collect the waste in the bottom.
• Don’t flush it away - Food waste can be picked out the strainer/stopper and put it in a composting bin which most houses have adopted now.
• Everything saved going down the sink will cause less stress on our sewer systems.

The Garden:

• Will a water butt help reduce the amount of water fallen in long rainy periods? When is the 'safe period' to empty it then?
• Expand the garden. This may be too late for many - as with road expansions over the last fifty years in urban areas - many streets sacrificed their gardens to the road programme to widen roads .... with less garden space - we have less rain absorption abiity - which is fatal in built up areas which are reliant upon sewer systems.
• Planning should support expanding green space - or maximising efficient use of green spaces in areas that are built up - more green roofs perhaps? With more grass space will come more rain absorption and lesser burden of flooding.

What we don’t put down the drain will have a positive impact elsewhere. If entire streets of people were responsible with minimising how little they put down the drain (toilets, basins etc.) then the sewer network will be able to function more nominally. The Channel 4Dispatches programme does highlight many of the things people needlessly throw down the toilets.

 

With an efficiently run sewer system – it will be able to deal with some of the potential flooding problems we have witnessed in early 2014. This blog does not put responsibility squarely at the feet of domestic home users (the vast majority of us) and Water Companies who are responsible for the running of the Sewers. This blog simply emphasises that we all have a responsibility for minimising what we put down the drain.

Other approaches such as efficient toilets, innovative sewer applications, improved and widespread agricultural good land practice or any other variables that will emerge in the early 21^st century. This is not claimed as the sole answer to flood reduction - another favoured approach is more tree planting and woodland expansion in order to absorb the torrents of rain. The Woodland Trust have published such a report.

What any country cannot consistently tolerate is mass flooding which destroys lives, puts a burden on the economy and a burden on communities. We must all take a responsible stance in the starting points of what we put down the toilets and sinks into the sewer networks.

What can you do?

Local economy initiatives and developing trust can help bond our communities again.

With so many pockets within cities and rural areas more effected by the global economic downturn (with few signs of recovery) than others – many families, people and communities are despairing. By adhering to some conventions we have allowed many of our natural skills to diminish.

As opposed to travelling far to find work, it is likely there are local requirements for your skills – yet a lack of social connectivity for people to exchange what they can buy or sell. What forums exist? Who will co-ordinate all of it? These are the questions we should ask ourselves if your community is to set up local economic co-operatives (Social enterprises? Local business?) in order to co-ordinate your neighbours.

One such group who have successfully and practically thought out these processes and created a living breathing local entity is the Cardiff Taffs Community Currency. Please look at the video below:

Creating a local currency may be one strong format forward to encourage local skills to come to the forefront of economies. Bringing people together and creating bonds of trust over several years will encourage a greater spirit within communities. This is not about abandoning conventional economy – yet having complimentary measures to begin a social/economic social symbiosis - it's about creating real links in your community. Forming such bonds and having several 'go to guys' will improve your overall quality of life.

What is going in your area? What can you do? Possibly more than you can credit yourself with … reach out. With social networking, group forums, video, blogs, a fragile global economy; no time is better than now!

Cardiff Rivers Group - showing an excellent example of volunteers improving our environment and communities.

Cardiff Rivers Group epitomise volunteers in action and making substantial improvements to the locality, building links and raising hope and motivation for many locals to become more empowered and improve their locality. Make a positive change, make new friends, build networks and give your personal touch to improving your locality.

 

This video highlights the efforts of Cardiff Rivers Group with their cleaning up efforts of the rivers and waterways, riverbanks, parks and areas linked to the water. This video is Cardiff Rivers Group effort to highlight what people can do and they strongly encourage you to establish similar groups to be set up in more towns and cities around the UK and the world to tackle the pollution and littering of our precious waterways and ecosystems.

 

Additionally they partake in many other networks/organisations events to raise money for several charities. Make a positive change, make new friends, build networks and give your personal touch to improving your locality.

Bringing the Climate Transition PhD Community from all Universities together.

The work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has in recent years began bringing together the Climate Transitions PhD community from across our British (and some international) Universities.

Each year a different host University will hold the ‘PhD Climate Transitions Conference’ in an effort to engage and integrate PhD researcher candidates from all disciplines of geography, agriculture, biodiversity, planning, psychology, biology, chemistry, social research, innovation etc. to come together for 3-4 days and partake in the conferences.

The opportunity to network, create new associations, reflect on new directions to take ones research in and many other positive facets are experienced which will benefit you and your research.

A small video of several of the PhD researcher’s experiences of the 2013 Tyndall conference (held at Cardiff University) is shown below:

 

This is YOUR conference for all you PhD candidates (and possible post-doctoral) involved in the sustainability field and climate transition research – we strongly encourage you to contact the Tyndall Centre and attend the April 2014 (2015! 2016!) PhD Climate Transition Conference.

Volunteering emerges as a strong community engagement factor for Sustainability

Volunteering is frequently underrated. Perhaps it is something to go on a CV that attempts to show 'you have character'; to get you into a better College/Uni (as well as grades) or move up the job ladder more quickly? Claiming to be a kind hearted person and will make sacrifices? These are actually clichés that would put some regular people off volunteering as do-gooders are often infamous. It would seem volunteers have re-invented themselves as serious players in many fields hence the Government 3^rd sector are embracing them and even making funds available to encourage furthering many of these volunteer organisations which are contributing significant improvements to your locality.

You'd be surprised how much volunteering begins with just one or two people attempting to contribute something in sustainability in terms of social inclusion (neighbourhood watch) local economy (maintaining stronger local links within businesses/commerce) or environmental terms (clean up the local streets/monuments/parks/rivers etc.). People notice something new is emerging and wish to partake – within a year these volunteer group numbers will expand. Word of mouth carries and local publicity will praise the work achieved through volunteering.

Some examples of volunteering show they engage industry; connecting the communities,highlighting to locals where all the local markets/local social/local greenhubs are - requires local businesses and organisations to become involved and this and several loyalty schemes with hundreds, even thousands of members grow – building local connections, keeping shops from shutting down by volunteers raising awareness that said shops exist and local services are available.

Volunteers who have begun greening the cities have to procure the specific indigenous wildflowers from local growers – this stimulates more local economic growth through volunteering; as they purchase seedlings and add thousands of beneficial plant species to urban areas.

Food growing co-operatives engage local markets and thus begins stronger social inclusion and local economy links. Another example would be river clean ups where thescrap recovered is procured by local scrap merchants and in all cases the funds are not for profit yet ploughed back into the volunteering operations.

General feedback from new and old volunteers has been that it’s important to actively be part of something – yet as a social bonus it should not be understated the important benefits of who you meet which may improve your quality of life. New friends, new local networks, new exchanges of skills. It may be business managers may attend volunteering days to see the raw talents that are out there and this may be a tool to find people jobs who would not otherwise be available to you through conventional channels.

This is not about opportunism though - it's just the natural flow. People meet, people talk, people learn to trust the genuine others they come across through volunteering activities. When one witnesses selfless acts taking place of people volunteering their time, their physical contribution (gardening, labouring, digging, clearing debris etc.) or their mental contribution (community support groups, neighbourhood watch.) you will see a pool of talents that will benefit other areas of your community. It is a human resource that is largely untapped – yet this should not be brutally exploited, rather appreciated that volunteer groups should be supported as inevitably they will benefit the social connections, local economy and improve the natural/built environment. Isn’t that what the triad of Sustainability is supposed to be all about?

A better network is grown out of this volunteering environment that appears to be making ground on a national level, even in the adversity of all of us suffering the blows of a global recession. Sustainability is continually emerging and the economy in one respect will re-invent itself - just as a lot of communities are as they link up through common goals and feelings of being isolated become rescinded. Local connections will inevitably be improved and with this other attributes in your area will follow in a positive direction.

Consider volunteering at a local group in your area - you may well be very pleasantly surprised at what you find going on. Build new associations all pushing for common good. Watch the links in your community build up! Watch your community begin to thrive again in urban and rural environments. Please – get involved.

Introductory video of Sustainable Development

Video of basic introduction to Sustainable Development.

Dreaded Droughts, Furious Floods, the Humble Home and You.

In the UK we have largely ignored the drought warnings until they affect us directly. In an era where global warming was starting to gain more recognition in the 1970’s and 1980’s – when fear of drought hitting many countries in the richer northern hemisphere when in fact we have been hit by quite the reverse and suffered some terrible floods, nationally and internationally, with serious repercussions of many deaths, billions (currency) in damages and communities decimated.

Many people feel helpless and therefore ignore the potential flooding problems. Many people have no faith or trust that something can be done about floods and droughts. This is only natural human reaction in this day and age, as we feel microscopic in the face of 7 billion inhabitants. So perhaps a different perspective is offered through voluntary efforts, building control and planning initiatives. Small steps do have significant knock on effect and we can make strong steps individually and as a nationwide collective.

For all the problems we suffer in UK with flooding – make no mistake they could have been significantly worse. Due to the past efforts of thousands of people planting trees (We all know that symbiosis between trees and soils helps reduce flooding) and installing rain (water collection) butts the flooding risks have been reduced somewhat. We can all take this further forward! In hte UK there are over 200 000 homes who are at risk of not being able to get house/flood insurance due to being in high risk flood areas. With a national policy of water containment/re-use implemented we can help all these people and their homes.

The majority of UK, on a domestic level, do make a concerted effort to turn dripping taps off, have showers instead of baths, many believe their dishwashers use less water than cleaning dishes in the sink. Yet as opposed to just ‘water-saving’ perhaps we should additionally look at ‘water retention’.

Just to go slightly off topic …. Regardless of heating source – hot water will remain in the pipes until it is demanded again. If ALL hot water pipes in industry and domestic were super lagged/insulated – we would save millions of litres of water and millions of Megawatts of energy for heating, as there would be less time waiting for the water to heat up (the still water in the pipes having lost its heat as it has permeated through the un-insulated pipes) the taps are run continually before it is an acceptable warmth level to the end user.

This is very evident of people who rely upon older combi-boilers which heat up the water when you turn the taps on….. it does take a long time for the water to heat up, so when you are waiting for water to get hotter for sinks or showers – on a national scale (the 30-60 seconds we are waiting for the water to heat up) this results in millions of litres of water being utterly wasted. New regulations have demanded improvements in new combi-boiler efficiencies – so that is a positive step forward.

High demand households such as shared accommodation, offices, kitchens etc. prefer the combi-boiler performance to guarantee heat demands so it would be a prudent measure to be able to access high demand immediate heated water technologies. Are wood burners or micro-generation our best options for more sustainable heating systems?

Back onto the main topic of water retention: The media will relay to the public when impending droughts will result in lower reservoir levels, the expected hosepipe bans – thus reporting to us the impact upon agriculture and therefore the impact upon us insuccessive years, yet too many times we feel helpless and do nothing.

As we are driven towards becoming more innovative in our own households, an interest in allotments has grown again since the turn of the century. People are finding ways of saving home resources and money to become less reliant upon the existing system in these times of really bad economic times.

This is not just about drought, there is the other extreme of flooding – we have nothing, then there is too much. Many believe flooding occurs as a result of poor land management where so many thousands of trees, hedgerows have been removed, thus the soil loses its properties and nutrients to retain water and distribute evenly.

Supporting organisations like the woodland trust, or organic farms will go some way to reinvigorating soil properties and reducing flooding problems. Yet a national scale of policy implementation will be required to really support and re-establish natural ecological processes that have naturally dealt with minimizing flooding and drought.

What we can do though is relatively easy. Please consider this small step and it’s massive collective positive impact. Use any search engine and it will tell you we have approximately 30 millionhouses in the UK. Basic statistics state that in England and Wales we have 22.5 million houses Scotland and Northern Ireland easily take us past 30 million in housing stock numbers.

So what?

30 million houses with a 40 litre Rainwater butt will collect: 1 200 000 000 (1.2 billion) litres of water.

30 million houses with a 100 litre Rainwater butt will collect 3 000 000 000 (3 billion) litre of water.

A couple of billion litres of flood water, left uncollected, could wreak enough havoc in any town/city – enough to warrant attention to further flood reductions methods. How unrealistic is this? If every building in UK could hold an additional 100 litres of [rain] water in storage – this would drastically reduce flooding AND offer us a free water resource in periods of severe drought like the UK suffered in April 2011.

A 100 litre capacity water butt or water container would be approximately 2 metres high and half a metre wide in diameter – so could comfortably be placed on the back wall of majority of houses adjacent to the guttering.

The balance is assured. With such a national combined prolific level of water storage, the UK could be better prepared for further droughts and floods to come.

What can you do?