I had a memo from the Co-Op Midcounties today reminding me that it is World Environment Day and asking me what 1 Change I would like them to make to defend the environment.
Co-Op Midcounties already have a programme for reducing plastic use. In a survey of customers, 94% said that single use plastic was a major concern.
The lockdown has had a hugely positive impact on our environment, with litter is at it's the lowest level at the moment, people recycling more, getting out there and appreciating the world around them, nature is thriving! So this is a great opportunity to focus on other issues and reflect and plan for the future. (Co-Op Midcounties)
The BBC reports five ways we can tackle climate change in the UK:
- Eat less milk and dairy
- Grow crops for energy
- Ban peatland burning and peat extraction
- Taxes on flights and flying less
- Planting more trees
And in The Guardian, a photo gallery:
To mark World Environment Day, WWF has selected some snapshots of UK nature and wildlife – from land and ocean species to breathtaking plant life – in an attempt to raise awareness of the ongoing fight for our world and its vital biodiversity, the threat to which is both an urgent and existential concern.
Source My personal favourite from the gallery: the water vole. We used to see a lot of these along the banks of the River Stour when we had a small boat.
The water vole, Britain’s fastest disappearing mammal, has vanished from over 90% of its former range since 1970. It faces threats from agricultural intensification and habitat loss due to unsympathetic waterway management, as well as urbanisation and predation by mink. (The Guardian)
Source Hawthorn. My small contribution to planting more trees is nurturing a hawthorn tree on the boundary between my neighbour's garden and mine.
Known for its display of blossom in spring and red ‘haws’ in autumn, the hawthorn tree has often been grown as a hedging plant and is a popular choice in wildlife gardens across the UK. As a food plant, it can support more than 300 insects, but can also be prone to aphid attack, gall mites and the bacterial disease fireblight. (The Guardian)
I did a quick check of my meat and dairy consumption, against the UK average. Interestingly, milk consumption has reduced by nearly 50% in the last 50 years.
I eat very little meat, less than 5% of average consumption (an astonishing 84.2k per person per year). I drink a lot of milk, perhaps two and half times average consumption, and eat a lot of butter, maybe three times as much as the average person, but less yoghurt and cheese than the average.
Meat is not hard to give up, but I do love my cup of tea and an occasional cup of coffee. I have tried plant-based milks, only Oatly came close in environmental benefits but hadn't got quite the taste of dairy milk. I have started drinking fruit teas in the afternoon and this year I have grown a huge bed of mint for mint tea.
Let's see if I can get from four pints of milk a week to three.