The food you eat matters. Here are some of our tips to reduce your impact on the environment.

It's time to put your best foot forward....


Only use the right amount of water to cover vegetables in a saucepan to reduce the excess energy needed to heat the water.
_{(Energy-Green Book Guides)}

Drink tap water not bottled. Tap water doesn’t need packaging and doesn’t have to travel by road and rail!
_{(WWF) (The Guardian)}

If you chop food into smaller pieces… it will cook more quickly and, consequently, use less energy.
_{(Energy-Green Book Guides) (The Independent)}

‘Food miles’ represent the measurement of the distance from the field to fork and are a key part of your carbon footprint. Pay particular attention to the mode of transport mentioned as food transported by air notches up much larger food miles than food travelling by sea, rail or road. This will sometimes be printed on the label – M&S, for example, has started reducing the amount of food it flies in and putting an aeroplane symbol on any food it does air freight. Buying UK seasonal food could save you a large amount of CO2 per year.
_{(WWF) (DirectGov)}

Cut down the amount of food you throw away to help reduce the 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste currently being dumped in landfill sites in the UK. The average UK household spends over £424 a year on edible food that goes into the bin. This pollutes our environment and generates unnecessary carbon emissions that go into producing, packaging, transporting and storing this excess food. There are a number of simple, practical steps we can take everyday to cut down waste and to save energy – like making an accurate shopping list, investing in a fridge thermometer, keeping your fridge between 3 and 5 degrees keeps your food fresh for longer, using leftovers for lunch the next day or even gathering items of food left in your fridge or kitchen cupboards to try inventive new recipes!

For more information on food waste issues, visit www.wrap.org.uk
_{(WWF) (DirectGov)}

For more tips and advice, download the WI Carbon leaflets now...

March 2007

June 2007

September 2007