This principle is about promoting sustainable humane farming and healthy diets high in local, seasonal organic food and vegetable protein.
For example: food growing, onsite facilities / canteens, local sourcing, food culture, healthy diets, certification, humane farming, food waste
One Planet Goals
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Make it easy and attractive for people to enjoy fresh, local, seasonal, healthy produce
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Promote diets high in vegetable protein
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Promote sustainable farming which supports biodiversity and builds soil
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Promote humane farming
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Reduce of eliminate food waste
Are there any issues or goals specific to Bruton?
What is Bruton doing already?
Who can contribute to this?
What more can we do?
Comments
Here's a summary of what was discussed and next steps. It's not exhaustive and you might have other ideas. You can add these via the group section on our website: https://bruton2030.ning.com/groups/local-and-sustainable-food (need to register)
We want to promote sustainable humane farming and healthy diets high in local, seasonal organic food and vegetable protein. To do this, we need to
- Make it easy and attractive for people to enjoy fresh, local, seasonal, healthy produce
- Promote diets high in vegetable protein
- Promote sustainable farming which supports biodiversity and builds soil
- Promote humane farming
- Reduce or eliminate food waste
We agreed that Bruton is quite well-served by local shops and producers.
Key issues (raised by those present)
- Levels of obesity and ill-health
- Don't understand why people don't care about what they eat - harm to self & harm elsewhere in the food system
- Food waste throughout the food chain from farm to fork
- Many are financially constrained & lack skills to cook from scratch. But need to be careful not to lecture
- Plastic packaging for food
- Good access to food on Bruton's High Street but many go to supermarkets
- Grow your own fruit & veg (if you have access to space)
Other issues raised by people who couldn't be there
- Community garden
- Community fridge
- Food bank
Examples of good practice / local resources
- Mill on the Brue (also provide school lunches for Bruton Primary School)
- Sexeys Hospital garden
- Riverside Walk fruit bushes & trees (need a group to look after them, particularly pruning fruit bushes)
- Durslade Community Orchard
- Food for Life Campaign (https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/)
Ideas suggested (by those present)
- Celebrate good farmers nearby
- Open gardens - veg patch trail & wildlife gardens
- Celebrate "Wake up to organic" in 2020 (mid-June)
- Add info to website, e.g. Farmshop Association based in Wincanton
- Follow the advice in Michael Pollan's 'Food Rules': eat food (i.e. real food, not processed), not too much, mostly plants (See - https://michaelpollan.com/reviews/how-to-eat/) - this is a great little book. Borrow it from the Bruton library!
Have a stall at the Church Fete (Sat 28 September 2019)
- Link to health coaches and have drop in workshops that could link to other clinics, e.g. diabetes. Example of someone who reduced their blood pressure after just one week following a plant-based diet
- Local exchange / place to share / sell gluts from veg patches / allotments (apparently there's one at Sexey's hospital for produce from the garden there)
- Blackberry picking & foraging (not in areas that are sprayed)
- Communal processing of gluts
Next steps
After discussion we decided that we'd like to focus on the following.
- Instagram / Facebook campaign promoting good practice on Bruton's High Street linked to September's national campaigns: Oxfam's Buy Recycled in September, Organic September, International Zero Waste Week (2-6 September), Organic Beauty & Wellbeing (9-16 September), Recycling Week (23-29 September) (Christine). This fits well with supporting our local community and economy. - Hopefully you've seen some of the posts so far. Follow @oneplanetbruton's page
- Plan to organise an event with the farming community (Oliver & Jane) based on findings from RSA's Commission on Food, Farming & the Countryside
- Contact Bruton & District Horticultural society about Bruton Open Gardens in 2020 to see if we could organise a Food growing trail and a wildlife gardens trail as part of it. (Jane)
- Organise a 'Wake up to Organic' breakfast event in June 2020
This doesn't mean we can't do other things, just that these were the things that those of us present felt most drawn to.
We'll follow up at our monthly meetings (last Friday of the month downstairs at the Chapel).
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from food cycle
Reduced waste from food and packaging
Everyone has access to affordable, healthy and tasty food, regardless of income
Access to food growing space for all
Better food know-how - increased knowledge and skills to grow, cook, eat and enjoy food
Thriving local, independent food enterprises
More community food growing
Food production preserves ecosystems and animal welfare
CHALLENGES
Converting people's good intentions into meaningful and lasting change [APPLIES TO ALL!!!]
The embodied energy [and water] in the food we buy
Restaurants / fast food / takeaway
Food coming from outside Bruton - either fetched or delivered
Shops selling highly packaged and highly processed food which is also unhealthy and unsustainable
Supermarkets
OPPORTUNITIES
Restaurants / fast food / takeaway
Organic wholefood shop but no late-night opening
Surrounded by many low impact (& organic) farms
Better information about food available locally
Re-skilling & skills available
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BRUTON NOW?
Organic & wholefood shop
Local meat from butcher
Skills base - local people with skills, know-how & experience
Willingness to learn
A good base for communication & good / real / physical platforms
Local businesses
Schools & youth - big opportunity to facilitate youth to educate parents
£ - force for good or bad / here & passing through
People who understand challenges
FUTURE ACTIONS TOWARDS PRINCIPLE
Info to cut through the fog - straightforward info
Talk to neighbours and families to inspire and work together
Some kind of campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of using & eating pesticides & herbicides - Not on my patch!
Learning opportunities for people to learn about growing natural food
Create awareness of the total costs of what we do &the costs to change / reasons we should
Capturing the good croppable land for growing crops for us in Bruton
Car-sharing to farm-shops & supermarkets
More CSA (Community-supported agriculture) - local if possible / link consumers to producers
Link with other towns & communities already doing well - learn from them, not reinvent / start from scratch
People understanding that good food cannot be "cheap"
Late opening of organic shop
Encourage people to act & buy local natural organic food
Link between good food and health: Agriculture is the primary healthy service
Share info about who is local & seasonal