August Eco-Group Comment

Last month I said that I was reading a book about food and in that serendipitous way I discover that the 25^th British Food Fortnight starts on Saturday 26^th August. They have a brilliant and easily accessible website and a short promotional video. This all feeds in (pardon the pun) to the interest in sustainable food that is currently on so many people’s minds. If you go into a bookshop and/or charity shop, there are always so many foody type books. Many focus on growing and cultivating all sorts of food but more of them give us a plethora of ways in which to prepare and serve foods grown not only in Great Britain but all over the world. Recipe books since Mrs Beeton have given suggestions as to the purchasing, conserving, cooking and eating the myriads of different foods available to us in our ever-shrinking world. The current question is for how long we can continue to depend on this, given the logistics of transport and ever-changing weather/climate patterns.

Last month, we hosted the Climate Emergency Briefing film in Treacy Hall. Food Security had a section all of its own. We do, after all, need to eat to live. We rely on getting a specific number of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. These are invariably found in the vegetables, fruit and protein sources that we consume daily. Where these originate from and how they get from their source to our plates is a fascinating journey and one that we may have thought about but probably have no real idea as to the journeys undertaken. The film gave a context but the book ‘Hungry City – How food shapes our lives’ by Carolyn Steel gives the most fascinating and informative insight that both entertained and surprised me. The book is written in a very straight forward way and is a good read. The fact that it was written nearly 20 years ago is on it’s own perturbing because at first glance nothing much appears to have changed in the intervening years. If anything, the issues raised have got worse.

The Guardian newspaper review (‘Our recipe for disaster’ 7^th June 2008) suggested that “Hungry City (was) a sinister real-life sequence to (George Orwell’s) Animal Farm.” It took me a few minutes to understand this, but then read on and remember the 76 floors high pig tower, designed to “house pigs in comfortable apartments with lavish bedding and ample rootling space”. This all sounds rather far fetched, but then the author is an architect and making connections with how the design of our cities have always been centred around food, but how commerce and the corporate world now controls what we eat and how and where we buy it.

The book is quite daunting in size but is only 324 pages long. You may not have time or inclination to read it all but the reviews and Carolyn Steel’s website is worth the time. The beauty of this website is that the questions are posed and followed, not by answers but a precis of the chapters of the book, all of which make you think about how this is not a recent phenomenon but has been an issue over the millennia.

The Wakefield District Good Food Partnership was set up and inspired by the Sustainable Food Places movement of which they are now members to “transform the Wakefield district into a place where our food system does as much good as possible. We strive to create a sustainable and equitable food system for all.” It is as yet, early days on the journey but the partnership is working to create links between producers, suppliers and consumers to the betterment of all. Initially, they are identifying issues that affect our communities and linking those who are attempting to find solutions. Their webinars have given ‘food for thought’ and information that is useful for us all to know (These are available online from their website and on YouTube). The partnership is always looking for interested people and businesses to join so that some of the ideas can be put into practical actions. Please see the website for more information.

We in the Eco Group and cathedral as a whole, bring items to put in the basket that is always in front of the font on a Sunday to support the St Catherine’s Church Centre Emergency Food Pantry. This is a practical demonstration of support in creating a more equitable food system and helps those in need. So many organisations are trying to cut waste and offer help if not solutions to the food wants that affect so many of the population. As with so many aspects of our world if we all support in a small way, we will collectively accomplish great things.

The Church of England General Synod has produced a book and resources for the Season of Creation which starts on 6^th September, “Hope for all Creation: A Theological Response to the Environmental Crises“. This sets out a Christian understanding of the environmental crises facing the world, rooting care for creation in the biblical story of creation, redemption and renewal. The book is available both online or in a hard copy from Church House Publishing.

Next month’s Eco Comment will have this as it’s subject.

Sue Morgan