Avoid a World Catastrophe: Eat Less Meat and Use Greener Energy
Shocking headlines recently from Yahoo News, bring tales of impending ‘global catastrophe’. The Royal College of Doctors have issued warnings stating unless action is taken now to cut carbon emissions and adopt a healthier, greener lifestyle, we will all suffer. The poorest countries will be the hardest hit, having to contend with environmental catastrophes like floods, storms and conflict, especially from water resource shortages. However, we will all suffer, environmentally and healthwise, unless serious action is taken.
Good news does come hand in hand with the seemingly ‘impending doom’! Lord Michael Jay, from the charity Merlin, states if we can help the environment, we can help ourselves. By adopting a diet which has less meat (and is effectively ‘low carbon’) and encompassing greener energy sources into our life – such as exercising by cycling/walking to work, we can reduce the strain on health services, as well as cut the rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. In December in Copenhagen, politicians from around the globe will meet to discuss carbon cutting strategies and, doctors who have taken part in producing this stark warning, are hoping they can turn the (green) heat up! The collective voice of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) are hoping to do their bit in the fight for our right to live long healthy lives, whilst protecting our civilisation.
If this all sounds extreme, remember that you don’t have to give up eating meat completely to help. If everyone ate just one less meat-based meal a week, it would make a difference. If you are nervous of cooking meat-free meals because you feel they would be tasteless, or your family wouldn’t like it, there are lots of easy to use cookbooks full of recipes so delicious you won’t even notice they are vegetarian! Try the Gate Easy Vegetarian Cookbook, from the famous London restaurant (a popular choice with celebrities), or trust that British stalwart, Delia Smith, who has an excellent collection of user-friendly veggie recipes in her Vegetarian Collection.
Green Fingered NASA Technology
Urban dwellers often find themselves in the unfortunate position of wanting to grow something green to help the environment but cannot do so because they do not own or rent a little patch of Earth. Those people who are lucky enough to have their own garden will note growing plants, flowers, shrubs and trees can prove to be a very rewarding experience. Moreover, as environmental awareness has increased sharply recently, many people take great delight in giving a little back to the planet.
Furthermore, gardens are ideal for people who wish to grow their own food, which is sensible in the middle of a recession and an era in which green produce is heavily treated by chemicals. A garden is also useful for growing flower bearing plants such as rose bushes, which come into their own on birthdays and Valentine’s Day. You can even grow your own organic Christmas decorations by planting a holly bush. However, the aforementioned urban dweller does not always have access to this way of life. Indeed, in his or her case the grass is very much greener on the other side. Nevertheless, the Aeroponics Power Plant Growing Machine, which is based on cutting edge NASA technology, is the perfect solution for those stuck in a concrete jungle.
Requiring a connection to the mains electricity supply, the Aeroponics Plant Growing Machine is exceptional in that its technology enables plants to grow without the need for any soil whatsoever. Indeed, only water needs to be added to the machine, which uses a special growing sponge, nutrient mix and microjets to stimulate relatively rapid growth. Perfect for the green fingered soul trapped in a concrete jungle. (And if that all sounds too technical? You can still grow your own organic herbs out of a bag on your kitchen windowsill or even buy a ready made kitchen windowbox. So there’s really no excuse…)
Fair Trade tastes fabulous with Cadbury Daily Milk
Fair Trade products have become considerably more fashionable purchases during recent years, following several large scale international campaigns to promote awareness of the plight of workers in the so-called third world nations. Poor living and working conditions, hard labour, long hours and barely enough pay to survive are familiar problems that have blighted workers in the developing nations. Furthermore, many are victims of large foreign corporations who exploit the cheap labour force in order to maximize their own profits, which also means that very little, if any, of the money generated by such companies is pumped back into the local community.
Fair Trade produce secures a better way of life for the typical third world worker. Not only will a large proportion of the profits generated by Fair Trade approved companies be driven back into the local communities, which can help to improve infrastructures, amenities and key buildings such as schools and hospitals, but the workers will also receive more pay and less demanding working conditions. Indeed, buying Fair Trade products can be more effective than donating to charities that help the developing nations because it enables these countries to advance through commerce.
Recently, the UK division of Cadbury has announced the launch of a new range of Fair Trade chocolate bars. Representing the first mass produced chocolate to be awarded Fair Trade certification, the chocolate bars are expected to be sold to millions of UK consumers initially, which will further raise awareness of Fair Trade products. The Fair Trade Cadbury Milk bars will be sold through almost 30,000 UK outlets and will source only the finest Fair Trade cocoa from Ghana. Cadbury will no doubt be hoping to match the success of other established Fair Trade brands such as Divine and Green & Black’s.
