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Council's green advice to staff: Go vegetarian
Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard18.03.08
A London council wants to encourage its staff to help the environment by going vegetarian.
Cutting meat and dairy products from canteen menus will reduce carbon emissions, according to Camden's climate change group.
Councillors will vote on the proposal at the end of May after examining a report setting out a raft of measures designed to reduce the borough's environmental impact.
Camden's "eco champion" Alexis Rowell said the idea of taking meat off the menu was based on United Nations data showing that the livestock industry is responsible for 18 per cent of the world's carbon emissions.
He said: "At some point we have to get to grips with the Western diet, which contains so much meat and dairy and is part of the carbon problem and the obesity problem.
"We are not talking about turning everyone into vegetarians but about eating more vegetables and fewer pieces of meat, especially beef which is the most intensive. We are growing grain and manufacturing fertilisers using a lot of fossil fuel and water, which is a scarce resource, to feed cows to then feed humans.
"It would be better to grow vegetables and feed them straight to humans."
According to the Vegetarian Society, 70 per cent of the world's agricultural land is used for rearing farm animals, either as grazing land or to grow fodder. Far less land is used to grow crops to feed directly to humans.
The animals themselves are said to emit more damaging gases than the world's entire transport system. Camden also wants to cut the amount of food flown in from abroad or driven across the country in lorries.
It is looking at how to support local producers by using existing distribution networks to bring food from the South-East into a central hub.
Meanwhile, residents will be encouraged to turn open spaces - even roofs - into mini-allotments.
Mr Rowell said: "In Camden, we have more green and potentially green spaces on housing estates than we have in parks.
"A third of Camden's roofs could be turned into green roofs without any structural changes. We also have a 10-year waiting list for allotments. This is a huge opportunity.
"We aren't pretending we can grow enough food to feed London but we can grow some and that's better than nothing."
Such schemes would also improve residents' quality of life and the borough's biodiversity, he added.
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What a load of rubbish. Last I saw, cattle eat the majority of the food by-products coming out of British factories. Such things include bread etc.. If we didn't have cattle this waste would be dumped at landfill and produce huge amounts of methane. Cattle also eat grass in the UK. Grass absorbs CO2 while it grows. Can't stand these pathetic politicians. That's why I don't vote!
- Robhammer, Fulham
Sounds like common sense. No-one's forcing staff to go veggie... they can bring their own food.
Some people are too selfish or stupid to see what's going on, so it's up to the politicians to show the way.
If London doesn't take the lead what hope is there for the provinces?
- Peter, Lichfield, UK
This is an excellent initiative. I eliminated animal products from my diet a few years ago and I lost weight and felt far more healthy as a result. I then stumbled upon the horrifying statistics regarding what it takes in terms of the world's resources to produce a single pound of beef - SIXTEEN POUNDS OF GRAIN and THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF LITRES OF WATER!!!!
This at a time when we are reading of food riots and reports of how we can expect water shortages in certain areas in a decade or so's time. Good job Camden. The likes of Aidan and Gene Genie will be silenced once the public become fully aware of the impact our food choices have on those whose access to food and water become lesser by the day. I just hope other authorities follow before it's too late.
- Jack, Tottenham. London
