My veg bag is delivered to a local neighbourhood rep and we then have to go and pick it up from there. This reduces food transport miles and is part of Tolhurst Organics minimising their carbon footprint. Reducing overall food miles though relies on customers using sustainable transport to pick up their vegetables. We are all used to worrying about food miles but forget that the distance we travel from home to do our shopping can be a significant component of food miles. Ac cording to the cabinet office report, Food Matters, 13% of the carbon emissions caused by food transport are accounted for by consumer vehicles.
So how do I pick up my veg bag? It used to be easy as it was on my cycle route home but since starting a new job I don't work Thursdays and have to make a special effort to collect it. It is 0.9 of a mile from my house to my local rep (I just checked on Google Maps!) so not too much of an effort. Usually I cycle, either with my bike trailer or just stuffing it all into a rucksack. If I'm feeling like I need the exercise I walk. For the last three weeks I've been covering for holidays so I've been working Thursdays and have picked up the bag in the work van. It does seem a little extravagant to arrive in a refrigerated transit van to pick up one bag of veg but it is on my way home - honest!
No comments:
Post a Comment