Food

.....Oil dependent for farm machinery and buildings, pesticides, fertilizers, transport, etc.

You can eat very well without being so dependent on oil.  Here are some simple ideas that you can put into practice.

Buy local food - locally produced food from local shops and box schemes reduces food miles, thus oil usage, and encourages the growth of the local economy.

Grow your own - it's practically a free lunch.  If you don’t have a garden, get an allotment or offer to cultivate a garden owned by someone who can no longer look after it.  Use pots, tubs and window boxes or even hanging baskets.

Take a permaculture course - learning permaculture will give you plenty of knowledge about how to make the most of your land and how to live a more sustainable life.  It’s easy to learn the basics and, beyond that, the learning never stops.  Learn about how we can provide more of our own foods, especially those crops not traditionally produced.
See  http://renew.midwales.org.uk/news for news on local trials.

Manage your food stocks - keep a stock of essentials such as tea, flour, vegetable oil etc.  It is obvious, but having the basics in stock saves needless additional journeys.

Avoid ready meals - ready meals and their packaging are very oil-intensive.  We can all cook better food than you get in most ready meals.

Learn effective nutrition - it isn’t just how much you eat but what you eat that is important.  Learn about what you need to eat and where to get it.

Reduce food waste - we throw away around 30% of the food we buy.  Reduce food waste and you'll be saving money and reducing land-fill waste.

Compost food waste and get a wormery - potato peelings, carrot tops, cabbage stalks, etc are all good organic matter so why throw so much in the bin when you can compost it?  Use the compost to nourish the soil and grow better food without having to use artificial fertiliser.  To find out more about composting, go to www.howtocompost.org

Reduce water use - the water industry is very energy intensive. Smarter use of water saves oil – use water butts for the garden.

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