Food and climate change

How we grow, transport, store, eat and get rid of food has a huge impact on our environment. Here are just a few facts to get you thinking...

• Food transport accounts for 2% of UK's total carbon emissions (Source: Defra)
• Food packaging makes up a third of UK household waste (Source: WRAP)
• Edible food equivalent to 20m tonnes of CO2 is thrown away in the UK each year (WRAP)

Growing your own fruit and vegetables, eating seasonally, foraging, taking part in community food growing projects and other activities can all help reduce the environmental impact of what we put on our plate.

To find out more, why not order the FREE BTCV Grow Your Own Food guide – full of practical tips and advice, plus yummy recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and others.

BTCV and climate change

"The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change presents very serious global risks, and it demands an urgent global response." The Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change, 2007. Executive Summary

We know that to make a real contribution to a more sustainable future, we must:

• Reduce our carbon footprint, by working, travelling and sourcing services in a more sustainable way. BTCV has cut CO2 emissions by 16.5% since to 2006
• Focus our environmental project work to mitigate the impact of climate change on threatened habitats and landscapes.
• Encourage staff, volunteers and supporters to adopt pro-environmental behaviour at work, play and at home.

Download BTCV's Climate Change handout.

Evaluating the impact of environmental volunteering on behaviours and attitudes to the environment (367Kb pdf) shows that while volunteering with BTCV individuals are more likely to adopt pro-environmental behaviours.

BTCV vocational training

BTCV runs some Carbon Army related courses.