5 things I have done today to help the planet… [Day 015 – 29 May ’19]
Today was an organic day.
For us, for our chickens, for the planet.
I am a firm believer in the organic way.
For me it is a pact I have made with the planet. You give me good food and I won't give you unwanted chemicals.
This is my choice. The planet says thank you.
1. Homing in on 100% Organic
I made a journey to our nearest full-on wholefood / organic shop today - Watson & Pratts.
They have a complete range of organic produce including fruit and veg, their own freshly baked bread and just about any grocery items you can think of.
Another big bonus is that the fruit and veg is mainly sold loose - rather than all wrapped up in wasteful plastic as organic produce always is in the supermarkets.
So in planet positive terms it gets big ticks all round.
But it is expensive. Organic products are generally about 20% more expensive and this shop is not part of a supermarket chain so lack of economies of scale compounds the higher prices.
Eating organic does come with choice strings attached.
As a family we chose to allocate more money to food because we believe organic is better for us and better for the planet.
It is all about choices. We don't have a TV, we don't smoke, we don't go out to eat very often, we don't go on exotic holidays, we don't buy fashion branded clothes etc etc. You get the picture.
Everyone has to make their own choices.
Still there are ways to help reduce the costs of going organic. Buying in bulk, looking out for offers, growing your own. This article popped up today...
2. Organic Milk in a Returnable Milk Bottle !!!
For a non-vegan this was an ultimate, supreme champion in the I-Spy Organics book.
In rural Wales doorstep milk deliveries are quite rare so you don't see milk in old-fashioned returnable milk bottles very often.
And organic milk in a returnable bottle is a super scarce find.
Now I've found it - thanks to Nigel's Dairy.
And they are not too far away from me either.
The downside, in an upside down sort of way, is that with our current near vegan diet we only use one bottle of milk a week at best.
3. Organic chickens are go
In my quest for going 100% organic I have finally managed to get some organic corn for the chickens and the goose.
Although they are happily thriving on scraps and fresh pasture at present I do give them a handful of corn most days.
Getting hold of organic corn round here is difficult. No one keeps it in stock - mainly because of the additional price (usually about 40% extra) and relatively short labelled shelf life.
The main supplier at small scale is The Organic Feed Company, a brand of Allen & Page.
They produce 20kg sacks of organic mixed corn - available online at around £15 - £20 plus delivery.
My nearest bricks and mortar stockist is about 40 miles away but she doesn't always have it in stock now, and it is too far to drive unless I am passing that way.
With a noticeable amount of reluctance I managed to persuade my local farm suppliers to get it as a special order. I picked it up today. £14.90 for 20kg.
Certainly expensive but the sack will last the chickens around 6 months.
And it's one more step towards my goal of 100% organic.
4. Investing Organic - Playin Choc
As I am all in organic today I was keen to find an organic related start-up investment.
Crowdcube was my starting point again. One business that caught my eye today was Playin Choc.
PLAYin CHOC is "an innovative new UK manufacturer of organic vegan chocolates and eco-friendly toys - a 'premium, sustainable, Kinder Surprise'".
It is very premium niche but their products are high quality and beautifully designed as well as organic and vegan. Producing children's toys without plastic is also appealing.
This company is not the down to earth, dirt under the nails type of organic company I was primarily looking for but I have made a very small investment as in its particular market I think it may well be successful.
Remember though this is my totally non professional view and should not in any way be seen as worthy financial advice etc etc.
5. The Daily Donation - Garden Organic
As this is an 'Organic Special' I thought I'd chose an organic related organisation to donate to.
I've already donated to the Soil Association - and I will be upgrading that to a membership once I have found an annual payment option rather than monthly.
So today I have chosen Garden Organic - an organisation that promotes organic gardening.
They used to be called HDRA or the Henry Doubleday Research Association back in the day, and I used to visit them regularly at Ryton Gardens near Coventry when I lived in the Midlands. Indeed I knew several of the people who worked there.
If you want to go organic in the garden do check out Garden Organic.
I'm organic.
100% through and through.
[ header image from unsplash.com // other images from @pennsif ]