Grasslands

The main threat to grasslands are food. We abuse the grasslands because of the way that we produce food.

We destroy wild grasslands to create fields. We farm animals on these fields. Also, we farm plants on these fields. The plants that we farm are used to feed to animals. We then eat the animals.

We are invading more and more space. With every metre of land that we take for ourselves, we wreck the homes of other creatures.

The grasslands are their playground, their food, their home. We could share the spaces on the earth with the wildlife. Instead, we are choosing to steal from the wildlife.

We can save the grasslands. We need to waste less food, eat less meat, eat sustainably sourced meat and farm smart. The grasslands will thank us.

Re-useable food?

Just like everything, food requires a lot of resources to make. Just like everything, it is most sustainable to eat the food that already exists. This is instead of letting that food (and all the resources that went into creating it) go to waste.

  • If you make more food than you need, share it with your neighbours. Put leftovers in a box and give them to someone else.

  • Save your left overs and eat them the next day

  • To Good To Go and Olio are apps that sell unsold products from restaurants and shops. You can buy groceries and meals that have not been sold. That means that you are rescuing the good food from being wasted.

  • Give your extra food to surplus food organisations. Surplus food is the uneaten or unsold meals and products from restaurants and shops.

You could encourage businesses and schools near you to donate their surplus food to certain organisations. These organisations will gift the surplus food to people who cannot afford food. Here are some organisations that do this: foodbanks, CityHarvest, FoodCycle, FareShare, community fridges.

You could even set up a community fridge. A community fridge is a small stall or fridge or cupboard which people in the area can donate their own surplus food to. Then other people who need it can take the food.

You could set up other surplus food organisations if there is not already one near you.

  • Compost your food scraps. Or regrow them. gardening booklet

Challenge

Use food scraps to make a meal. Try one of the recipes on 'Love Food Hate Waste'

Eat for the environment

  • Enjoy eating! Eat what makes you happy. You do not have to eat lots of fancy food if you do not like it. Make sure to eat well. Use the NHS eat well plate for guidance.

  • Have a go at traditional cooking and natural remedies. For example, during World War Two, people used to reuse cooking fats for several different meals. Mary’s Nest on YouTube or the Fairyland Cottage website have recipes for things like this.

  • Find out how efficient your cooking appliances are. This can also protect the Frozen worlds.

  • Take notice of what you are eating. Sensory seeking is lots of fun. Sensory seeking is where you look out for things that interest your senses.

For example, I love tofu because it goes with lots of different flavours. It has a squidgy texture too. It is quite interesting the eat. In fact, it is like an adventure to eat. I know it sounds silly. But try it- seriously!

  • Challenge yourself to not eat meat or fish for 2 full days per week.

  • https://www.sneakyveg.com/recipe-index/ . This website has great recipes for sneaking vegetables into meals for people who are not big fans of veggies!

  • 'Zero Waste Chef' also has lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes. And tips for small challenges for sustainability.

  • 'Pick Up Limes' is another fabulous website with lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes. This one is particularly good for people with allergies. Plus, there are so many different flavours and cultures in their yummy dishes.

  • Try new recipes. Do cooking competitions with your friends. Cook things inspired by movies or books.

  • Go vegetarian or vegan.

I know this is hard. Especially if you really love meat. You could become a flexitarian. A flexitarian is a person who eats a bit of meat on some days of the week and eat vegetarian or vegan food on other days of the week.

The best tips for people who are trying to go vegetarian or vegan is to explore different flavours, textures, smells, colours, cultures.

And to remember that plants are not meat. What do I mean?

Well, often people try to find things like plant-based chicken nuggets. Vegetarian chicken nuggets are just not as tasty as meat chicken nuggets.

However, there is no meat that tastes as yummy as nut roast.

Vegetarian or vegan food might be very different to how you would normally eat meat. There will be something plant-based that you like. You just have to find what that is.

Where does your food come from?

  • Buy food from local farmer's markets and local shops.

  • Buy food that was produced in your country.
    Check the 'country of origin' on the packet of what you are buying. This is instead of imported food. Imported food is food that was grown by people in other countries    . Then the food was put in packaging and sent over to your country. This uses a lot of energy and often releases horrible gases.

  • Grow your own food

  • Eat organic and free range food whenever you can. Eat 'Fairtrade' food whenever you can.

For example, Fairtrade chocolate from 'Tony's Chocolonely'. Or organic baby food from 'mylittlepiccolo.com' or 'Organix'. Or free range and organic eggs

  • Buy or make pet food that is natural. 'Antler Dog Chews' have lots of all natural treats and chew toys made by farms for different pets. 'The Dog Chef' makes baking mixes for you to make delicious dog food easily. 'www.bdws.co.uk' has some great dog food recipes for using up scraps as well.

  • 'ediblewildfood.com' is a website with recipes for food found wild in nature. This is a fun adventure. It is very interesting to explore how you can work with the natural world around you.

  • Eat second-hand food. Read the section above on 'Re-useable food' to understand more.

  • No one is perfect. No animal is perfect. No plant is perfect. Often, plants will grow food that looks a bit funny.

The farmers have to throw these imperfect foods away because they do not sell. However, we can change this. We can stop this waste.

Buy imperfect food in shops. Or order a delivery of imperfect food from companies such as 'Oddbox'.

If your local shop does not offer imperfect produce, or if all their products are in lots of plastic and packaging, ask them to change. You can have a big impact.

Challenge

Go 'dumpster diving'. Dumpster diving is when you search through bins to find treasures. It is very fun. You can go dumpster diving for good food.

Watch this YouTube video to find out how to do it. 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DUMPSTER DIVING // the dos and don’ts of food rescue - YouTube

Be efficient with your food

  • Try meal planning:

--Make a list of all the meals you are going to eat this week. Then you can shop in one go. And you know what you are going to buy. You will not waste money on what you do not need.

--You can make sure that you are eating properly too. It is ok to write ‘going to a restaurant’ or ‘ready-made meal’ on some days as well. You do not have to be a master chef!

  • Only cook what you will eat. If you do make too much food, store it.

  • Only buy the food that is in season in your country.

For example, in England, some types of apples grow on trees during the autumn. The apples sleep during the winter.

Therefore, we should not buy apples during the winter. This is because the food that we buy out of season is probably imported from another country.

This takes a lot of energy and releases lots of greenhouse gases. This is also really important in order to save the Frozen worlds.

Farm smart.

This is when you get creative and farm with the nature. This is awesome for the planet. And it can help the quality and yield of the produce.

Waternish Farm in England works on ‘farming through conservation’.

Their model places farming and conservation as equals. Nature is at the forefront of their decisions. It is not an after-thought.