It’s easy to feel hopeless about the environment. We’re bombarded with catastrophic headlines – and it’s true that our planet is in a terrible state. But there are positive stories to tell, too. Now, more than ever, people care deeply about our natural world. The solutions to the climate and ecological emergencies already exist. And right here in the UK, there are businesses pushing for urgent change.
Organic veg box company Riverford is working to tackle carbon emissions and improve the state of nature across our whole supply chain. In the past year, we’ve installed a further 420 kilowatts of solar panels, and now generate enough sustainable energy to power 220 houses. We’ve continued to swap diesel vans for electric. We’ve repaired 137,000 cardboard veg boxes (that’s 12 lorry loads!) so that they can be used again. We’ve planted 20 hectares of agroforestry, which will sequester thousands of tonnes of carbon in the trees’ lifetimes. And with our partners Food in Community and FareShare, we’ve prevented over 200 tonnes of organic food from going to waste.
Generating our own energy, repairing boxes – these are relatively easy decisions, because they save fossil fuels and raw materials, and we can readily quantify the money saved. But some decisions are trickier, as we won’t see the benefits for many years, and those benefits are less certain. For example, developing farm practices to help us adapt to a changing climate. To make sure we’re focusing on the right areas, we use data: an annual carbon footprint, and measurements of soil health, water health, and biodiversity. But numbers alone can’t drive our work. It takes a combination of science, optimism, and a true desire to heal the landscape that surrounds us.
We’re only able to make these complex choices and invest for the long term because of our dedicated customers. Their support allows us to champion positive change in food and farming – and for that, we owe every one a huge thank you. Over the next month, we want to give our customers an honest view of what they’re helping us to achieve. We’ll share the data that guides us, and some fantastic results – as well as some of the hurdles we hit along the way. Throughout March, look out for lots of sustainability content on social media (search for @Riverford), as well as on Wicked Leeks.
All sounds good. Wish you well.