What Will They Think Of Next? New Ways of Beating Climate Change…

by Lara Smallman

Climate change affects us all. And we can all do something --------------- however small, to make a cumulative difference.

Fill in the blank space.

I'd put money on the fact that nobody guessed 'in the kitchen' as the missing words. Yes, cooking against climate change is a new initiative being championed by British chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

And I know what you're thinking, haven't we been asked to sacrifice enough already - our cars, our flights to exotic locations, and the rest? Well, yes, but we can all do our bit, and without more sacrifice, or so HFW thinks. And it goes a little something like this: 


- Cook everything in one pot, and save electricity, and washing up

- Eat a bit less meat

- Aim at throwing absolutely nothing away

- Consider cooking non-ruminants, which produce less methane than cattle or sheep, for example poultry or pigs

- When it comes to your five-a-day - fruit and vegetables, think about growing your own, if not buying locally - thereby cutting down your carbon footprint

- Use gas if you can, it's less carbon-intensive than electricity is

- And of course, cut down on waste, not just what you buy but what you use too. The average person throws away the equivalent of £420 a year 

Photo by www.oxfamblogs.org

And if you're really keen on cutting down in the kitchen, Hugh's even got a list of fuel-saving tips that could make a big difference if they were to become regular habits:

- Cook several things at once. If you've heated up the oven, make the most of it by cooking something on each shelf.

- Cook in batches and freeze. A full freezer works more efficiently than a half empty one.

- Putting a lid on a pan when you're bringing water to the boil reduces the cooking time considerably.

- Match the pan to the ring size. A small pan on a large ring or burner can waste up to 40% of the fuel.

- Boil only as much water as you actually need.

Although much of this is common sense, it seems to pass many people by. The good news is that it will cut bills as well as carbon, so these tips may just catch on sooner than we think.