The Prawn - a Global Warming Monster!
With all the headlines and conflicting information, you may think that either there is no point to you being more environmentally friendly or that the things that you could do are of so little value that they wouldn’t make any difference. Well, you’re wrong. Apart from the highly publicised actions of recycling and using less energy and water, there are other things that perhaps have not occurred to you that will make a difference to the health of our planet.
If you’re planning to tie the knot this year, then think about different features of your wedding that could be made to be a little bit greener. You don’t have to organise a full eco-wedding but there are one or two things that you could check out without adding too much stress to that happy day. First of all, when you choose your wedding dress pick a designer who uses organic fair trade or natural materials that haven’t undergone any chemical process. Or even better buy a second-hand dress or hire one for the day. After all, the outfit is only going to be worn for several hours. When you’re buying any accessories and jewellery track down companies who offer fair-trade or recycled metals and who use conflict-free diamonds. Hair and beauty – use hair stylists and make up artists who use organic or natural mineral products that have no environmentally harmful ingredients. If buying your own products stick to this guideline too. Your wedding stationery can be made with fair-trade or recycled paper and card and make sure that your friends and family know that if they are going to shower you with confetti that its locally produced flower petals and definitely not rice, which is extremely harmful to birds. Choose a venue that’s close to you because that will save fuel travelling around and, for the same reason, hire a disco or band that are local. Make sure that your gift list has a range of companies who are eco-friendly or ethical, or you could ask guests to donate to a charity of your choice. Instead of flying of to Amsterdam for the hen/stag party organise a day or weekend of outdoor activities and for the ultimate - the honeymoon - think about staying in the UK, or if you must head for the sun, travel to Europe by train, ferry or bus. Or for something completely different try a volunteering honeymoon where you can have a vacation and help a community.
Of course, you can always be more eco-friendly when thinking about what put on the menu. Prawns are a classic starter for any occasion but do you know that prawn fishing is the most energy-intensive and inefficient of any of the fishing industries on our planet? Prawns that are caught in the cold waters around the British Isles are then sent to Asia to be hand-peeled, deep frozen and then sent back to us to be eaten. And the trawlers that catch the prawns churn out five times more greenhouse gases in a month than a small diesel car does in a year. Farmed prawns do not need fuel-hungry trawlers to catch them but they too cause concern for the environment by destroying mangroves, a tree that soaks up CO2. As an alternative to these eco-system destroyers, try an alternative form of shellfish for your wedding menu. Clams, for example, can be harvested close to shores without the need for trawlers. It takes ten times more energy to produce a kilogram of de-shelled prawns for your bridal table compared to the same amount of clams, according to research carried out in Sweden. Believe it or not, trawling for prawns uses nearly 20 times more energy per tonne of catch compared to fishing for all other small fish. Overall the fishing industry is responsible for 1% of the world’s consumption, the same amount as the population of the Netherlands consumes. Trawling accounts for 70% of the consumption being fuel-intensive because of the need to drag heavy weighted nets along the sea bed destroying fragile ecosystems in the process. Even bags that are stamped sustainable have not been properly assessed for their carbon footprint yet. So, that’s prawns off the menu.
Another food that should eaten in minimum quantities is rice. Now I know that this statement probably surprises you but paddy fields are one of the major causes of methane emissions, along with landfills and sheep and cows, a greenhouse gas much more damaging that CO2. Organic materials decay in the waterlogged paddy fields and bacteria then generate the gas accounting for 30% of global methane emissions. Out of harvest seasons, the fields are burned producing CO2. There is also the carbon footprint of transporting rice, as well as the high energy required to cook a portion for your dinner. Eat less rice and make sure that you do eat brown, not just because it is healthier but because huge amounts of energy are required to process the grains before they turn white.
After a while and your thoughts turn to babies, consider limiting yourself to one child. The Optimum Population Trust, a registered charity, think tank and campaign group, believe that the Earth may not be able to support half the population before the end of the 21st century as the world population increases from 6.8 billion to a projected 9.15 billion in 2050.
And as a final thought, when the time comes you can plan for a green funeral by being buried in a recycled container in a nature reserve with a tree planted in place of your headstone – a much nicer resting place.
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