In 2012 the Soil Association founded Organic September to bring worldwide attention to organic living and its benefits. This awareness month highlights what people can do to live more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint. As more of us try to make positive changes and become more mindful of our waste, there may be more that we can do. Organic September may be the perfect trigger for some of us to start.
Here are our 5 easy ways to get involved and maybe make that change for life:
- Buy Local & Independent
Buying local and independent produce means that it has travelled less distance to get to you. Find an allotment putting on a harvest sale or a deli near you that sells products from local farmers and professionals. Also, buying seasonal and organic in the supermarket will help you on your way.
We have a list of what fruit, veg and meat is at its best in September in our Water Butts Direct news section.
- Go Car Free
The 22nd September is National Car Free Day, so why not boost your efforts and try to go car free for the whole week? Even if this means taking public transport to commute to work, you will still be reducing your carbon footprint. Road transport is the highest contributor to carbon emissions in the world so any little change will ease your usage up.
- Eat Organic
The Soil Association has a great list of completely organic restaurants and cafes around England and Scotland so if you’re planning to eat out you can see what’s in your area. If you are not near any of these eateries, why not adjust your plans and host an organic dinner party at your house? Pot luck (guests bring along a dish they have prepared at home) parties are also becoming very popular again, you could encourage friends to bring an organic recipe along.
Also, there are many Vegan recipes and restaurants that you could check out. The restaurants may not strictly be organic, but it has been proven that Vegan food is better for the environment and does not produce the same levels of emissions as meat and dairy farming. Give it a go!
- Check For The Logo
There are approved logos for organic produce and cosmetics (seen in the image above), a quick check to make sure the product you are buying has this will give you peace of mind that a company has not just labelled itself as ‘natural’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ without being organic.
Cosmetics are harder to guarantee but even just making sure you are steering clear of items that test on animals and do not contain chemicals that are not natural will help you on your journey.
- Grow Your Own
The cheapest way to get organic produce is to grow your own food. You may think September isn’t the best time to start but with temperatures still set to stay in the late teens in some places in the UK throughout September, you may be able to cultivate successfully.
Leafy veg, broad beans, peas and many root vegetables flourish if they are sown in September. Spinach will need to be covered in fleece as it gets colder but it will grow well.
Why not reach out to us and let us know how you get on through Facebook or Twitter? We’d love to hear from you.
