Village Raw - ISSUE 1

VILLAGE RAW
SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE
THE LAST STRAW
A revolution is underway in N8. Locals are waging a war on
single-use plastics and leading the charge on the transition to
a lower impact, more sustainable way of life.
Words by Aimee Charalambous. Photos by David Reeve.
Emboldened by the actions of Catherine
West MP, who led 170 MPs to cosign a
letter calling on supermarkets to scrap
plastic packaging, and plastic free initiatives
in places like Penzance, a group
called Zero Plastic has formed.
Frustrated with what he was seeing
in the local area group founder James
Jameson decided enough was enough.
Plastic had become a local epidemic
striking down not just chain stores but
also local retailers. “This is where we live
and breathe, where we shop, and where
we have the purchasing power to drive
change,” he says.
With that in mind, the group’s first
action plan is to get local businesses
to commit to reduce plastic waste by
choosing from a range of pledges, from
commitments to use biodegradable cutlery,
to not stocking plastic cotton buds,
to offering water refill points. With the
help of an online toolkit, businesses are
then encouraged to demonstrate their
commitment with signage, informing
customers and encouraging positive
choices.
It is clear that the N8 community is
behind the initiative, with local businesses
and residents already making a concerted
effort to reduce their impact. Ally
Pally Farmers have committed to going
plastic free; the butchers are now wrapping
in paper rather than plastic; biodegradable
packaging is becoming the norm
at the greengrocers; and no discerning
coffee drinker would be caught dead
without their keep cup.
Change can happen, and it can happen
quickly. Plastic bag usage has reduced
85% in just three years since the
5p charge came in. Taking it one step
further, numerous restaurants and cafés
in Crouch End are also banning plastic
straws. Around 8.5bn plastic straws are
thrown away each year, contributing to
over 150m tonnes of plastic in the world’s
oceans. A single plastic straw can take
up to 500 years to decompose, yet it’s
something a lot of people don’t think
twice about. Straws are often a convenience
rather than a necessity; a nice thing
to have that allows you to slurp your frappé
or prevent the dreaded tantrum when
a sip of mummy’s drink turns into a waterfall.
Cafés like Haberdashery and Nati’s
on Priory are determined to get rid of the
pesky plastic, and have opted for metal
and paper straws, helping customers to
make more sustainable choices without
them even having to think.
It’s becoming clear that you don’t
have to be an eco-warrior to play your
part in the solution, a message that rings
clear at a new local Sustainable Supper
Club series. Hosted at Nati’s on Priory,
the dinners have a chance to feast on
fresh seasonal produce (where every ed-
ible part of the produce is used) and get
some simple tips on how to waste less
and use more, as well as how to make
the transition to a more sustainable life.
Struggling to remember your keep cup or
water bottle? Why not try keeping them
by the door with your keys? Dinner organisers
Nati Morris and Dorothy Barrick
know from experience how these small
but simple steps can become new habits.
Many people think sustainable, no
waste living will be expensive. But Nati
and Dorothy want to show how small
changes to the way you shop and cook
can actually save you time and money.
The average family throws away 11 meals
a month, equivalent to just under £60.
Batch cooking and adopting a root to fruit
(or nose to tail) approach means you can
stock the fridge with leftovers that can
be thrown together in a myriad of ways,
each dish more exciting than the last.
And don’t forget your trusty friend the
freezer. It can be used for a lot more than
just fish fingers and frozen peas.
Thanks to the power of social media
and shows like Blue Planet II, people are
more aware than ever, actively seeking
out solutions to ethical and environmental
challenges – all that’s missing is the
convenience of having it nearby. While we
don’t suffer from a shortage of unpackaged
fresh fruit and veg, the staples can
be harder to pin down.
Metal straws at The
Haberdashery café
26