Low impact meals

Think about what makes a meal 'low impact' and bring in written suggestions for what you might eat or not eat, and why.

As we have learned in class this week, 'Low impact' means having as little effect as possible on the environment and on the amount of greenhouse gases. Think about packaging, think about whether the food you don't eat would be suitable as compost, and you might also consider 'food miles'. This means the energy used when the food travelled to you and the CO2 that was emitted as a result of its journey.

This task is not about how healthy the meal is, nor is it about whether the food is organic.

If you have chosen to bring your own lunch to Holme Dunes, then you could write down what you are planning to bring and how you are going to minimise packaging, including napkins. Re-used containers that you will take home again for further re-use are encouraged. Remember that the lowest impact is likely to be caused by food that does not require new packaging (even recycling itself uses energy, though it's better than landfill). Don't try to achieve a zero impact - you should still enjoy your meal!

You could look at these websites.

What 'food miles' are (BBC site), or try this from Wikipedia (less writing but more complex)

This is about food that is 'in season' (BBC), meaning it does not have to be preserved for long, or imported.

Don't look at this American site until after you have already thought about the task for a while. It is full of detail and very readable.

An easy site - only use if you're stuck or confused: activity sheet 1 of this document compares two packed lunches, one low impact, one not.

Finally, this gives more information about Holme Dunes.