Healthy Food & Environment Working Group
Our vision of a sustainable food system is one that is democratic, predominantly plant-based, local and seasonal, and which uses organic growing methods. The food is fresh, less processed and everyone involved in the production of the food is paid a decent wage. Animal welfare and rights are respected and power is distributed throughout the food supply chain.
This working group exists to support work towards this vision. It seeks to facilitate strategy and collaborative projects that cultivate healthy soils, humans, communities and ecosystems, recognising that all are connected.
This group currently meets every two months.
This group’s two year priorities:
Creating a zero waste district
- Secure funding: 1) for a zero waste coordinator to advise on closed-loop enterprise work and host district-wide training and events to support transitions to zero waste enterprise and living; 2) to pilot a compost academy and community composting network; 3) to pilot a local gleaning network relevant to our region.
- Map local gleaning opportunities (from farms to allotments and gardens) and identify distribution channels.
- Map and promote zero waste projects across the district.
Working towards agroecology and diverse wildlife habitats across the district
- Collaborate with council planning to ensure integration of multi-functional green spaces for food growing, nature and people.
- Work with planning and property officers to create long-term protections for land and infrastructure of food systems’ value.
Social prescribing
- Host a networking event/skill share around opportunities for social prescribing in North Lancashire.
- Secure funding to pilot, evaluate and roll out social prescribing models that support local food projects and initiatives.
Promoting a local and seasonal diet
- Work with our local growers and chefs to form a network that co-creates a North Lancashire Diet – one fit for a net zero carbon world that supports agroecological producers.
- Run the ‘Peas Please’ campaign and get more local people pledging to eat more veg.
- Promote a North Lancashire Diet – part of menu creation in catering and food businesses.
- Develop case studies that highlight good practice around sustainable and healthy food cultures – feeding into FoodFutures magazine, food columns, blogs, videos and campaigns.
- Support local health festivals to coordinate a food strand of events, skill shares and community conversations.
Enable, promote or host training and skill share events around:
- Shifting towards agroecological production; natural flood management; cooking seasonally from scratch; reducing food waste; preserving; composting; cultivating biodiversity (adapted for different locations from your backyard to our local fells).
- Building connections around healthy people and planet/food as a medicine: e.g. one planet nutrition, North Lancashire cooking classes, growing nutrient-dense food, models for social prescribing.
Enable, promote or host community events and celebrations, including:
- One Planet Living food workshops, gleaning stalls, surplus food Disco Soups, tree planting, forage and nature walks, apple pressing.
