There are many ways to influence environmental matters by acting locally. This applies especially to food. Local farmers whose fruit and vegetables follow seasonal patterns can't compete with supermarket chains offering global foodstuffs all year round. But you can support sustainable farming by matching your consumer choices to their harvesting patterns. Local farmers' markets are becoming more common. Use your local shops and farmers' market rather than drive to the supermarket.
Support small-scale farmers in poorer countries, too, by buying fairly-traded foodstuffs that cannot grow in Britain, such as tea, coffee, bananas or pineapples. Non-fairly-traded goods benefit the shippers, importers and retails outlets far more than the original producers. Encourage your local shop to stock fair-trade goods and publish a guide on where to buy ethical local produce.
In your workplace, turn off idle machinery and encourage the use of 'green electricity' based on renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind or hydro power. Alternatives to burning gas and coal in power stations, which release tonnes of carbon dioxide, or to nuclear power, which creates harmful and indestructible waste, are described at www.greenelectricity.org.
Encourage your children to adopt green lifestyles and support environmental projects in the school grounds. Decrease school car journeys by creating a 'walking bus' whereby adults collect children on a planned walking route to school.
Take your holidays more locally. This will reduce demand for long-distance flights with their devastating carbon emissions.
Act green with others. Join or form a local residents' group to conserve and improve your local area.
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