‘Buy Better for Bristol’
(with the chance to win an organic hamper from Essential Trading Cooperative)
If the little choices you made every time you shopped for food and drink could save the planet, would you change your habits?
To mark ‘Organic September’ our Going for Gold sponsor Essential Trading Cooperative are offering the chance to win a delicious hamper packed with organic goodies for anyone who signs up to any of the ‘Buying Better’ actions for individuals on the Going for Gold website.
Going for Gold is a city-wide effort to change food in Bristol for good, and be recognised as a Gold Sustainable Food City by the end of 2020. Bristol is Going for Gold by taking major steps to improve our city’s food system in six key Food Action Areas. ‘Buying Better’ is one of these Action Areas, along with Eating Better, Food Waste, Urban Growing, Food Equality and Community Action.
Buying Better is important. Whether grabbing a drink on the go, feeding our families or catering for an entire organisation, the choices we make when we buy food and drink have far-reaching, often complex impacts. Buying Better means choosing food and drink that is produced and packaged in a way that is good for people, our city and the planet; it also means making it easier for individuals and organisations to make better choices.
Though the impact of our individual purchases may seem insignificant, our collective buying power as citizens and as organisations has incredible potential to change the food system for better or worse, depending on the choices we make at home and in the workplace. Through Going for Gold, everyone in Bristol can make better choices, positively impacting climate change, animal welfare and livelihoods, sending a strong message to food manufacturers and retailers about the change they want to see.
Lila Teasdale of Essential Trading Cooperative says, “We are super excited to partner with Going for Gold in the bid to have Bristol recognised as a Gold Sustainable Food City, through a collaborative effort between organisations, the council, and individuals. The campaign will serve as a catalyst to bringing about new, sustainable changes across the city, as well as recognise and celebrate what is already being done.
“Food sustainability is a core aspect of Essential’s values and vision. Our partnership with Going for Gold is not only intended to support and promote the campaign, but also contribute our own actions to the bid so that we can be part of it too. We’re proud to be part of the steering group alongside a variety of key representatives, thereby adding our voice as an independent business within the food sector.”
There are five suggested Buying Better actions on the Going for Gold website that you can take as an individual, or you can also tell us about other relevant actions you’re taking:
• Ditch the packaging: Avoid unnecessary wrapping and single-use plastics
• Know your labels: Support higher animal welfare standards and sustainable fishing
• Buy local, seasonal and organic: Support local shops and delivery services that supply local, seasonal produce
• Say no to disposable cups: Buy a reusable coffee cup and remember to take it with you
• Takeaway, don’t throw away: Make the switch to reusable food containers
People all over Bristol have already logged hundreds of good food actions on the Going for Gold website; with hundreds or thousands of actions by people and organisations across the city, we can help bring huge benefits to our health, our environment and the places we live. And if you log your individual actions throughout the month of September, you have the chance to win a lovely organic hamper from Essential Trading Cooperative too!
