Category: The Green Tau

Weekly newsletter

Green Tau Shrove Tuesday Reflection

17th February 2026

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Shrive comes from the Old English to write, and thence to assign or prescribe, and from that to confess. Today would be a good day to list all the things that we feel are out of kilter in our lives and in the lives of our society, with perhaps a particular focus on those relating to our care of creation. 

In the 15th century (and earlier) Shrovetide wasn’t just a Tuesday but was the three days before Ash Wednesday. Three days, including a Sunday, would have given more opportunity for people to formally confess their sins and receive their penance – what they must do to atone for the sins they have committed. 

Once shriven – absolved from sin – the penitent was ready to embark on the forty days of Lent: forty days of fasting and observing the penance they had been given. 

Fasting is holding back for pleasures and often includes food. Not ‘not eating’ but not eating certain foods, typically meat and dairy products. In many countries the days preceding Ash Wednesday are called Carnival. The name comes from the Medieval Latin ‘carnelevamen’ meaning to put away, to not eat, meat. Not wanting perhaps to waste food, or perhaps to enjoy one last pleasure before the fast began, the days before Lent have becomes days for feasting and merriment. Hence Carnival and shrove Tuesday pancakes! For those of us who are carnivores or vegetarians, giving up meat and dairy products for forty days could be a challenge. In the 15th century it may have been less so – Lent coincided with the lean time of the year when winter supplies had largely been eaten and spring foods had yet to appear. Fasting from meat and dairy products may have been a necessity rather than a choice.  But now, as more people swop to plant based diets, the restrictions of Lent can seem less daunting. There is a growing range of plant based foods, recipes, cuisines etc that makes not eating meat no penance. 

What then is the purpose of fasting? Fasting can be a way of cultivating self discipline. It can be a way of focusing our awareness on the needs of others: some people opt to limit their food intake to the limited amount that many brothers and sisters ensure as a necessity. Some opt to eat only locally grown produce, such as the Fife diet, as a way of rooting their awareness of local food production. Some might concentrate on foods that adhere to Green Christian’s LOAF principles – local, organic, animal friendly and fairly traded.

Such fasting for Lent shows us how penance can be constructive. It helps us both to address the harm we have caused and to learn new habits to stop us from committing the same sins again. Fasting and penance need not apply just to food. Some people practice a carbon fast, cutting back on activities or use of equipment that has a high carbon footprint. Some might opt out fast from consumerism, and cut back on new purchases, cut out of retail therapy etc. some might fast from work – some of us put work and achievement as a priority in our lives and may wish to spend more time with friends, with family, with nature, with God. 

In some cultures past and present, those who were penitent wished to make a clear statement of their decision – their need – to repent and would put on clothing made for sacking, would cut their hair, or go barefoot. Such action strengthened their resolve and was a witness to others for the need for repentance.

If we want to take Lent seriously as a time for re orientating ourselves towards the resurrection and life lived in Christ, then observing Shrove Tuesday as a time to confess our sins and to accepting a penance that will be make good at least some of the harm our sins, is a good starting point. However you may find yourself in a minority with most people deferring such reflection and preparation till Ash Wednesday. Even in the church, Shrovetide has been replaced by ‘pancake day’ and become a day in which to eat pancakes in all shapes and sizes and adorned with all manner of flavourings from the sweet sour lemon and sugar, to the meaty ones of bacon and maple syrup. 

Ash Wednesday is the modern Shrovetide. 

NB this is based on earlier articles I wrote in 2022 and 2023

Green Tau

9th February 2026

Why and how Christians should react to the climate and biodiversity crisis

Last year Christian Climate Action produced vision document, Stop Crucifying Creation (1), calling on the Church to be outspoken and prophetic about the climate and biodiversity crisis; whilst Green Christian at its annual conference explored the idea that churches should become hubs of resilience in the face of the crisis – and this has been outlined in their most recent Storm of Hope (2).

Some years ago when I was looking at ordination, I read a book by Rowan Williams about the nature of priesthood. He described this as a threefold call to be a witness, a watchman and a weaver. On reflection I now understand that this is not just the calling of the priest but also of the Church. 

Witness – ie to witness to gospel message of Jesus, to his teachings, his life death and resurrection. To witness in words and actions what Jesus teaches about salvation: that we should love God and one another, that we should cherish and protect creation, that we should not abuse our privileges, that we should act justly, seek mercy and walk humbly with God

Watchman – ie looking out for what is on the horizon, what is coming down the road towards us. What are the dangers we may be facing? What are the stories that the world is telling us – both truthful and dishonest ones?  What are the solutions? How can we beat love our neighbours? How does God want us to respond? 

Weaver  – ie to be an instigator and supporter of community building, enabling resilience, and  also identifying areas of conflict or disagreement so that they can be addressed or diffused. Being skilled in holding together different points of view and the needs and desires of different sectors that impact daily life both locally and globally.

The ‘Stop Crucifying Creation’ visionary document encompasses all these three role models. 

Witness:-

Call for the Church to return to its roots: to create the communities and lifestyles that Jesus taught, where love for our neighbour and not profit determines our actions, where shying the gospel leads to repentance – rethinking and reshaping our lives, where prayer and sabbath rest shapes our days and weeks, where gratitude to God for all that we have inspires our worship, where sharing resources and helping one another is the norm. It will be to counter the prevailing consumerist society, to embrace the ethic of “Joy in Enough” (an ethic actively promoted by Green Christian), to steer away from the model of constant economic growth. 

Watchman:-

Call for the Church to openly name and resist the evils that are driving the climate and biodiversity crisis. To be able to unpick and explain the issues, such as the increasing future cost – especially to the poor and vulnerable – of not acting now. And rather to be able to show how action now can create a better future for everyone: a win-win scenario

This will be to speak truth to power, to challenge the entrenched systems that perpetuate the destruction of our environment and the oppression of the poor.

Weaver:-

This will be to create strong communities within the Church, and to enable and support the wider communities in which the Church finds itself. It will be to help create hubs of resilience which in many cases may focus round church buildings. It will be to advocate for supporting communities in other parts of the world, encouraging governments and organisations to work together for the common good.

It will be to increase understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world, to enable people to live in harmony with other living beings, to live within the limits of finite resources, safeguarding and protecting the natural world for generations to come.

(1) ‘Stop Crucifying Creation’

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yOj-jCh9H8L_vqFJ89fbpJHPQibwPgQ0/view?usp=drivesdk

(2) Storm of Hope

Click to access Storm-of-Hope-January-2026-proof-4.pdf

Green Tau: Agriculture and land use – part 1 climate mitigation 

14th January 2026

Approximately 12% (47.7 MtCO2e as of 2022) of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from farming. Of that 58% is methane from livestock,  a further 28% is nitrous oxides from fertilisers etc and 16% CO2 from motor vehicles etc. (1).  Agriculture therefore has a significant part to play in reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. To achieve this changes – a transition – in agricultural methods and in the balance between livestock and arable land farming, and between food production and enabling the land to contribute in other ways to the maintenance of a healthy environment, will be necessary. This is noted in the SRUC report submitted in support of the UK’s 7th carbon budget: “The increasing need to reduce agricultural and food related emissions underlines the importance of estimating the mitigation potential in agricultural production in the wider context of emission reductions achievable with changing dietary patterns, land use and the agricultural production mix.” (2) 

As the UK moves to a net zero economy, it is obvious that emissions from agriculture need to be reduced – the Climate Change Committee’s target is 21 MtCO2 by 2050. (Agriculture – including deliberate none cultivation of the land – offers opportunities to increase natural carbon absorption which should more than offset this remaining 21Mt of CO2). Every five years the CCC produces a carbon budget. The budget for the current period is the fourth carbon budget (2023-2027). The fifth carbon budget (2028-2032) was approved in 2016.  The sixth carbon budget (2033-2037) whilst an amended version was  initially approved by government, it was challenged in the courts as being insufficient and a revised budget submitted by the government in October 2025. The seventh carbon budget (2028-2042) was submitted by the CCC in 2025 for review and an agreed version should be ready approval by Parliament in June 2026.

The following infographic dates from 2020 and was produced by the CCC as part of their report,  Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK, which explored how policies could be implemented vis a vis agriculture to achieve the 2050 net zero target. It is gives useful overview of what changes will – are –  being required of the  agricultural sector. (3)

 (NB the updated  Land Use Framework (LUF) is still be worked on and is already at least a year late! This policy document won’t per-se specify what land should be used for what but will encourage informed decisions that hopefully produce a win-win solution where there are competing demands -eg food production and housing, nature restoration and new infrastructure. (4))

The seventh budget forecasts that emissions from agriculture should fall to  29.2 MtCO2e by 2040 to 26.4 MtCO2e by 2050 at which point this sum will be balanced by the land-based carbon sequestration which will have been increasing year on year as the impact of planting more trees, restoring peatlands etc takes effect.  

The budget envisages a reduction in numbers of livestock, releasing land for growing other uses  – eg horticulture, woodlands, and bio-energy crops (for use as a short term transition fuel) etc.  This also envisages a reduction in consumption of meat and dairy products by consumers. There is no specific mention of growing beans and pulses but this would be essential to provide a sustainable plant based alternative to meat and dairy products.

The budget also envisages an increase in woodlands (mix of broadleaf and coniferous trees) to cover 16% of the UK, as well as year on year increase in  agroforestry (this is still novel in the UK). To meet sequestration targets much of this tree planting needs to happen by 2030. The budget also relies on a 40% increase in hedgerows by 2050 as another boost for carbon sequestration and for biodiversity. 

The budget envisages rewetting and restoring both upland and lowland peatlands – 3% of the latter by 2040 and 56% by 2050. Again this adaptation needs to implemented sooner rather than later to maximise  the benefits of carbon sequestration. This  critical adaptation will include rewetting significant areas of peatlands in East Anglia currently used  for growing vegetables. Alternative areas of the country would have to be developed for vegetable growing. The budget also envisages 10% of horticulture will be taking place under glass by 2050. 

The budget recognises that farmers will need financial support as they negotiate this transition. It will be important that farmers have longer term  certainty as regards these changes and the support they will receive. 

Government policies also need to promote the switch by consumers from meat and dairy to plant based alternatives. This could promote the health benefits of eating a richer plant-based diet. 

As part of the process of producing the seventh carbon budget, the CCC convened a citizens’ panel to explore how these changes would impact households. It was generally accepted that there was a need to make changes in diet with the proviso that information should be made available showing the different impacts of alternative foods. The panel favoured a shift to healthier, home cooked foods and envisages that education could play a role in enabling plant-based meal preparation. There was  agreement that plant-based foods needed to be competitively priced compared with alternatives – especially for those on low incomes. This is something that may require government directives for the food industry – especially as many of the panelist’s were uneasy about replacing meat and dairy with highly processed options such as precision fermentation. The panel was also concerned that policies should ensure the proper remuneration of farmers. 

To read either a summary of the seventh carbon budget or the full report  see :- 

The Seventh Carbon Budget

Further reading – https://www.sustainweb.org/news/feb25-seventh-carbon-budget-climate-change-committee/

However how is this transition to be financed or effected? 

(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agri-climate-report-2024/agri-climate-report-2024

(2) https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Greenhouse-gas-abatement-in-UK-agriculture-2024-2050-Scotlands-Rural-College.pdf

(3) https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/land-use-policies-for-a-net-zero-uk/

(4) https://www.nffn.org.uk/resources/land-use-framework-for-england-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-farming

Green Tau: Food insecurity & what we can do

28th March 2023 update 2nd January 2026

1. Ensuring people have a sufficient income to buy the food they need.


1b.. Growing our own food and enabling others to do likewise.

2. Taking action to limit keep rising global temperatures below 1.5C – curbing climate change will improve the chances of better harvests.

3.  Paying  a fair price for the food we eat. You might buy direct from a farm  – eg https://www.riverford.co.uk/ – or a group of  farms, or via a local vegetable box scheme. You might support a local farmers’ market. You might buy from a local independent green grocer. Similarly you might buy milk etc from a milk round where the price reflects the cost to the farmer. For cheeses, look to buy from small scale producers via a local cheese shop. And again buying fair trade options for imported foods can help ensure a fair price for the producer. Alternatively look out for products – coffee beans and chocolate in particularly – that have been  sourced directly from the grower. These  are often available through local independent shops and cafés.

Another option would be to subscribe to the OddBox fruit and veg scheme which buys food stuffs that would otherwise go to waste because they are misshapen, because the supermarket doesn’t want the crop, or because the crop has been too large or too small for the supermarket buyer –  https://www.oddbox.co.uk/ 

4. Buying from local producers and local retailers helps to improve local supply chains. 

5. Again the best approach to improving global food security and ensuring there is enough food for everyone is to reduce – or cut out completely – animal products.

6. To support and encourage the maintenance of healthy soil, you might choose to buy organic produce (https://www.soilassociation.org/ ), or source items produced using  regenerative farming practices (https://regenerativefoodandfarming.co.uk/)

7. You might read about and take on board the ideals of the  Planetary Health Diet – a diet devised by the Eat-Lancet Commission as the most healthy diet for humans and for the planet: https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet/the-planetary-health-diet/

8. To improve the  security of our food supplies  through diversity, expand the range of foods you eat. Try different sorts and fruit and vegetables, different types of grain – emmer, einkorn, spelt, black barley  – and different sorts of nuts, spices etc. This can also improve your health – it is recommended that our diets should include 30 or more different types of fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains etc per week. See for example https://www.theguthealthdoctor.com/how-to-get-your-gut-loving-30-plant-points-a-week.

9. Improving biodiversity as a whole is a good preventative against diseases that could ravaged farm production. You might therefore choose to grow more wild/ native plants in your garden, or choose plants that support and encourage biodiversity in terms of birds, insects, butterflies, and bats etc. many web sites have suggestions about improving the biodiversity of your garden including those of the RSPB and the Natural History Museum. You might want to support charities and organisations that encourage biodiversity and even extend that to the re-wilding of land, both in the UK – eg https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/explore-rewilding/what-is-rewilding – and overseas – https://www.cleanupthetropicaltimbertrade.org/about ,   https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/importance_forests/tropical_rainforest/ ,   http://savetheorangutan.org.uk/

Green Tau Reflection

Christmas 2025

I find this a fascinating picture, so much detail! It is the work of Bruegel and is his representation of Mary and Joseph finally reaching Bethlehem so that they can be registered. You can easily recognise Joseph as he carries a large saw over his shoulder.

  The sun is setting as they arrive. The building to the left seems to be both an inn and the government tax office (note the red plaque with a crown and double headed eagle) where people are being registered. There are people busy with daily tasks – slaughtering a pig, gathering firewood, hauling goods, assembling a timber framed building, warming themselves around a fire, sharing a drink in a temporary tavern – and children playing. 

It is also a scene that shows the faults and frailties present in the world. There are men brawling, and soldiers standing-by – are they there to defend or subjugate the people? There is a man emerging from a small shelter – he’s a leper with his warning clapper in his hand. Behind his hut someone is tending – or pilfering – what ever is kept there (are they plants or rabbits?)There is also a broken down wagon, its wheel stuck in the snow. There are a group of people sheltering from the cold in another rudimentary shelter – and the severe cold is clearly something they are all having to contend with. And in the background is a ruined castle – lack of money or the result of a siege? And of course there are the tax collectors.

In Bruegel’s picture, Jesus will be born in a world of poverty and oppression, of men fighting and children playing, a place where people struggle to make life work for them. If we could envisage Bethlehem in the time when Jesus was born, what would that world have looked like? Again it would have featured poverty and oppression, a place controlled by foreign soldiers and a remote king. It would have been full of people some who were rich and some who struggled, some who were rejected and some who were revered. A place where people could be exploited to suit the aims of others.

Contrary to some of our carols and Christmas cards, Jesus was born into a world where things were flawed. God became human in a discordant world where there was evil and wrong doing. Bruegel asserts the same truth in his painting. 

And sadly the truth is not much different this year. But somehow this is where I think I find hope. God comes to us, to be alongside us, when we most need that divine love. God doesn’t wait for us to overcome our faults before seeking us out. I think we  celebrate Christmas not because we’ve solved all our problems, but because we need the reassurance that God always comes to us in love, and that of all things, love is the most powerful. 

Green Tau Issue 121

1 December 2025

Emergency resilience part-  1

How would – how will  – we cope with an emergency? The increasing scale of the climate and biodiversity – and the crisis in social injustice – means we may well be faced with any number of different and probably overlapping emergencies.

  • flooding that effects us and our homes directly or flooding that interrupts the services we rely upon – sewage disposal, clean drinking water, electricity, transport, access to shops, schools, medical centres, etc
  • Storms that damage our homes directly or which bring down trees blocking roads, cutting off power supplies and telephone cables, preventing access to shops, schools, medical centres etc. Storms are not limited to the winter months, and in summer months trees in full leave may catch more wind and be at a greater threat of falling. Hot, dry spells can put trees under stress increasing the likelihood that they may fall or loose branches. Whilst many parts of the UK now receive less rain than previously, it can more often come in a very intense rainfall where a significant amount of rain falls within a short time frame, and so trigger flooding.
  • Snow that likewise might disrupt services including electricity, transport, access to schools, shops, medical centres etc; which might actually block in our homes; and which when it may cause flooding and further disruption.
  • Cold snaps that can be particularly concerning for the old, the young and the frail, as people find it hard to keep warm. This will also be a particular concern for those with limited incomes who cannot afford to heat their homes. Like snow, frost and ice can make it more dangerous for people getting out and about – and again affecting particularly the old and frail. 
  • Heat waves are a particular concern for, again, the old, the young and the frail, whose bodies are less able to cope with high temperatures. And again people with limited incomes, living in small homes which may not have the capacity for through air currents or which may have large glass windows filling the majority of an outside wall, may particularly struggle to keep their homes cool. Such households are also less likely to have access to a garden and less likely to live in areas where tree-lined streets maintain lower temperatures.
  • Pandemic outbreaks are also more likely threats as global temperatures rise. Having experienced Covid we know how such an outbreak can create nationwide difficulties.

How will we know if an emergency is on the horizon? How much warning will we get? 

Keeping a check on the news and weather forecasts is a practical starting point.

You can sign up for weather alerts from the Met Office and from the UK Health Security Agency which can flag up weather conditions (such as heat waves) that may be a particular health risk. And everyone with a mobile 

phone will receive alerts from the Government in the case of  major emergencies. For more information visit the government webpage https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/get-prepared-for-emergencies/alerts/

Emergency planning – local authorities will have emergency plans in place. Use a web search to find out what your local authority has in place. 

You will find that they in turn suggest that each household also prepares an emergency plans – what are the specific risks and difficulties that you might face? What is the best escape route from your home? Do you know where to turn off the water/ electricty/ gas supplies in your home? Who should you phone in an emergency?

If you get separated from other household members, where will you meet up? Are there two different places where you know you could be offered temporary accommodation? (And can you offer the same in reverse?) Do you have a first aid kit, emergency supplies, a Grab and Go bag? Are there neighbours you should look out for? Is there a community hub that would be a place to seek refuge?

Emergency planning will likely need to cover three different scenarios.

  1. Having to stay put in the home with no access to outside support. This might be the scenario if there were a heavy fall of snow or a period of very cold/ very hot weather, or the outbreak of a pandemic.
  2. Having to evacuate one’s home with little or no notice. This might be the scenario if there were a flash flood, a wild fire or a chemical leak.
  3. Not being able to get back home ( eg for those at work, at school, visiting friends etc) because transport has been disrupted by weather events or power outages etc.

The first scenario of staying put has given rise to the advice – given both here in the UK (low key) and across Europe (more loudly) – that households should maintain a stock of supplies that would meet their needs for 72 hours – three days.

The second scenario of having to leave in a rush, has given rise to the advice of preparing a Grab and Go bag.

The third scenario of not being able to get home is less often considered, but would probably give rise to something similar to the preparation of a Grab and Go bag – but who would want to carry that around? For those who regularly use a car, keeping a Grab and Go bag there would be a more convenient option. Maybe this option should be the Have to Hand kit?

72 Hour supplies – what might this include?

Food – this needs to be food with a long shelf life – dried and tinned as opposed to frozen (freezers don’t work during power cuts. If there were a power cut, it would also be sensible to ensure that much of the food is such that can be eaten with little or no cooking. Most tinned food can be eaten cold although some options may be more palatable than others. Oats can be eaten raw or after soaking. Dried fruit would be excellent as would biscuits, crackers and oat cakes, plus jam, yeast extract, nut butters etc. if you have a camping stove you would be able to make hot drinks and cook simple foods such as pasta, millet and quinoa. UHT milk and fruit juice, and tetrapacs of tofu and cream would be another addition. Pickles and saurkraut have a long shelf life, and you could also store bottled fruits and vegetables – maybe jars of olives? Dried food is another option – provided you have enough water. And a couple of bars of chocolate may be very welcome in an emergency!

To buy everything you need in one go might be too expensive but you could build up your stores over time. When you finish something you regularly use, replace it with two then you will have one to use and spare in hand. To ensure everything is in date, do use and replace what you have in your store cupboard on a regular basis. 

Hopefully even if you have to rely on your 72 hour supplies, there won’t be a power cut, and it would be sensible then to keep in your stores things you regularly use and enjoy. You might make sure you always have enough onions, root vegetables, apples and bananas to hand, packets of tea and coffee etc. If you do a big shop every week try and make sure that even on the day before you do that shop, you still have enough food to last 72 hours. Think of this as keeping a well maintained pantry! 

If you have pets, include in your stores enough food for them too.

Water – a minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation. You may also want to store extra water for washing etc – say 10 litres per person. You may have a cold water tank in your house that feeds the bathroom and toilets – if you don’t use the shower/ bath and only use waste water (eg washing up water) you may well have enough water there for hand and dish washing to last three days. But for drinking water you might store bottled water (make sure you keep checking it is  in date, or might refill clean demijohns with sufficient water for three days, and rotate and refill these on a daily basis. 

Another item you might add to your supplies would water sterilising tablets in case there is a risk that your tap water is temporarily tainted.

Medication – make you sure you always have at least three more day’s worth of any medication you take regularly. At the same time make sure you keep an upto date first aid kit, plus supplies of whatever painkillers, antihistamines, indigestion tablets, sore throat medications etc that you would normally use. As well as keeping an upto date first aid kit, add in a first aid manual and if you can, undertake some first aid training.

Torches and radio – in the event of a power cut, having fully charged torches and a radio will be useful and either spare batteries or opt for a windup torch/ radio. A fully charged power bank for recharging mobile phones would  also be useful. You might consider a solar powered power bank.

 Clothes etc –  you might want to stock up on extra layers so that in case of a power cut and/ or cold snap, you can keep warm – fleeces, woollen hats, extra thick socks, blankets and sleeping bags,  thermal underwear etc. Equally you may already have enough in your cupboards. Assuming you not coping with a power cut, but cold weather, hot water bottles are good for warming beds and making people feel cosy.

Wellington boots would be good and maybe a snow shovel.

In the summer, wet towels to hang over the windows can help cool your home – as can closing both curtains and windows in the morning before it gets hot and opening them in the evening to allow in cool air. Maybe some traditional paper fans would also be useful.

Hygiene – make sure you have a sufficiency of toilet paper, hygiene products, toothpaste etc to last three days – which perhaps really means don’t leave replenishing your normal stocks until the last minute. A bucket would be useful for collecting waste water from any washing of hands or plates, or for rainwater which can be used to flush toilets if the is an outage/ shortage of water. Another addition for your stores, would be hand wipes and sanitiser – again do check their dates and use and replace them as necessary. 

Entertainment – maintaining mental as well as physical health is important. Being stressed is wearing and doesn’t always help us to make good decisions. If we are housebound for three days we may also get bored. Books, playing cards, jigsaws are all self sufficient when it comes to electricity. Telling stories, playing words games, charades etc are also good options. And maybe pencils and paper for more games, doodles etc.

Grab and Go bag – what might that contain? The following suggestions come from West Berkshire Council.(1) 

Ideally they should fit into an easy to carry rucksack.

  • essential/prescribed medication, plus asthma and respiratory aids
  • hearing aids
  • glasses/contact lenses
  • useful phone numbers – have these as a paper copy in case your phone runs out of battery 
  • mobile phone and charger
  • house and car keys
  • money and credit cards
  • first aid kit
  • basic toiletries (for example: toothbrush and toothpaste, sanitary towels)

Other essential items (this will vary according to your needs and the weather):

  • supplies for babies and small children
  • food, milk formula, drinks you use, food bowls, sterile bottles, sterilising tablets
  • change of clothing
  • nappies and wipes
  • toys, books and activities
  • food and water (canned or dried food, snacks, bottled drinking water)
  • special food needs
  • clothing and equipment
  • warm, wind and rainproof clothing
  • strong shoes for outdoors
  • waterproof torch and spare batteries (check regularly)
  • radio and spare batteries (check regularly) (perhaps you could consider getting wind-up torches and radios)

Other items to consider:

  • copies of insurance documents
  • anti-bacterial hand wipes/gel
  • blankets and sleeping bags
  • sun hats and sunscreen
  • rubbish bags
  • thermos flask

The  Red Cross also suggests a whistle and pencil and paper. 

Another useful item might be a high viz vest. 

Some of these items I would keep permanently in handy bag – and check and replace items on a regular basis – but I’m not sure I would be able to justify keeping a separate set of waterproofs, clothes, phone charger etc there too. Maybe I could use the Grab and Go bag to store my phone charger when I’m not using it. Maybe I could keep the bag next to where I keep my waterproofs. Maybe I could keep spare blankets, sleeping bags etc in with my 72 hour supply pantry so that everything is one place ready to grab. 

Have to Hand kit – this sounds like it would be a subset of the Grab and Go bag, and might therefore contain some of the following.

  • essential/prescribed medication, plus asthma and respiratory aids
  • hearing aids, glasses/contact lenses – I always wear my varifocals. What I will do is put my spare glasses in the Grab and Go bag.
  • useful phone numbers – I will put these into my diary which I always take when going 
  • mobile phone and charger – these I do routinely carry when going out
  • house and car keys – ditto but for car keys substitute bike keys
  • money and credit cards – ditto
  • first aid kit – this I think would be more than I want to carry daily. When I am out and about in London I feel I can rely on there being first aid kits in shops, offices, stations etc.
  • basic toiletries (for example: toothbrush and toothpaste, sanitary towels) – 
  • Waterproofs if rain is forecast, and/or sunhat and sunscreen in summer
  • strong shoes for outdoors
  • waterproof torch and spare batteries (check regularly)
  • radio and spare batteries (check regularly) (perhaps you could consider getting wind-up torches and radios)
  • Snack and refillable bottle of water – plus the reuse cup I carry for coffee.
  • Pen 

( 1) https://www.westberks.gov.uk/article/40632/Creating-an-Emergency-grab-bag

Green Tau: issue 120

21st  November 2025

Why poor diets are a systems issue not just a food issue. 

Part 1

Recently The Eat-Lancet Commission updated its Planetary Health Diet. This is a scientifically developed diet that can be followed anywhere in the globe using local, traditional ingredients. As the name ambiguously suggests, it is a diet that both promotes our physical health and planetary health. It is a diet rich in plant based foods with small amounts of fish, meat and dairy items. 

The 2025  overview begins with the arresting sentence: “The food we eat is more than a personal choice.” Can what we choose to eat make that much of a difference to the lives of other people?

The report continues: “It is a public issue with global consequences. What we eat affects agricultural land use, greenhouse gas emissions, water availability and quality, labor systems, and public health. Today’s food systems are, in many ways, failing. Millions face hunger, while others suffer from completely preventable chronic diseases. Food production contributes to environmental degradation and deepens inequality, when it could be the primary source of environmental regeneration, and justice. The EAT-LancetCommission’s approach to food addresses these challenges by linking health, sustainability, and justice. It promotes a shift in both consumption and production patterns, making healthy and sustainable food more accessible and reducing pressure on planetary boundaries. Transforming food will require cooperation across sectors, cultures, and regions. But the science is clear: changing what we eat is essential to building a future in which both people and planet can thrive.” (1)

What we choose to eat can shape how much land has to be used to produce our food and if that is less than at present, then more land can be used to restore biodiversity and the natural resilience of the world’s ecosystems.

What we choose to eat can reduce greenhouse emissions and so contribute to ensure a more amenable (or perhaps just less disastrous) environment for everyone. 

What we choose to eat can reduce the amount of water needed for agriculture and so can make water available for more essential needs such as drinking and sanitation.

What we choose to eat can have an impact on the welfare given to livestock, the welfare given to the soil, the welfare given to agricultural workers and food producers. (For example a cheap cup of coffee may come at the expense of deforestation where the beans are grown, at the expense of an inadequate price paid to the person growing and processing the beans, at the expense of a poorly paid barista, and at the expense of society if the coffee chain doesn’t pay its taxes. (2))

So yes, the EAT-Lancet Commission is clear that diet is not just about the food we eat but also about the systems that being the food from the farm to the plate. And not only that, these systems also impact our health not just through the food produced but through the impact that food production has on our environment – and thus on our health – and that it has an impact on incomes earned by those in the food industry which again (as we will see in more detail below, impacts health. 

Part 2

In many way the Planetary Health Diet as a guide, is not hugely dissimilar from the UK government’s Eat Well diet guide (3) – although the later increases the proportions of plant based foods at the expense  of cereals/ starch and animal based foods. This Eat Well guide dates back to 2016 which itself  is not very dissimilar to the 2014 guide known as the Eat Well Plate.

The UK government produces a regular National Diet and Nutrition Survey. This  is “designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general UK population … is used by UK governments to monitor progress towards achieving diet and nutrition objectives and to develop food and nutrition policies”.  (4) 

Has the Eat Well guide improved healthy eating in the UK? Sadly not. 

According to analysis of the data by Field Doctor, the most recent  survey shows :- 

  • only 17% of adults eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetable a day
  • We eat 100% more  sugar, and 25% more saturated fat than is recommended 
  • 96% of adults eat an insufficient amount of fibre 
  • 18% have sub optimal levels of vitamin D (5)

Whilst the Roadmap for Resilience: A UK Food Plan for 2050 (produced by The Agri-Food for Net Zero Network), notes that under 1% of people in the UK fully meet dietary guidelines  and comments: “Poor diets cost the UK dearly – through pressures on the NHS, lost productivity and poor quality of life. Shifting towards healthy diets is a win-win that cuts emissions, saves public money, and helps improve the quality of life and work for productivity.” (6)

And The Broken Plate Report 2025 (produced by the Food Foundation) highlighted the following findings from its research:-:

  • Over a third of supermarket promotions on food and nonalcoholic drinks are for unhealthy food. 
  • Over a third of food and soft drink advertising spend is on confectionery, snacks, deserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% on fruit and veg. 
  • Three quarters of the baby and toddler snacks that have front-of-pack promotional claims contain high or medium levels of sugar.

And 

  • On average, healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy foods, with healthier food increasing in price at twice the rate in the past two years.
  • To afford the government-recommended diet, the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45% of their disposable income on food, rising to 70% for those households with children. 

And

  • children in the most deprived fifth of the population are nearly twice as likely to be living with obesity as those in the least deprived fifth by their first year of school
  • Ditto twice as likely to have tooth decay in their permanent teeth. (7)

Clearly both poverty and the high cost of healthy foods,  plays a big part in the unhealthy diets of many people in the UK. Other factors are also relevant, some linked to poverty and inequality such as 

  • lack of access to cooking facilities (especially true of people living in hostels, bed and breakfast or other shared accommodation). Research carried out in 2020 revealed that 1.9 million people in the UK didn’t have a cooker and 900,000 didn’t have a fridge. (8) 
  • Lack of access to local shops selling fresh produce – so called food deserts – affecting 1.2 million people. (9) 
  • Lack of time to prepare and cook meals especially for households juggling multiple jobs and/or long hours (apparently this hasn’t been widely researched (10) but in one recent survey of 2000 adults, 21% sited lack of time as a reason for not eating healthily (11)).

And other factors that have an impact across the board

  • Power of advertising in promoting ready meals and ultra processed foods. This report from Obesity Action Scotland is very clear as to the advertising has on diets. (12) 
  • Lack of experience of cooking from scratch  – again this is area which has received little research so the conclusion is conjecture.

What I think these various surveys show is, that whilst lack of financial resources a major factor in poor diets, unjust social systems may be a more embracing reason. It is unjust social systems that means that households do not have adequate cooking facilities, do not have access to fresh food shops, so not receive adequate incomes and especially so for those households with children. At the same time big businesses have a disproportionate amount of power in influencing what is advertised and to whom, and in controlling (or at least influencing) where and how food is sold, and a major role in continuing to underpay their workforce.

Systems change is essential nationally and globally if we are to ensure everyone has a healthy diet (ideally the Planetary Health Diet) and a healthy environment in which to live.

Postscript

The Food Foundation produced a manifesto report to educate new MPs as to what changes were possible to improve healthy diets for all. https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/Election%2024_Manifesto.pdf

  1. https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet/the-planetary-health-diet/
  2. https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/starbucks-corporation

(3) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bbb790de5274a22415d7fee/Eatwell_guide_colour_edition.pdf

(4) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023-report

(5) https://www.fielddoctor.co.uk/health-hub/uk-eating-habits-2025

(6) Page 17 https://www.agrifood4netzero.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AFN-ROADMAP-SUMMARY.pdf

(7) https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/TFF_BP_At a Glance_FINAL.pdf

(8) https://www.turn2us.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/press-releases-and-comments/millions-across-the-uk-are-living-without-household-essentials

(9) https://sheffield.ac.uk/social-sciences/news/12-million-living-uk-food-deserts-studys-shows

(10) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666306003813

(11) https://www.psychreg.org/busy-lifestyles-hinder-healthy-eating-many-britons/

(12) https://www.obesityactionscotland.org/media/as3leiwg/food-and-drink-advertising-briefing-2023.pdf

Green Tau: Issue 119

26th October 2025

How Will We Make Polluters Pay?

A few days before Christmas 2021 – and very late on in the the typhoon season – super typhoon Odette slammed into the Philippines. This was category 5 tropical cyclone with combined high winds in excess of 175 mph, extreme rainfall and a storm surge.  Devastating the lives of 8 million people across 514 towns and cities, it brought down power cables and trees, broke up roads and fishing boats, disrupted communications and water supplies, destroyed or damages 1.4 million homes and 2000 schools, destroyed crops and livelihoods,  and killed over 400 hundred people. 

Research has shown that the extreme rainfall recorded was twice as likely due to anthropogenic climate change, and the extreme winds 70% more likely for the same reason. (1) At the time, it was the second most costliest typhoon. To hit the Philippines causing damage of nearly $1 billion. 

67 survivors of Typhoon Odette from several Philippine communities whose family members were killed or whose homes were destroyed are now preparing to sue Shell. The first stage of this has been the issuing of a Letter Before Action (LBA) which has been sent to Shell notifying them that the claimants, having suffered severe losses including damage to,property, personal,injury, bereavement, loss of earnings and loss of cultural rights. The claim all edges that Shell has contributed materially and knowingly  to anthropogenic climate change, and therefore contributed in no small way to the damage suffered by the claimants.

The claim is being brought in the UK as that is where Shell is domiciled but will apply the law of the Philippines as that is where the damaged occurred The claimants are being represented by the London law firm Hausfeld LLP.  If no agreement is reached between Shell and the Philippine claimants, then a law suit will be filed, probably in December. “The case seeks to hold Shell accountable to our Filipino clients. By proving in court that Shell was at fault for this climate change-driven extreme weather event and the suffering it caused, the case highlights the far-reaching and direct impacts on vulnerable communities worldwide of oil and gas company activities,” said Greg Lascelles, partner at the law firm Hausfeld and leader of the legal team. (2)

The Philippines Commission on Human Rights spent 7 years investigating the impact of anthropogenic climate change on the people of the Philippines  in response to an initial petition made by survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Published in 2022 their report concluded “that the world’s most polluting companies are morally and legally liable for the impacts of the climate crisis because they have engaged in wilful obfuscation of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy.” (3) 

Only last month did ten thousand people take part in a  march through central London for the Make Them Pay rally, calling for action to make polluters pay. Both Christian Climate Action and Green Christian were there as part of the faith block. The case being brought by the survivors of Typhoon Odette is one of a now growing number of legal actions being taken against fossil fuel giants, as campaigners press for climate justice. This case is being supported by various groups including Uplift, Greenpeace, Fossil Free London and Christian Climate Action. Last Thursday Fossil Free London lined up blue boiler-suited activists in front of Shell’s headquarters and, with flags and banners and songs, launched their support for the Typhoon Odette claimants. Whilst the claimants would have liked to address us directly, their request for visas had been turned down, so instead we listened to a recorded message.

If you wish to support this case, you can find out more here, including a petition:- 

https://www.odettecase.org/take-action

(1) https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2025/egusphere-2025-665/

(2) https://www.hausfeld.com/en-gb/news/shell-hit-with-legal-action-over-climate-damages-by-typhoon-odette-survivors

(3) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/06/filipino-inquiry-finds-big-polluters-morally-and-legally-liable-for-climate-damage?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Green Tau: issue 118

24th October 2025

 Shaping a better world with Wild Card

This morning Wild Card handed both a petition with 122,000 signatures and an open letter  signed by nearly 50 high profile individuals and organisations, including, Green Party leader Zack Polanski, former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, former chair of the IPBES and IPCC Sir Robert T Watson, Green Christian and Christian Climate Action, to  Sarah Mullally the soon to be arch bishop of Canterbury . The petition took the form of a beautiful crafted paper model of the Ark, covered all the names, and  which was carried aloft (by dignitaries that included Chris Packham and Helen Burnett who both made eloquent addresses) accompanied by an eagle, a beaver and a salmon, a whole host of flags and banners and well wishers wearing an assortment of decorative hats and tokens of the natural world. 

The petition and the letter asked the Church Commissioners undertake to rewild 30% of the land that they currently steward on behalf of the Church corporate. (1) This land totals 108,000 acres of land (the equivalent of 60,000 football pitches) and that is separate from land owned by individual parishes and dioceses (which interestingly is an almost equivalent amount).

The United Kingdom is one of the most nature depleted nations in the world. Recognising the extent of this and its adverse impact on our wellbeing, the UK government has joined with others in 2022 in signing up to the  international Global Biodiversity Framework (2), undertaking to restore and protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. Currently only 2.83% (3) of land in England meets the desired nature-rich standard so there is clearly a lot of ground yet to be covered in the next four years! The area of land under the control of the Church Commissioners makes the Church part of the 1% that owns 50% of the land in the UK.

Wild Card is raising awareness about the necessity of rewilding – the natural environment is our life-supply system providing us with fertile soils, pollinators, fresh air, clean water, carbon capture and flood protection, as well as enabling food production and medicines, mental wellbeing and recreation – and calling on major landowners to step up to the mark and and rewild – restore and protect for nature – 30% of their land. 

Surely the Church as a Christian organisation, with the God-given commands to cherish and protect the Earth and to love our neighbours, should be at the forefront of this campaign and leading by example?

Sadly no one at St Paul’s Cathedral would receive the Ark nor allow its entry into that place of worship. Instead a phalanx of security personal ensured that no one trespassed onto the steps of that august building. 

(1) https://wildcard.land/campaigns/rewild-the-church

 (2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criteria-for-30by30-on-land-in-england/30by30-on-land-in-england-confirmed-criteria-and-next-steps

(3) https://www.wcl.org.uk/30by30-press-release-2025.asp

PS You can still add your name to the petition – https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/help-save-nature-by-rewilding-the-church-s-massive-landholdings

PPS you can read Helen’s beautiful address here – 

In the story of  Noah  and  his Ark  you may notice all sorts of things  but the  bit  that always bugs  me is that Noah’s  wife doesn’t get a name…………… 

So, let’s start  this  morning by  celebrating loud and  clear  what a delight  it  is  to be addressing Sarah Mullaly first  ever  woman to hold the  post of the Archbishop  of Canterbury

At the  helm as the Archbishop of Canterbury , she will become our  very own  21st century   Noah and  inherits a precious ship  that  must  not  sink.

We pray  that she will not be overwhelmed  by  the  floods  that threaten  us,  but that instead,  she will read the signs  of the  times and have the courage to save the  biodiversity  of this land –  that she will do all  she  can to advocate for wilding church land and to  act as a bulwark  against the biodiversity and nature  crisis of our times

Bishop Sarah’s first words to  a waiting world were so  encouraging  – 

‘ In the apparent chaos which surrounds us, in the midst of such profound global uncertainty, the possibility of healing lies in acts of kindness and love.’

Our hope this  morning is that  it will be kindness and  love  for  our  ‘other  than human’ kin that will  move Bishop Sarah to  do all  that  she can to steer and shepherd us through these times, 

to lead the church  with  the urgency of  Noah  building the ark,  

and to  act now to  use  church land for  healing, regeneration and restoration.

How amazing would  it  be  if the Church of England, through  pressure  on the Church Commissioners, could  be  the dove that bears the  olive  branch of  hope, setting a  tide change for  other  major  land holders to  wild their land.

Bishop Sarah also said …….. 

‘In parishes across this nation, I see faithful clergy and congregations worshipping God and loving their neighbours.’ 

In  my  tiny little  parish,  we  have a church yard where we are trying, through  careful land  management    to bring  back species of  flora and  fauna  lost to  the  Surrey  Hills. 

We have created a wildlife corridor the  length  of the  boundary  wall between us and the  neighbouring  agricultural  land. 

In our  small  way  we are seeking to  restore,  and so, I call upon on our  new Archbishop to join us  on  our  journey  of  messy  churchyards and  No Mow Mays to let  nature do it’s  healing even when it doesn’t  look tidy??? Even  when it  doesn’t fit the financial portfolio to do so.

Imagine  200/108,000 acres of wonderful  untidiness and what  that  could  do – could   church, like the ark be a beacon of hope to  a  world  in crisis ?

Today  we  implore Bishop Sarah to include  in her  new  vocation,  the vanishing wildlife  of  our  precious land, 

And I say  this directly to her, “as the first  female Archbishop of Canterbury unlike Noah’s wife you will have a powerful voice with  which to  advocate for all species and  you  do not  even need to build an Ark !”

In this  role you have the  power to guide and shepherd the Church Commissioners and the broader Church to recognise that ecological collapse and climate crisis are intertwined issues that need to be addressed with the urgency of Noah.

In the words  of the recent  vision  statement  from Christian Climate Action we   appeal  for the Church of England,  to  find  its  courage, cease doing  harm  and  return  to its roots, to  Stop Crucifying Creation and  to be a place  of resurrection.

The church  commissioners  could  cease doing  harm by  simply  dedicating  one third  of their  land to  biodiversity  restoration , yes, this would take courage but  it would represent a  return  to  the roots  of a radical  living  out  of the faith that honours  all things and  sees  all creation  as sacred. Today,  as a lover  of  God’s creation  and  member of her clergy I want to  thank Bishop Sarah  for her words in Canterbury cathedral:

‘Hope’, she said, ‘is made of the infinite love of God, who breathed life into creation and said it was good’

That  goodness  now  lies  precariously close to collapse , can she  give  us back  that  hope and  be the Noah we  need to steer  our  ark through the  biodiversity crisis  towards that moment when we can, once again, see in the distance the dove  bearing  an olive  branch?

Helen Burnett

Green Tau: issue 117

16th October 2025

What are the problems with plastic? 

Is plastic simply a litter problem?

“Plastic is a useful everyday item but has grown to become a global problem. Every year the world produces over 460 million tonnes of plastic, 90% of  which pollutes almost all areas of our planet, it can be found at the bottom of the ocean, and on our tallest mountains. This pollution can cause harm to habitats and wildlife, impact livelihoods of people around the globe, and carries growing risks to human health. At the current rate, global plastic pollution could triple by 2040 unless we act now” – a quote from WWF. (1)

Could the answer be ‘more recycling’? 

Yet last week an article in the Guardian reported that “in the past two years 21 plastic recycling and processing factories across the UK have shut down due to the scale of exports, the cheap price of virgin plastic and an influx of cheap plastic from Asia, according to data gathered by industry insiders.” (2) The UK now exports 600,000 tonnes of used plastic – making it the third largest in the world. Rather than being recycled within the UK, this plastic ends up in countries with neither the infrastructure nor the legal safety constraints to ensure that it is recycled without injuring either the environment or the local populace. The plastic is typically  either burnt or allowed to build up in huge waste heaps where it invariably finds its way into rivers and oceans. Much of the UK’s plastic waste is exported to Turkey where, the Guardian reported two people are crushed, ripped, or burned to death in this work every month. 

A combination of legislation to end the export plastics waste and taxes to discourage the use of virgin instead of recycled plastic is clearly needed. Rather than letting them close, recycling facilities should be seems as essential parts of the UK’s infrastructure: “If we were to stop exporting plastic waste, and we were to meet our increased recycling target of a 65% recycling rate for municipal waste by 2035, we would need to build 40 new factories across the UK – 20 of them would be sorting facilities and 20 would be processing facilities turning the material back into products,” said an industry source.

Or could the answer be ‘make less plastic’?

Earlier this year, an international gathering sought to agree a global plastics treaty. Work on this treaty began back in 2022 when growing scientific evidence highlighted the risks posed to humans (and other living organisms) by the toxic chemicals that can leach out of plastic as it breaks down. The ambition was not merely to ensure higher levels of recycling, but to to curb in absolute terms the amount of plastic produced globally each year. Plastic production had risen from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 475 tonnes in 2022. However the treaty was successfully opposed by the large oil-producing nations and members of trade associations representing plastic producers. (3) 

What if plastic pollution is a health problem too?

This week there was another newspaper article this time reporting on the spread of plastic into our bodies. “Microplastics have been found almost everywhere: in blood, placentas, lungs – even the human brain. One study estimated our cerebral organs alone may contain 5g of the stuff, or roughly a teaspoon.” (4)  

What are micro plastics and where do they come from?

Microplastics are fragments of plastic that is between 1 nanometer and 5 millimetres wide. They come from two main sources:-

  • plastics specifically manufactured as microbeads which are added to face ashes, shower bells and other personal care products – they make the liquid both smooth and  sufficiently thick that it does run off like water. Think of the difference say between an antiseptic hand spray and an antiseptic hand-gel. These are known as primary microplastics.
  • Plastic particles that derive from the disintegration of larger plastic items – eg plastic film and wrapping, takeaway containers, synthetic clothes , care tyres, paints and plastic turf etc.. These plastic particles may be shed as drinking from plastic bottles and take away cups (more plastic is shed when heat is present such as with hot drinks or microwaved food), from wearing and washing clothes, from friction between roads and tyres etc.  These are known as secondary microplastics. (5)

Both types of microplastic can pass into water systems, can be present in the air we breathe, and can pass into the food chain and so into the food we eat. Microplastics are to be found all over the world – from the hops of mountains to the depths of the oceans and everywhere in between. 

Nanoplastics are even smaller – less than 1,000 nanometers in diameter, or 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They are small enough to slip through the walls of the cells in our bodies and can be found in our blood, lungs, brains, bones, the placenta and breast milk. (6) 

Do these pieces of plastic harmful?

We don’t yet know whether having such buts of plastic in our bodies is good for us (unlikely), neutral or harmful. Nor do we know whether there is a limit below which they are not harmful but above which they might be. It is possible that they may aggravate complaints such as asthma, dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancers etc. (7) The issue is further complicated as plastics contain toxins such as bisphenols (BPA), alkyphenols, and phthalates and dioxins etc, which are also thus passing into our bodies. 

It is not just human bodies that maybe adversely affected. Micro and nanoplastics are already known to be adversely impacting the health wild life – eg damaging the gut biomes of seabirds, increasing the number of pathogens present and reducing antibiotic resistance.  (8) 

Should we panic? 

No. We don’t yet know enough to know how dangerous, or not, micro and nanoplastics are. We don’t know whether or not our bodies have a way of eliminating such particles from our bodies. And realistically there is no way we can avoid ingesting these particles given their presence in very part of the environment. 

In many instances using plastics can be lifesaving with benefits outweighing the – as yet unclear – disadvantages. For example the use of plastic syringes to give vaccines, plastic pipes to provide clean drinking water, plastic bags for collecting blood donations, waterproofing coats that keep us warm and dry.

But we could cut back on our use of plastic

 We can reduce our exposure to plastic particles by reducing the amount of unnecessary plastic we have around us and by adjusting how we use those plastics. For example we might use a reusable water bottle and a reusable cup when out and about (and often cafes give discounts when you bring your own take away cup). You might use glass or metal dishes for storing food and wax wraps or foil instead of cling film. You might use wooden spoons and chopping boards rather than plastic one; metal colanders and metal washing up bowls etc. Equally you might avoid body care products with microbeads and use solid or liquid alternatives. You could try a milk delivery service and get milk in glass bottles rather than plastic cartons. And following that line of thought, you may have a local refill store that allows you to buy various food ingredients and household items without the need for lots of plastic packaging. 

There are plenty of guides on line about switching to a plastic free life. eg https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living-without-plastic and some of my earlier blogs have explored this topic – https://greentau.org/tag/plastic-free/ and https://greentau.org/2022/01/27/eco-tips-zero-waste/

However we should remember that not everyone can afford the plastic alternatives – a metal drinks bottle can  cost more that a plastic one. A sliced loaf in a plastic bag will be cheaper than it paper wrapped alternative. 

What about changing the system?

If we are going to be fair for everyone and everything – wildlife, ecosystems, future generations, then the whole system needs to be changed. 

Nations need to agree on a workable plastics treaty that will cut the amount of plastic produced. The plastics industry needs to develop alternative safe and sustainable substitutes. Governments need to implement a combination of legislation, taxation and investment to ensure that the changes needed do actually happen.

We can advocate for change by supporting groups like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and we can raise awareness about the issue by talking with others – particularly if they are intrigued about the efforts we are making to reduce our use of plastic! 

  1. https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/environment/plastic-pollution
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/09/britain-2bn-recycling-industry-export-plastic-waste
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgpddpldleo
  4.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/12/plastic-inside-us-microplastics-reshaping-bodies-minds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
  5.  https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/everything-you-should-know-about-microplastics
  6.  https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/12/nanoplastics-are-everywhere-what-is-the-health-impact-of-these-tiny-particles/
  7.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250723-how-do-the-microplastics-in-our-bodies-affect-our-health
  8.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02013-z