What you can do
As an individual, it’s easy to forget the power of your choices!
You have the power to change food systems because how you choose to spend your money influences what becomes more mainstream. If you choose today to support a smallholder farmer, that farmer will be empowered to continue with responsible practices, employ more people, improve the soil, and fight climate change. It all has a snowball effect.
With inspiration from Tom Hunt, a UK-based chef who wrote the brilliant “Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet”, here’s our helpful decision-making matrix for when you want to be supported in your choices.
Your Sustainability Cheat Sheet
Meat
When you choose meat, choose regenerative, organic or grass-fed. If it seems expensive, then think about the reality of excellent quality, nutrient-dense meat, that is so much better for your own health. We would advise that you eat a little less meat, but eat the best quality you can afford.
Fuel
We are using some electric vehicles, and we’ve fitted LPG tanks to some others. We realise that’s not necessarily something you can do however, do think about car sharing when possible, and being conservative with fuel use.
Lights
It’s simple: switch ’em off when they aren’t needed!
Fashion
Fashion contributes hugely to carbon emissions, and your choices matter. Luckily here we have amazing mitumba options, which are in themselves an amazing way of having a positive impact. You’re getting second hand clothing which still has more life in it, and supporting small businesses at the same time. If buying new, think about where the clothing is being made (you may inadvertently be supporting modern slavery so do the research). Buy less often but the best quality you can as it will last longer. Think about having clothes remade or fixed by the talented tailers we have in Kenya.
Gifting
Rather than give something that will simply collect dust, how about the gift of an experience together? A picnic on the Ngong Hills or a swim can be a lovely way to spend time. Ditch the plastic and instead give things like seedballs and yummy edibles to kids. Get creative with home made newspaper wrapping, or use one of your kids pictures to make a card. Or how about drawing a card yourself? There’s a creative in you!
