Five simple steps that can make a difference to our health and the planet
1) Eat more plants – enjoy fruit and veg
2) Waste less food – 40% of food planted worldwide is wasted
3) Eat less meat – Meat, be it red or white, can be a tasty complement rather than just a centre piece of a good meal
4) Eat less processed food – as they tend to be more resource intensive to produce and often contain high levels of sugar, fat and salt
5) Eat certified food – buy food that meets a credible certified standard – like MSC for fish or RSPO for palm oil or RSPCA Freedom Foods for meat and eggs.
Will the Panda make you do it?
The Panda Made Me Do It is about collecting, sharing and celebrating things that people are doing for our planet. Pledge to follow these 5 steps on The Panda Made Me Do It website and earn the right to wear your environmental badge of honour – a coveted ‘The Panda Made Me Do It’ t-shirt!
Why does food matter?
The food we eat – growing, producing and importing it – has a massive impact not just on our health but also on the health of our planet, from the Cerrado savannah in Brazil to the forests of Borneo. And food is responsible for 30% of the UK’s CO2 emissions.
But here’s the good news: what’s healthy for people is – more or less – healthy for the planet too. If we adapt what we eat slightly, we can make a positive difference for ourselves and for nature.
When it comes to food we’re all a bit weary of being told what to do. And the conflicting reports we hear make it all sound a bit complicated – organic? Fair trade? Saturated fat? Additives? Food miles? Cholesterol? It’s enough to make us all switch off.
We’ve developed an approach that we hope will make things a good deal simpler, WWF’s Livewell plan. By following the five simple Livewell principles you can help the environment simply by eating more fruit, vegetables and cereals – and less meat and highly processed food. And, of course, that’s better for you too.
If you want to reduce your impact on the environment and improve your health, changing the way you eat is relatively easy and something you can do every day.
Want to plan an Earth Hour candlelit dinner party? It’s simple….
Decide on your menu – you can try out one of the delicious Earth Hour recipes created by some of the country’s best chefs. Or why not have a go at creating your own tasty dishes based on WWF’s Livewell principles for healthy people and planet.
And finally don’t forget to share your recipes and photos with us and join our growing community on Facebook! As we get closer to Earth Hour we’ll be posting more ideas and recipes and updating you on which celebrity chefs are taking part.
