Learning about agriculture and addressing the Big Litter problem
There are many existential threats to deal with, from food security to the ubiquity of litter.
Good day readers. This week has not been without its challenges, but it’s also had its high points. On Thursday night, I had a beer with an old friend, and it felt amazing to catch up and to reminisce about our past adventures.
In this week’s edition of the Woz Report;
Planning
Agriculture
A ubiquitous problem
I love it when a plan comes together
In the words of Hannibal Smith, leader of the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together”. Things don’t always go to plan, and the saying ‘A plan never survives first contact,’ is true in so many ways. Yesterday, marked the launch of season two of Amazon’s Clarkson’s Farm. Love him, or loathe him, Jeremy Clarkson has arguably done more to raise the awareness for agriculture than any terrestrial TV programme before it.
In one of the early episodes, the cameras capture moments when Clarkson’s barley crop is under threat from the heavens, because there was too much moisture in the seed, preventing the harvest.
Clarkson is never without a big idea, and in season two, he aspires to turn his sheep barn into a bistro/restaurant, with all the produce coming from his farm. This is a great idea, especially in a world when we need to reduce carbon emissions. There are many ways to tackle the problem, but consumer behaviour impacts Scope 1 (farming/manufacturing emissions) and Scope 3 (transport emissions not produced by the farmer/manufacturer).
Increased consumer demand creates a design problem. Simply, how can farming and manufacturing strive to reduce its Scope 1 emissions? More on that in another edition of the Woz Report.
We take our daily bread for granted, but there is an actual threat to global food security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a tremendous impact on wheat exports. According to Reuters, Ukraine exported 10.8 million tonnes of grain in 2022/23 July-June season compared with 16.5 million in the same period of 2021/22.
Overfishing is another threat to the global supply chain. Anyone who enjoys a Friday helping of cod and chips will know of the sky rocketing prices. The average price for a large fish tops £8. This week, I learned of something alarming.
If you’re eating Huss, Rock, Rock Eel, Rock Salmon, Rigg or Flake you are very likely to be eating shark. 46 different shark species are sold under misleading names in the UK. These include Endangered and Critically Endangered species. via Blue Marine Foundation
Have we learned nothing from the horse meat scandal? I’ll be the first to admit I like fast food, but in recent months I have stayed away from small and large outlets offering the best burgers/chicken/kebabs in town. My meat consumption has dropped dramatically, partly because I’m a sustainability professional, but mainly because I don’t trust the food supply chain. How’s that horse meat sandwich you’re eating?
Back to Clarkson’s audacious proposal, and why things don’t always go according to plan. The local community of Chadlington did not appear to be on the same page as the community’s newest farmer. Council planners did not like the aesthetics of the farm shop. Clarkson, by his own admission, said the Diddly Squat car parked looked unsightly, peppered by litter.
Operation Big Litter - Your Help is needed
Clarkson’s comments are a Segway to a humongous problem. The issue is ubiquitous across the United Kingdom and it’s making people cross. Litter! From Land’s End to John o’ Grotes, our verges, streets, fields, parks, roads and rivers are under a constant patchwork quilt of litter.
Quite frankly it’s ******* unacceptable. People can chose to ignore the problem, but as we’ve learned millions of tons of waste ends up in our rivers and oceans annually. Scientists discovered micro plastics in over 1,400 species of marine life. Anyone for fish, chips and micro plastics.
So, what we (the nation) done to address this disgusting issue? Local Government Authorities (LGA) have their street teams. Men and women charged with the duties of emptying public waste bins, and ridding the streets of litter.
Despite doing an amazing job, those LGA operatives are putting plasters on a superficial wound. I say this because there are thousands of volunteers of all ages walking the streets, beaches, highways and everywhere in between, to pick up bags of litter. One individual in North London wanders the street to pick up cans of Red Bull (over 1,230 cans at the last count). Britain’s amazing litter pickers recover anything and everything, from crisp packets, to disposable vapes and nitrous oxide canisters.
In March, I will submit an open letter to the highest levels of society, asking them not to ignore an existential problem. I don’t know if OPERATION BIG LITTER will be a success, but I am not prepared to stand on the sidelines and watch this nonsense continue. Sustainability is a journey. We must do less harm, before doing no harm, before moving on to regeneration.
Ridding Britain of the mountain of litter is not impossible. Local government authorities need more resources. More waste bins are needed in the parking areas along our road networks. Better education is needed on the benefits of recycling, and legislative changes could prevent people from deliberately throwing litter. For example, there are thousands of speed cameras in Britain, but more litter enforcement cameras are needed. John Wozniak, for ESG Nerd.
Fly tipping costs the tax payer millions annually. As I am sat here writing to all of you, I am waiting for my new washing machine to be delivered. The good folk at Appliances Online are taking my old machine away for free! Some other outlets charge £20 to recycle your old machine. When I worked at Barnsley Council, my team collected four bulky items for £20, what a bargain.
It bemuses me to see flytipping. I moved my washing machine three feet and it was torture, so why would someone go to the lengths of loading a washer or freezer into the back of a van, drive umpteen miles and then dump it down the side of a quiet lane?
Read more on Operation Big Litter #biglitter and get involved, this is a community project. #biglitter
Thank you for reading the Woz Report, please encourage your family, friends and colleagues to subscribe. I’ll be back next week.