Food & Drink

New high-tech vertical farm opens in the UK

Man holds a lettuce growing under artificial light on a shelf

What’s going on here? The world’s largest vertical farm has opened in Gloucestershire, growing salad leaves three times faster than a regular farm can. It’s an indoor farm where produce grows in stacks of trays up to 15 high. It’s kept at a balmy 27 degrees with 75% humidity and has 14,500 square metres of growing space. What does this mean? This…

Urban farming is making a comeback: Q&A with a first-time urban farmer

Woman kneels in flower garden holding flower bouquet to her face.

In the US, it was once commonplace to see vegetable gardens and small-scale farms in urban settings. WWII victory gardens once grew nearly 40% of the country’s produce, and farm animals ran loose in city streets. Over the decades, the divide between urban and rural became more stark, as the US agricultural system moved drastically towards monocultures and large swaths of urban…

Our guardians of the sea are in troubled waters

Blue shark close up image

You may have heard about the importance of sharks in our seas. But this week, we are taking a deeper dive with Julian Engel, Senior Analyst at OceanMind and Co-Initiator of the Stop Finning EU initiative. Through this initiative, with passion, and teamwork, they managed to get 1,000,000 signatures needed in order to speak in front of the European Commission to demand…

Fishy issues – The curious case of coral bleaching

The importance of coral Corals are arguably one of the coolest creations of nature. They are often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea” due to their high levels of biodiversity. Although corals only represent 1% of the world’s oceans, they support 25% of all marine species.  Coral reefs host a wide range of marine life, including fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and…

Hidden animal products – from Fashion to Fuel

Go Vegan graffiti on a wall covered with stickers

We all know a plant-based diet is good for the planet – in fact it’s one of the most impactful actions you can take as an individual (alongside greening your finances, and cutting out flying). BUT true veganism is more than just a diet. 

For some areas of our lives this is easy – maybe you even already buy vegan cleaning products, and cruelty-free cosmetics. However, did you know you might be using animal products without even knowing about it? Read on to find out more…

It turns out, animal products are used in everything from Aviation to Zinfandel! (Yep, sorry to be the one to break it to you, but that glass of wine you’re drinking probably isn’t vegan…)

“It’s the coffee we have for breakfast, the chocolate we eat, the coal in our barbecues, the paper in our books.”

What’s going on here? These are the words of Pascal Canfin, of the European Parliament (environment committee) which has recently passed a law banning the importation of goods that are linked to deforestation. This approach aims to prevent products entering the European market which are produced at the expense of natural forests and habitats. What does this mean?  The new rules will…

No pollinators, no food: Saving the birds and the bees (mostly the bees)

Without bees pollinating our crops, we would be hard-pressed to grow much of anything without costly and time-intensive intervention. The relationship between bees and plants is a win-win. The plant provides the pollinator with nectar and pollen for food, and the pollinator transfers genetic material for the plant that allows it to reproduce. This makes another crucial bee fact particularly concerning: The…