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Transition Town Alness
working for a low carbon future
Other Community Groups
| Alness Community Council |
| Alness Community Association |
| The Alness Green and Easy Food Fair |
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| Tuesday, 01 September 2009 10:53 |
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Residents of Alness turned out in large numbers on Saturday 19th September for the Green and Easy Food Fair that was jointly organised by Alness Transition Town Group (ATTG) and Ross-shire Waste Action Network (RoWAN). Over 175 people came along to the Averon Centre to find out more about environmentally-friendly food and to celebrate local produce. The Allotment Society showed off some of their produce and gave advice on growing-your-own. Easter Ross Organics from Ardross were very busy selling their organic eggs and fresh vegetables. The Heritage Centre sold their jams and chutneys, the WRI provided cakes and Rahis Hussain poured out fairtrade teas and coffees to raise money for Alness Academy’s sister school in Ethiopia. One of the highlights of the Green and Easy Food Fair was the cooking demonstration of a simple pizza and apple crumble. This included a Ready Steady Cook competition, where Councillor Mike Finlayson and Highland Council Ward Manager Helen Ross made pizzas against the clock under the expert direction of RoWAN’s Kate Streib. The crowd judged Mike’s pizza to be the winner by a narrow margin and he was rewarded with a medal and prizes from RoWAN and ATTG; Helen was delighted to win a marrow! Caroline Eccles from RoWAN commented “Many people are now making their own pizzas rather than buying ready-made. Our very willing contestants showed just how easy it is to make pizzas at home and save on all that packaging and energy, not to mention money. Also, an apple crumble is a great way of using up excess fruit from this year’s bumper harvest.” There was a wide range of stalls and fun activities to provide more information on the environmental impact of food. As the way we grow and process our food is responsible for around one-fifth of the UK’s carbon emissions, ATTG’s display was aimed at helping people to reduce their “carbon foodprint”. RoWAN focussed on composting and reducing food waste; the average household in Scotland currently throws away food worth £430 a year, £550 for a family with children. ATTG also took the opportunity to gather opinions on plans for transforming Alness into a low-carbon community, where energy use and dependence on fossil fuels is reduced. Peter Elbourne, ATTG’s Community Powerdown Officer, said “This was the first event for our group and we were delighted by the turnout. We will be holding another event shortly to develop some of the ideas that people had to reduce energy use in our community.” The Green and Easy Food Fair closed with a free raffle and the organisers would like to thank the local producers and stores that contributed prizes, including Dalmore Distillery, Glenmorangie Distillery, Highland Fine Cheeses, Cromarty Bakery, the Storehouse, Reids Highland Fare, Black Isle Berries and the Health Food Shop on Alness High Street. Thank you also to everyone who donated their time to make the event happen, especially all the staff at the Averon Centre. 
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| Last Updated on Friday, 28 May 2010 10:07 |