Tom Macmillan, Food Ethics Council

1:57pm Monday 4th February 2008

What is it you do?
We give advice on really tricky issues - such as how to weigh up the climate cost of flying veg from Africa against the money it brings poor communities - and we tackle the policies and ways of doing business that get us into a fix in the first place.

Why did you pick that?
It's hard to overstate how crucial our eating habits are - not only to the planet but also to the places and society we live in, to people's jobs and livelihoods, to animals and wildlife and so on.

What makes you greener than other organisations?
The Food Ethics Council sees green issues in the round - alongside fair trade, animal welfare, healthy eating - and tries to get to the root causes of environmental problems.

What is your latest green campaign?
At the moment we're working on food miles and eating seasonally. People point out eating tomatoes from Spain can be better for the planet at this time of year than eating British tomatoes, because of the energy it takes to heat greenhouses here. But why do we want tomatoes in winter at all?

We're exploring how food companies and government policies shape what we want to eat, and whether we'd be any worse off - or perhaps happier - if we ate more of what's in season.

How hard is it to be green in Sussex?
Lots of local food suppliers take environmental issues seriously and there's an amazing number of brilliant community food projects. At the same time, though, Sussex is one place in a global food system that has a long way to go to be sustainable.

Carbon-offsetting, yes or no?
I think it's more important to use less carbon.

What's your guiltiest green secret?
Even though I haven't got on a plane for ages, I'd quite like to. I was born in Italy and going home to see my parents takes up half our holiday.

What is the biggest thing you have sacrificed to be green?
Apart from that, not a lot really. Things which look like clouds - such as eating seasonally - have a silver lining.

Are you a climate worrier or are you more optimistic?
I'm most worried for people in poorer countries who are going to be hit hardest.

But I wouldn't do what I do if I didn't believe we can do better.

What's your skill for when the oil runs out?
I like making stuff, mainly from wood, and might also manage some makeshift plumbing. Ethics won't go away either.

In a nutshell, what's your philosophy on living a greener life?
We can't buy our way out of trouble - it's about citizenship, not consumption.

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