You could write a book about Bird Fair food…
…but let’s not!
The Bird Fair food zone is by Cook Street and the Bird Fair website tells you something about the food that is on offer.
But you have to look at the Bird Fair programme (p34) to find this interesting Cook Street promise…
That’s pretty good. It’s a pity it isn’t on the Bird Fair website but you can’t have everything (and maybe I just didn’t find it). It’s also not on the Cook Street website (nor anything like it as far as I could see) but that suggests to me that this promise has been negotiated by the Bird Fair specially. And that is very good.
I assume that the few other food outlets outside the main food area are not signed up to this promise but that is a minor detail (but if I am right then don’t expect your reduced price hot drink offer elsewhere unless they are displaying a sign saying that they are ‘in’).
And then there is this…
…which is also to be welcomed.
After 30 years (well, actually after 29 years as this is the 30th Bird Fair) the Bird Fair is growing up into a responsible adult – it took some of us much longer than that.
Well done Bird Fair!
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The food and the environmental promises are improving each year, and Birdfair should be congratulated. But wouldn’t it be good to make the food offer so much more linked to bird conservation, and use this in an educational way. For example, venison burgers sourced from a supplier who only uses non-lead ammunition. Beef or lamb from farms that have high-level stewardship etc- and highlight the conservation benefits of food production and more sustainable grazing systems.
Looks as if they are starting to get there, bloody good stuff – Rob is absolutely right when he says they should link it in with bird conservation more. It’s been pitiful how little’s been done by the RSPB on paper reduce, reuse, recycling – and using recycled paper, when much of the forest loss in Sumatra where they have their flagship Harapan reserve is down to creating acacia plantations for pulp production. The RSPB has occasionally done well in pointing out that it’s good to use recycled items in the garden etc, but they are very inconsistent when they could be leading the way. I really hope the Scottish Birdfair is doing better on the 3Rs front, it was woeful when I last volunteered there and many people were not impressed that they had NO recycling facilities what so ever when they’d at least some inadequate ones the year before – from bad to worse. Quite a few of the membership have been ahead of the RSPB in this, one of the very few areas where I feel they’re not up to scratch.
I agree about the links to bird conservation.
But, worse, why allow meat? It looks like it’s ‘local’ meat but its not even from outdoor housed and reared, organically fed animals!
The UN has repeatedly warned about the livestock industry being one of the biggest contributors to global warming and, actually, it is worse, environmentally speaking, because of the huge additional environmental impacts (acid rain, water pollution, extreme water use, vast land use, reduced biodiversity etc etc). And non of that even addresses the cruelty of many farming, transport and slaughter processes. The UN have repeatedly and for a long time now urged people to go veggie or part-time veggie per week. You’d think the Bird Fair would support that call.
When I helped run a major Green Festival 20-15 years ago we were veggie (and the UN was making those calls then!) and we did all the extra sparkly bits and bobs the Bird Fair is rightly supporting!
Our cups were guaranteed compostable not simply biodegradable (a lower rate of speed of complete rotting down). If the cups didn’t pass the scratch off the wax test (wax scratches off, plastic doesn’t) then they couldn’t be used.
We also encouraged the use of stoves and solar panels alongside the gas.
So, it’s a good start but stop the meat!
Lizzybusy – this is an event with 20,000 people (I think) – it’s slightly unlikely that all of them will be vegetarian. It’s even very unlikely that all of them would be prepared to have a veggie day at the Bird Fair. I’m veggie 4-5 days a week – that may or may not include the next 3 days at the Bird Fair – but the opportunity to be veggie is there and growing each year. That’s progress.
Hi Mark. The event I helped organise attracted 20,000 and was both veggie and vegan but did not allow meat or fish. That’s 20 years ago!
Lizzybusy sounds good. the veggie samosa and chick pea curry kept running out at Bird Fair, but that’s because they were delicious.
You can have the vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options, or the healthy food choices – like it says
No grouse kebabs flown in specially then?
Alf – shame, eh?
Indeed.
Rehydrated round-up ready soya bean burgers anyone?
The ones grown on freshly cleared Cerrado always taste the best.
@Ernest Moss
Actually, estimates show that ~85% of soya crops are used as feed for livestock animals and ~6% goes into human food products. If you’re really concerned about deforestation stopping eating meat is a good place to start.