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Envision a food system that serves public health using seeds, soil and British sunshine
What's Closed-Loop thinking?
We often think about where our food comes from as a linear system, from a food producer (the farmer) to a factory or a food preparer (in a home kitchen or in a restaurant), and then to us, the consumer.
And from us, at the end of a linear food system?
- waste and environmental impact.
Closed-loop thinking, on the other hand, is a way to describe a system as being circular. A closed-loop food system can be stronger and more resilient. Resources are finite - including food and all of the materials in between and necessary to grow it. In a closed-loop system, reducing and recycling are key - using resources efficiently, and recycling waste to regenerate resources (like energy and reusable materials).
A closed-loop food system can feed more people for longer and is better for our home, our community, our planet.
Here's some food for thought - for closed-loop thinking
• If it's not home-grown, then is it a luxury?
• Where can we find closed-loops examples that already work to provide healthy food supply?
• At what scale (small, medium or large) and complexity do we lose resilience in our food system?
• Can we consume with less packaging, less plastic, less branding of products?
• What gaps do we need to bridge to closed-loops in our food system?
• Who's pulling the levers for changing our food system? That's an easy answer - us.
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