Vote at Tesco for the James Gillespie’s Primary Plant to Plate project

The James Gillespie’s Primary Plant to Plate project initiative is to develop gardening opportunities in the playground and a programme of learning around growing and food. They will also be developing biodiversity/wildlife areas in the school grounds and depending on how much is raised,  may be able to purchase some more play materials for the playground. This project will benefit JGPS children and many children for generations to come. 

Tesco are running a community funding initiative where shoppers vote for projects.  Plant to Plate is one of them.  

Next time you are in any of  the Tesco Stores (below), please could you pop the token given to you at the check-out into the James Gillespie’s Primary Plant to Plate project box. The top prize is £12k and JGPS need all the votes they can get! Many thanks.

Bruntsfield Metro (EH10 5DN)

Fountain Bridge Express (EH3 9QG)

Earl Gray St Express (EH3 9BN)

Causewayside Express ( EH9 1PR)

Nicolson Street Metro (EH8 9EW)

Princess Street Express (EH2 4BL)

Southbridge Express ( EH1 1LS)

Haymarket Express ( EH1 1LS)

Holyrood Express (EH8 8AU)

Roseburn Express (EH12 5NG)

Power of Food Festival: 20/21 June

Edible Edinburgh is supporting the Power of Food Festival over the weekend of 20-21 June. Come with family and friends to celebrate community food growing.

This inaugural community festival involves 15 of the city’s community gardens with highlights ranging from an insect safari to storytelling, birds, music, and more. 

The festival has joined up with Sustrans  to offer a guided cycle tour of the Festival as part of National Cycle Network week and Edible Edinburgh will launch the Sustainable Food City Charter.  

For more details see:  poweroffoodfestival.wordpress.com 

Twitter @PoFFest                  Facebook EdinburghPowerofFoodFestival

NHS Lothian catering strategy consultation: comment by 19 Jun

NHS Lothian has launched a public consultation on catering services and are asking patients, staff and the public to have their say on food and nutrition.  NHS Lothian is committed to providing meals which look great, taste delicious, as well as being made from fresh, and where ever possible, locally sourced produce.  

Recent research shows nine out of 10 inpatients are happy with food being served in NHS Lothian.  However they are determined to improve standards.  

A summary of the main document is being distributed to interested groups and will be available across Lothian, while the full unabridged version can be accessed on the NHS Lothian website.  Comments are requested by 19 June 2015.

Edible Edinburgh: a Sustainable Food City

The Edible Edinburgh initiative aims to inspire, motivate and connect everyone across the city in developing new relationships with food, choosing healthier and tastier food and bringing social, economic and environmental benefits for the whole community.

The Edible Edinburgh steering group has therefore drafted a consultation document to encourage everyone to join in the debate about our food. Edible Edinburgh: A Sustainable Food City initiates a collective conversation about how we re-imagine a new food system and culture for our city. You can get involved by completing a short survey once you’ve read the consultation document.

Edible Edinburgh is also hosting a Feed the 5,000 event in Bristo Square on Saturday 5th October. Go along for a free lunch, find out more about food initiatives in the city and have your say on how you would like to see Edinburgh develop as a sustainable food city.

City of Edinburgh Council rolling out a food waste recycling service

Coming soon

From the end of March 2013, the City of Edinburgh Council is expanding the food waste recycling service to a further 35,000 flats and tenements across the city. This means that the vast majority of city households will have access to this recycling service.

The changes will help increase recycling rates in Edinburgh. Recycling is easy, protects our environment by sending less waste to landfill, and saves energy, time and money which we can reinvest into local services.  We all need to work together to meet national recycling targets. In Edinburgh we’re aiming for a 50 percent recycling rate by 2015.

Why is it important to recycle your food waste?

The Scottish Government requires us to provide a food waste collection service by 2013, as by 2020 it will be illegal to send this type of waste to landfill.  And by using the new service you will help make a difference to our environment, as we can use the recycled food waste for fertiliser for farms and energy.

Where can I find out more?

The City of Edinburgh Council will be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.  You can contact the council on 0131 529 3030, email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk or visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/recycling.

Putting good fruit to use: Abundance Edinburgh

Abundance Edinburgh is a group of people interested in putting to good use fruit that would otherwise go to waste and organise associated events around this.They harvest fruit from gardens, do some foraging and have also picked apples at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital's orchard. Some of the fruit is given away (for example, last year some went to the Grassmarket Project) and some is used to promote seasonal and local food (for example preserving workshops and a public apple pressing event). They have some equipment including several apple presses (thanks to the City of Edinburgh Council).

They're looking to spread the word about their activities both to get more people who are interested in picking fruit and using it but also to reach out to people with fruit trees that aren't able to harvest them themselves or who have too much fruit than they know what to do with. For more information why not get in touch with Valla Moodie or subscribe to their announcements or discussion groups.