A Sustainable Tour of London

JESSICA PICKLES HAS BEEN BINGING ‘DOWN TO EARTH’ SINCE ZAC EFRON HIT THE SCREEN - HERE IS HER TOUR OF LONDON, WITH A DIFFERENCE

Since ‘Down to Earth’ has been in Netflix’s top 10 for a while now, I’m guessing some of you might have seen it. Zac Efron’s documentary making debut highlights different countries’ efforts to move towards a sustainable future. I’m going to give you an overview of his London exploration. 

Air pollution 

Zac and Darin met with Dr Rhode from LSE. Whilst enjoying the London Eye Dr Rhode explains how the air is so toxic that 10,000 Londoners will die prematurely each year because of air pollution in the city. Fossil fuels release tiny particulate matter that lead to asthma, heart disease and premature death. Policy changes are making London’s transport sector greener, with the introduction of the congestion charge in the early 2000s. However, a lot more needs to be done and Dr Rhode emphasises the importance of using political votes to make change. 

Green walls

The Head of Sustainability at LSE then show Zac and Darin their rooftop green wall consisting of over 6,000 plants. These green walls help reduce the amount of heat being contained by the concrete around the city, as well as reducing pollution. They’re then off to discuss the importance of bees and see the city hives. One beekeeper highlights how 1/3 of all food is brought to us by pollinators, and that the staggering decrease in bees can be put down to pesticide use. 

Image from Green Roof Consultancy and Treebox

Litter 

The River Thames may now be one of the cleanest rivers running through a capital city, but there’s still a lot of litter clogging it up. In Essex Thames 21 organise volunteers to pick up litter, single use plastic being the number one concern. Cotton buds are able to make their way through sewage treatments as they’re so small. So, if you’re looking for a simple change to make this plastic free July, swap to paper or bamboo buds. 

Plant-based bloggers

Ella Mills, better known as Deliciously Ella, describes her journey to a plant-based life. I had no idea she became vegan as she was suffering from an autonomic nervous system condition. Starting with a vegan blog, Ella moved on to cooking classes, curating apps and now running restaurants and writing cookbooks. With nearly 2 million Instagram followers, and the number of vegans in London ever growing, it’s safe to say plant-based will be the new mainstream. Interestingly London has actually been named the most vegan-friendly city in the world, according to the restaurant app ‘Happy Cow’. With over 150 entirely vegan eateries in the capital, London has plenty to offer plant lovers.