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| Rob Walrond – Pitney Farm Shop - Full Story |
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Rob Walrond – Pitney Farm Shop
As a farmer, Rob Walrond is naturally in tune with the climate. Here, he explains how he is taking on the challenge of climate change... |
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As an organic farmer and farm shop owner, Rob Walrond is naturally in tune with the environment. But when it comes to his commitment to tackling the causes of climate change, he goes the extra mile.
Anyone arriving at his Pitney Farm Shop on foot, by bicycle or on horse back is immediately entitled to a five percent discount on their bill – a sign of the positive action he is taking to try combat the causes of climate change.
“It can make a difference,” he said. “We get people cycling here from several miles away, filling up their backpacks and riding off. It also gets people thinking about the whole issue. We try to be environmentally conscious, not just in the way we farm, but in our wider approach to life in general. Personally I feel I have a responsibility of stewardship for the earth, but purely as a farmer climate change worries me in terms of the impact it could have on my business in the future and farming in Somerset in general.”
“Farming is pretty tight at the moment and if climate change makes things harder a lot of people will suffer. We cannot farm despite the environment, we have to farm with it and climate change will have a massive impact on everything we do.”
The produce for sale in his shop is almost entirely organic and from local suppliers, cutting down on carbon wasteful food miles. Packaging is kept to a minimum and all cardboard, paper, glass, foil and plastic used in the shop is recycled.
Rob also works part-time as a Church Rural Officer for the Deaneries of Chard and Ilminster and Taunton, acting as the link between the church and the farming community. Part of this role involves giving talks to schools highlighting how farming and care for the environment go hand in hand. Within his own church he is working to develop an ‘Eco Congregation’, building awareness of environmental issues and the threat of climate change.
He has helped stage screenings of Al Gore’s successful climate change film The Inconvenient Truth. Working with his local church, St John the Baptist, low energy light bulbs have been distributed to all of the 150 homes in the village of Pitney.
He believes Rising to the Challenge can play an important role in making the public aware of just what is at stake. “I think people more need information and how climate change could have an impact on their lives. The more I find out the more worried I feel. It’s important that everybody realises the significance of climate change and is prepared to change their lifestyle in some way. “
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