Last week our Director Chris Henry, was invited to chat to Holly Coyle from Climate Action Lewisham about Lee Greens, and our approach to business and the climate. Here is the article which was shared across facebook and Instagram last week.
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Holly Writes.... "For the third in the series of our Friday Feature, we chatted to Chris from 'Lee Greens', suppliers of local, seasonal, organic veg. From talking to Chris you get the feeling that he’s genuinely interested in getting to know people. He seems to really enjoy connecting all the dots in life and puts community at the centre of everything he does.
Lee Greens is a community that’s built around our work with local, organic farms and how we get their produce to our customers. Each week we supply 250 seasonal veg bags in and a around Lewisham. We deliver to local businesses every Thursday and our customers collect their bags from these ‘pick-up points’.
We’ve had a busy few months since lockdown began. Many pick-up points have been closed but our community of volunteers have been amazing. Many of our bags have been hand delivered, showing how important it is for people to play an active role in the community; this crisis has really shown how much people want to help. Volunteering provides a sense of belonging; we all receive as much as we give.
We're a social enterprise, working as a community on a not-for-profit basis. We pay our farmers fairly and our part time staff receive a living wage. This is what we want to see for our future: a sustainable model of local people and businesses who support and promote one another. The venues used as pick-up points gain extra custom too; this all feeds back into itself and keeps building the community.
By focusing on local, seasonal veg we’re able to reduce the carbon footprint of what we eat and by supporting organic farming methods we protect the environment even more. It’s all connected: the soil, the air, our food and our bodies. When small businesses support each other like this we can collectively protect the wider environment; when we work together we can have a big impact.
Lee Greens is modelled on the success of ‘Growing Communities’ who are a similar project based in Hackney. In 2017 they received recognition of their work from the Mayor of Lewisham, winning awards for their positive environmental impact and their work with volunteers. Even a quick glance at their website shows that these ethics are just the tip of the iceberg."
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For more info on Climate Action Lewisham take a look at their website.
