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Beth volunteers at Cranks in Kemp Town, where bikes can be fixed and paid for by donation. From June 2008 to May 2009 she only ate food that came from within a 100 mile radius of her home in Brighton.

Beth says: “I started the challenge because I wanted to raise issues about food miles and the carbon footprint of the food we eat. In doing so, my eyes were opened to how food connects us with the land, with people and with our climate.”

"My reasons for starting this project were to raise awareness of issues around food miles, food security, and resilience to peak oil and climate change. The lessons that I actually took from the project were a deepened connection to the food I ate, the land it came from and the seasons that produced it. I remain committed to local, seasonal food and I'm writing a book about living a local life."

An update from Beth:

During the past few months Beth has been very busy.

She has started a Permaculture diploma which will take four years of self-directed learning to complete and will really immerse her in how to apply permaculture to her life and projects.

Beth is also helping to organise a literary festival called Dark Mountain which is based around literary responses to peak oil and climate change. She has organised lots of events like forages and she is currently working on organising a festival of food preservation and fermentation called Bottled.

Beth's allotment is very productive and last year she started keeping bees. Sadly the swarm she got was too small to survive the winter but she is planning to try again this year.

On top of all of this, Beth has also started teaching scything courses.

Want to find out more about locally produced food? Go to The Brighton Green Pages

"I also volunteer at Cranks, a not-for-profit bike mechanics in Kemptown. We teach people how to fix their own bikes so that they can use this sustainable mode of transport rather than travel by car."

One way to reduce carbon emissions is to cycle more, check  for ideas.

Beth Tilston Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

Beth at Cranks Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

Beth at Cranks Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

Beth at Cranks Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

Love Your Bike! Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

Cranks Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

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