Cutting down your carbon dioxide emissions is not just a matter of austerity and self-denial. You can enjoy yourself with a clear conscience if you drink traditional British-brewed beers rather than imported beers or UK-brewed products which use imported ingredients.
There is much talk about the need to insulate your home and everyone is conscious of the environmental impact of cars and aeroplanes, but we should also take note that around one third of the average person's carbon footprint comes from the food and drink that he or she consumes.
To help reduce our personal contribution to CO2 levels in the atmosphere we should therefore eat and drink only British products as far as possible.
Another reason for drinking real ale, if you still need one, is that cask beer is usually drawn to the bar by hand-pump, requiring only zero-carbon effort from the bar man or woman and saving on the electricity or gas which propels lagers and processed beers from the cellar to your glass.
We will use the campaign to urge local people to try Britain's traditional beers. They are tastier and often cheaper than the lagers and processed beers whose production and transport make a greater contribution to global warming.
A foaming pint of your favourite ale also has the advantage that it comes with no packaging whatsoever: no bottle, no can and no plastic shrink wrapping to swell Britain's rubbish mountain. When you leave the pub you just hand your glass back at the bar ready for the next time you fancy a drink.
Sinking a beer or two at your local helps keep your chosen watering hole in business at a time when many traditional pubs in London and across Britain are coming under threat from the challenges of modern life. A good pub is a major component of a local community, acting as a meeting place and forum for local people, often also providing a home for sports teams and other neighbourhood organisations.
Making use of your neighbourhood pubs is also a great way of demonstrating support for the Sustainable Communities campaign which aims to ensure that people can get all the services they need near their homes.
Sinking a beer or two at your local helps keep your chosen watering hole in business at a time when many traditional pubs in London and across Britain are coming under threat from the challenges of modern life. A good pub is a major component of a local community, acting as a meeting place and forum for local people, often also providing a home for sports teams and other neighbourhood organisations.
Making use of your neighbourhood pubs is also a great way of demonstrating support for the Sustainable Communities campaign which aims to ensure that people can get all the services they need near their homes.
