What is the social/environmental problem/issue that this project will address?
Huge quantities of fruit are wasted in Sussex and yet we import truck loads of it from all around the world to satisfy the demand for fruit and fruit products. This is just one of the symptoms of a global food system which pollutes the atmosphere, damages the soil and underpays the producers.
As a society we have become separated from the production of the food we eat. It is too easy to buy foods out of season from faraway places and supporting unfair working conditions, without even realising.
Re-localising our food production can address these problems and we at Brighton Permaculture Trust want to wave the flag for truly local, environmentally and ethically sound food.
Can you give us some statistics on this problem?
The average UK consumer drinks 1.5 litres of fruit juice per week. That's about 75 litres per person per year or getting on for 20 million litres in Brighton & Hove each year. We intend to supply 5,000, maybe increasing to 10,000 litres a year all from fruit that would otherwise go to waste. Its just 0.05% of the juice consumed in the city, but every little helps .
What is your solution?.
The Fruit Factory fits into our wider objectives as The Brighton Permaculture Trust which are:
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To promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public by (a) the preservation, conservation and the protection of the environment and the prudent use of resources; (b) the relief of poverty and the improvement of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities; and (c) the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.
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To advance the education of the public in subjects relating to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and to promote study and research in such subjects provided that the useful results of such study are disseminated to the public at large. Sustainable development means development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the generations to meet their own need
How will you deliver this?
The Fruit Factory will become a permanent hub for The Brighton Permaculture Trust. A place to process food (in full view of the public), to teach courses, to host events and to sell products. The proceeds from sales will go towards expanding the educational opportunities the trust can provide.
Currently The Brighton Permaculture Trust...
• Runs 40 courses and 3 large events per year with its partners
• Helps schools and communities to plant small orchards (90 to date)
• Works in schools running eco clubs
• Engages in project work around local food and specifically local fruit
• Promotes an ecological approach to architecture
