An environmental charity based in Tipton St John, Word Forest, aims to help reforest Kenya by organising a 'Bring and Share Vegan Lunch.'

It will take place at Tipton St John community hall from 12:30pm to 2.30pm on Saturday, November 2. Tickets are £2.50 or £5 to book a table.

Attendees are invited to bring along a plant-based dish of something delicious with a portion or two spare so others can enjoy their food too. Contributors are also being asked to write out the ingredients to aid anyone with an allergy. Entry is £2.50 per person and any additional funds made over the cost of hiring the hall will be used to plant trees in Kenya.

Word Forest is a Tipton St John-based international reforestation charity, working hard to combat our global climate emergency. They plant trees, build schools, facilitate education and support a raft of women’s empowerment initiatives across rural Kenya. They plant there because trees near the equator grow up to 10 times faster than elsewhere. In terms of drawing down and locking in CO2 from the atmosphere, they are incredibly expedient.

Simon West, MD and co-founder of Word Forest said:  “We are going to host a monthly Bring and Share Vegan Lunch in Tipton’s Community Hall where we can explore the many positive things we can all do to lighten our footprint. Unfortunately, there are worrying meteorological times ahead of us, but we’re always on the lookout for positive solutions. One of the proven ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by eating more whole food plant-based meals, ideally made with locally grown, seasonal vegetables.”

"According to recent analysis published by The Guardian, eating a vegan diet massively reduces the damage to the environment caused by food production. Research shows that vegan diets result in 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution and land use than diets in which more than 100g of meat a day is eaten. Vegan diets also cut the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%.

Word Forest CEO Tracey West said:  “Between June and August this year, we saw the warmest periods ever recorded. Scientists are claiming present day temperatures to be the warmest the Earth has experienced over the past 100,000 years. We hope our fundraising lunch will be an inspirational event that goes on to encourage people to embrace more veggie meals in their diet. Every plant-based meal served will make a difference to our climate crisis.”

“There are many simple ways to reduce CO2 being released in the atmosphere and we need to have more conversations to explore ways to lighten our carbon, water and food mile footprints. What better way than to have a good chat over delicious, home-cooked plant-based food. We’re also inviting people who sell vegan goods to hire a 6ft table to showcase them for just £5. It’s another lovely way to highlight planet-friendly items to an audience who understand the urgency for humans to leave a light footprint on the Earth.”

Let the organizers know you will be attending by emailing lunch@wordforest.org