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What do we mean when we insist that, without exception, all of our premium sorbets are carbon neutral? According to the New Oxford American Dictionary "being carbon neutral involves calculating your total climate-damaging carbon emissions, reducing them where possible, and then balancing your remaining emissions, often by purchasing a carbon offset: paying to plant new trees or investing in green technologies". All of our sorbet endeavours here at LYKEN depend on supplying our machines with Green Energy. We get this from combusting plant oil, both in our modified, air cooled Lister generator (that powers all the machines in our Sorbet Laboratory) and in our modified refrigerated vehicles.
As the plants, from which the plant oil is extracted, absorb as much carbon dioxide during growth as is expelled when their oil is used as a fuel, and since plant oil is taken from the globe's Biosphere and not its Geosphere as mineral oil is, burning it in a combustion engine does not intensify levels of carbon in the Carbon Cycle central in Global Warming. This is the essence of what is meant by the term "carbon neutral" and it goes without saying that as soon as our carefully-selected, seasonally-sourced fruit and our locally-acquired oil come into our possession, we handle them in a carbon neutral manner, right up until the point our sorbets are received by our stockists. It is perhaps nothing short of undue optimism, however, to think that this is the sole factor in the carbon neutral equation. It could be argued for example that the production of plant oil causes the release of fossil fuel CO2 in ways that are often overlooked. It is quite possible that the machinery, involved in cultivating the plants, uses mineral oil and would in theory contribute additional carbon to the Carbon Cycle. Also, until our vision of extracting our own oil using our own green-energy-powered press come to fruition, the extraction of plant oil from the "cake" utilizes electricity derived from conventional means and not, as we'd originally hoped, from photosynthesis. Similarly, from a logistical perspective carbon neutral technology is relatively experimental and so is rarely employed by our fruit suppliers. Neither has it been made available to those who provide us with pots, cartons and cardboard inserts. Nor, through no fault of their own, is it likely that those, who in turn supply our suppliers with raw materials (waxed and corrugated cardboard, ink and the like), are as evangelical about plant-oil-derived energy as we are. Regrettably, the cultivation and retrieval of the fruit we use and the printing, shaping and delivery of the packaging we fill, frequently incurs the use of fossil hydrocarbons as well. As part of our Mission, eliminating our suppliers´ reliance on mineral oil is one of LYKEN´s most crucial long term objectives. Until we find ourselves preaching to the converted however, we have chosen to a) select our fruit and suppliers on the basis of their seasonality and proximity to Great Britain (in doing so ensuring that food miles are kept to a minimum) and b) erase the carbon footprint they (our suppliers) leave by engaging in reputable carbon offsetting projects both at home in Britain and Nicaragua. Any carbon footprint left either by our suppliers, our stockists [the longer one of our delectable pots of sorbet remains on frozen display the bigger its footprint] or as a result of our quest for the perfect sorbet (eg infrequent once-every-six-months flights to Nicaragua), we more than offset by investing (more than is sufficient to erase our rigorously assessed carbon footprint) in tree planting schemes, both in the Tropics and in more Temperate Regions. It follows from this that - in theory - our sorbets are not just carbon neutral. By definition they are carbon negative. Regardless then of whether our commitment is a sign of the times or a gold standard for the multitude of conventional sorbet makers set to follow suit, never let it be said that we do not take our pioneering work seriously. What do we mean when we insist that, without exception, all of our premium sorbets are made with 100% pure fruit? All of our sorbets contain...
JUST FRUIT... pure and simple What do we mean when we insist that, without exception, all of our premium sorbets come in 100% biodegradable pots and lids? Bothered by the growing amounts of refuse littering England's pastures green and conscious of leaving a clean, uncontaminated environment for our children to grow up in, here at LYKEN we have chosen to utilize a 100% bio- degradable tub replete with a biodegradable cardboard insert. We could quite easily have used an oil based plastic lid to keep our sorbets fresh but for want of something that, like a fallen leaf, will break down with relative ease, we settled for the cardboard tab. A little old fashioned maybe, but at least we can rest assured, knowing that the lids of our sorbet pots will never end up choking the roots of Britain's hedgerows. Where do the fruits we use in our premium sorbets come from? Having purchased a small farm near the foothills of the San Cristobal volcano in Nicaragua's Chinandega region, we (myself and Maria, my wife and visionary) decided to grow all that we can on its fertile soils. Mangoes, Calala, Anona, Pitayha, Tamarindo, Granadilla, Zapote, Coyolitos, Pineapples and Guava are just a handful of the fruits we intend to grow there. Apart from the sheer joy of growing at least some of the fruits used in our sorbets, there were other reasons why we chose to set up a farm. First and foremost we shall be able to make sure work practices on the farm meet our high ethical standards. Perhaps equally important however is our expected carbon neutrality on the farm. By harnessing the sun's energy and that of the wind, by modifying all of the necessary machinery (to run on either sugar cane bioethanol or plant oil depending on its fuel type) and by using organic fertilisers exclusively, we will be able to ensure that all of our fruit will be cultivated, harvested and transported in a carbon neutral way, from seedlings to the point at which they are shipped across the Atlantic. Of course even when the trees and vines have reached maturity, we will still have to source a great deal of our fruits from elsewhere around the Globe. Needless to say, if one lives in Great Britain, exotic fruit from tropical climes is anything but local and as the true cost of mineral oil is often not reflected in the price of fruit (Mandarins from Uruguay anyone?), we often encounter less expensive fruit that has travelled more food miles. How foreign fruit, that has travelled so far, can still be competitively priced is simply mind-boggling. At any rate if we can source an identical fruit closer to home, we are normally prepared to pay a premium. That's why we get our Kiwis from Italy, our Calala from Israel, our Mandarins from Spain and our Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Apples, Strawberries, Blackcurrants, Raspberries and end-of-season Plums from Great Britain. From which plants do our stocks of plant oil come from? Rapeseed oil is our current diesel substitute and during sorbet season the fields of yellow everywhere tell us that Brassica Napus is extremely abundant here in Great Britain. Typically we use a splash of bioethanol (to make the oil burn more efficiently so as to produce fewer damaging by-products such as nitrous oxide) and both waste and virgin plant oil in a 75/25 blend respectively. Unlike virgin plant oil that gives rise to Greenhouse Gases during the fertilising, transport and pressing stages, the GGs associated with waste plant oil would occur anyway as a result of our wholly British culinary habits. Our tendency to eat hand cut chips and beer-battered, sustainably-caught fish in coveted restaurants across the land for example, provides ample Green Energy for our machines. In other words, only 25% of the plant oil our machinery consumes can be said to cause the release of fossil fuel CO2 in the course of sorbet production.
It is not perfect, we know, but a temporary measure until our plans of cultivating our own low-yield, fertliser/pesticide-free rapeseed crop on idle land (using our very recently acquired vintage combine harvester and tractor converted to run on rapeseed oil!) are willed into solid reality. Rapeseed however is a relatively susceptible crop, that requires a good source of water and so it is unsuited as a source of fuel for our project in Nicaragua, a country whose dry season spans several months. For want of a plant a little less needy, we have in place plans to grow and extract the oil found in the seeds of Jatropha Curcas, a non food crop that originates from Central America. With a high degree of resistance to pests and aridity it appears to be a crop that, like hardy bioethanol crops such as switch grass, can be left alone to do its thing, supposedly with great success. Why doesn’t LYKEN invest in a wind turbine to solve its energy requirement? In counties such as Hertfordshire, the wind does not always blow. If we lived in Scotland for example then that would be all very fine and dandy, but what if someone yearned for a LYKEN sorbet in London or on the other side of the world? What of the fossil fuel CO2 emissions released in the course of delivering one of our palate-cleansing sorbets if we weren’t so enthusiastic about plant-oil-powered logistics? All the blab about how elegant large turbines seem is complete tosh. Few it seems disagree with us for thinking that large wind turbines look intrusive. When they’re dotted across the horizon, as they often are, they spoil the lay of the land. Offshore and out of sight someone said. Blooming Brassica Napus on the other hand looks bucolic. Our planned turbine In Nicaragua is inconspicuously minute, generating just 2.5 KW of electricity for our most basic requirements (lighting, fans, small industrial ice cream machine etc). Wind turbines also require large amounts of fossil fuel energy input to manufacture and deliver. Sourcing the components (often from around the globe) requires large amounts of fossil fuel to execute and as many of the parts come from overseas there is also the issue of a not-so-insignificant contribution made to a national trade deficit. Our Lister generator conversely was hand built in Gloucestershire, England, using local steel and locally sourced components. Finally, if the (external) cost of building them vis a vis the energy they produce is fairly substantial what are we to do when the wind does not blow. We can’t store it and even if we could we would be... eh... scratching our heads when this multi-storey battery loses its ability to charge properly. The contamination stemming from the release of its contents would wreak havoc on oueco-socialr local ecosystem. Harnessing the energy inherent in photosynthesis (Mother Nature’s throbbing heart) not only helps relieve us of our imminent energy deficit but also serves to remind us that we too are part of Nature’s cycle, that we too are made of carbon and will one day die keeping the cycle ALIVE in the process. The central point here is how we behave in the meantime (i.e. the decisions we make and the energy we choose to use) to ensure that we leave our children a cleaner, brighter environment than the one our parents left us. After all as the wise man once said “we have not inherited the world from our parents, we are merely borrowing it from our children”. How much more rewarding life becomes when we fully appreciate that it is we who possess the power to define our environment and not the other way round. This is not to say that all biofuels are good, far from it! More effective means of selecting only the best crops are the order of the day. But isn’t the jury out on bio-fuels and their value in tackling climate change? First and foremost, LYKEN does NOT advocate felling trees or otherwise uprooting natural habitats to set aside land for growing fuel. We welcome the drive to improve public transport and set new legislation that binds car corporations to the design and manufacture of smaller, more efficient cars. Similarly LYKEN believes the perception of the way we go about our daily lives has to change too. As for the marked increase in the price of food we have seen of late, only idle land and arable land that gives rise to surplus food production should be used for growing fuel, of which there is plenty in many countries where rapeseed is cultivated. Land allocation is linked often to economic mismanagement and therefore can be solved through radical land use planning coupled with precise forecasting and enforcement at government level. If any one thing is culpable for soaring cost of food then it is the fluctuating price of crude oil, a commodity known for its sensitivity to shocks. Like the dead, is crude oil not buried for a reason? Whilst LYKEN views the production and import of environmentally disastrous bio-fuel crops (e.g. palm oil) with the disdain they deserve, we do agree with those who think that in reality most of the propaganda one hears about the menace of bio-fuels is sponsored and promoted by the very mineral oil companies that are holding back any real sustainable solutions for tackling climate change. The sums involved in extracting and selling mineral oil are truly enormous.
It is in their interest, therefore, to systematically marginalise the idea that Nature can - and will – fulfil our insatiable demand for energy. If the problem of our changing climate is left to the transnational oil industrialists and Co, everyone will continue consuming fossil fuels, at a frighteningly rapid rate, in the hope that one day second generation crops, hailed as the only solution to climatic change, will successfully curb a phenomenon that continues to affect our lives in ways that we had not previously imagined. Mother to the elements at her command, Nature will carve a solution of her own if we continue to ignore the unquestionable. Geosphere hydrocarbons, it would seem, are not the be all end all. Can we not then attempt to challenge the idea of fossil fuel dependency (and the notion that plant oil will always be the preserve of tax-dodging-tykes), in the now and not, as many companies seem to think it adequate, in the world of tomorrow? Why do we use a 75/25 blend of waste and fresh biosphere oil? For the time being, we simply haven’t got time to modify our newest addition (our very own combine harvester) and successfully plant and harvest numerous acres of rapeseed on idle land (something that is never far from mind). Waste rapeseed oil forms the basis of our fuel stock for reasons we’ve touched upon. The disadvantage of this oil is that, even after passing through a centrifuge, it is horrendously acidic and so, wishing for our machinery to remain intact, we dilute it with 25% fresh oil. Why plant oil? Apart from anything dinosaur glop is hardly terror-free energy. Whilst the bloodshed in the Middle East stands as a grim reminder of the cost incurred in securing oil stocks and the value we place on mineral oil in modern society, it is surely just the first of a number of wars historians will coin "The Energy World Wars". In fact, when you think about it, these have only arisen so that governments - worldwide - can continue their pandering to those who provide oil-tax-revenue so that we, the consumers, continue to consume their Black Gold in great measure. Plant oils, conversely, appear to be the vanguard of carbon neutrality, provided of course they are extracted from plants grown on uninhabited idle land and are harvested and cultivated exclusively with the aid of plant-oil-powered machinery. The beauty of Nature’s diesel is that it can be used in existing car fleets worldwide (imagine the energy required to replace the globe’s current fleet with solar powered cars!) there being only the relatively small cost of modifying the fuel system. In any case, whichever source of power we eventually choose, cutting global fleets of everything (planes, ships, trains, automobiles, buses, lorries) is now painfully clear. A small price perhaps, for if we are to eliminate the curse of Nature’s erratic and unpredictable behaviour, Rudolf Diesel’s vision (in 1900 at the World Fair he ran his patented engine on peanut oil!) of a plant-oil-driven society can – and should - be resurrected. As to why LYKEN has become a byword for sorbet has nothing to do with its green credentials however. The underlying statement is that of simplicity and superior taste, harnessing Nature’s own sugars and not incorporating sugars that, themselves have been cultivated intensively, requiring much fossil fuel input. In terms of purity alone our divinely indulgent sorbets are matched by no other. But isn't all this talk of green issues just for good PR, a means of green washing your image for heightened sales figures? Whilst LYKEN does not claim to be the solution to climate change, we like to think (and we don't think we are suffering from any misguided delusions) that if more people attempted to reduce their carbon footprint and challenged the notion that only oil can make the world go round, it could be conceived that LYKEN is one of the first of a breed of eco-social corporations set to revolutionize the world as we know it. That we are not just a flash in the pan has yet to be proven however. Regardless of whether we succeed in our mission, the central fact in climate change stays the same - i.e. the scope for real change in our habitual lives (The Holy Grail for tackling climate change) remains substantial. In the meantime at least, we can promote the drive to challenge the perception of the way we live our daily lives. For example if all of us ate less meat there would be more pastureland available for growing fuel [N.B Some would argue that such land should be used to grow food to feed the Third World. Not only does dumping food on to foreign markets undermine what their farmers are trying to do there (thus eliminating their agricultural self-dependency) it encourages dependence on us to feed them]. Also, it is quite likely, for example, that the computer that you are using in this moment requires electricity and currently, producing that electricity causes the release of substantial amounts of geosphere CO2. But before you switch it off there’s a few final points to make, one of which has to do with the conflict between money and the environment, always central to climate change... To do what we do defies business logic and really if either of us were any good in all-things-corporate, we’d a) use cheap, conventional energy and b) welcome a warmer climate with open arms because we’d sell more pots of sorbet! So why do we do what we do using biosphere oil? Because life is short and we don’t want to see our children and the multitudes that are coming, grow up in a filthy, hot, toxic world. In the meantime, the variable costs of producing sorbet (i.e. powering our machinery with Biosphere oil and not electricity generated from other non-renewable means) are hefty to say the least. Where exactly are these vast tracts of land needed to grow the millions of acres of plant oil required to power the global transport fleet? Just as that vast continent Asia has most of the geosphere’s tapped and untapped oil reserves, so too must plant oil be grown there on idle land in places like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Siberia on a scale that has never before been witnessed. There will be external costs, sure, as there are in any project that has to do with energy, but the savings (our planet, our children) make these hurdles worthwhile. The crops do not have to be GM nor does this Green Gold have to be cultivated intensively (so that biodiversity reigns supreme) but it does require that for once the nations of this poorly bio-techno hybrid stand together for the common good of the human race, for the survival of the human race! Of course this means infrastructure (both tangible and intangible), multilateral agreements, loads of diplomacy to boot. Or maybe the employees at LYKEN are simply dreaming, for drawing inspiration from Nature, for imagining that, for just one fraction of a moment in time, this could ever happen. |
