Mon 09 Oct 23
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Should we all be giving up meat and dairy if we’re to have a hope of avoiding dangerous climate breakdown?
This is the central question that will be explored by our expert panel during this event taking place under Gaia, the spectacular Earth artwork by Luke Jerram.
The evening will commence with a viewing of ‘Food for Thought’, a film by Cornwall Climate Care that looks at the undeniable environmental impacts of modern animal agriculture as well as some of the Cornish initiatives underway to mitigate them – and the role that some livestock systems may play in combating climate change.
Following this, you’ll get to hear the perspective of our climate experts, including Chris Jones, Becky Willson and Claire Wallerstein (biographies below), on the themes raised in the film, before having the chance to ask questions directly.
Tickets are £10.00 per person and will be available on the door.
Ticket price includes a drink on entry with all funds raised directly supporting the care and upkeep of Truro Cathedral.
Doors open 18:30 for a 19:00 start.
Biographies
Chris Jones
Chris Jones is a farmer from mid-Cornwall who, through growing concern about the climate and ecological crises, has drastically changed his methods of farming.
He now farms organic beef cattle, using agroecological methods to benefit both his livestock and biodiversity. He is also passionate about the need to build up healthy soils, which could act as one of the planet’s most important tools for drawing down carbon dioxide.
Concerned about increasing flooding in his neighbouring village, Chris also became the first person to bring beavers back to Cornwall, in 2017. These natural flood engineers have not just slowed down the water flowing off his land, but have also brought countless other benefits for nature.
Becky Wilson
Becky has been working in agricultural resource management for the last 15 years. She has been working at FCT since January 2024, and prior to that worked at Duchy College’s Rural Business School running applied research projects focussing on soil health, carbon sequestration and manure management. Becky is involved in on-farm projects including the Farm Net Zero project – aimed at supporting farmers to showcase the positive ways that they can contribute to climate targets, and the soil carbon project, the biggest on-farm research project measuring soil carbon sequestration and soil health parameters.
Whilst not down a hole taking soil samples, Becky lives in Devon with her two children, where she runs a community farm working with local people to produce healthy and low-carbon food
Claire Wallerstein
Claire is director of the award-winning charity Cornwall Climate Care, which is producing a series of documentaries to build local understanding of and response to the climate crisis.Claire has previously worked as a translator, print and radio reporter, author and press officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
She also founded and for many years ran Rame Peninsula Beach Care, a Cornish beach cleaning and marine plastic campaign charity, and was a crewmember on the 2018 Sail Against Plastic expedition to Svalbard, studying the impact of plastic pollution on the remote Arctic.
Claire and her family had to evacuate their home for six weeks following the devastating storms that hit the Cornish coast in 2014, and which were calculated to have been made over 40% more likely due to climate change.
