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ESS, the government services arm of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has partnered with Incredible Edible – a network of 6,000-plus volunteers growing food for their communities on disused plots of land in the UK and globally.
ESS aims to work with the network to accelerate the growth of the grassroots movement, which brings people together to create locally grown produce – supporting local economies and tackling climate change.
The move aligns with Compass Group’s pledge to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its own operations and its value chain by 2030. The organisations will collaborate on projects “to promote the power of small, scalable actions to initiate change”.
ESS has been introducing community gardens on its estate since the beginning of the year, working with its clients to transform available land into allotments. The first such project was begun at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, home to the Royal School of Military Engineering.
Mark Webster, managing director of ESS Defence, Energy and Government Services, said: “The gardens we’ve introduced on our estate so far have been met with great enthusiasm by our colleagues, customers and clients. We’ve seen an increased interest in the provenance of our ingredients, as well as reported mood-boosting effects of working on the sites. We can’t wait to extend the model across more of our estate and we have a lot to learn from Incredible Edible along the way!”