On Thursday, June 13th, Triple Bottom Line Accounting co-hosted a thought-provoking movie screening of ‘Six Inches of Soil’ at the prestigious UEA Enterprise Centre in Norwich, UK. The event, which included an exhibition, refreshments, a film screening, and a panel discussion, brought together local farmers, industry experts, academics, and sustainability enthusiasts to engage in a vital dialogue about the future of our food system.
‘Six Inches of Soil’ is a unique film that chronicles the inspiring journeys of three British farmers—Anna Jackson, Adrienne Gordon, and Ben Thomas. It showcases their courageous stand against the industrial food system and their transformative farming practices. The film, directed by Colin Ramsay of Dragonlight Films and produced by Claire Mackenzie of Springtail Productions, offers a compelling narrative of these farmers’ regenerative journeys, enriched with insights from seasoned mentors and experts dedicated to changing the trajectory of food, farming, and the planet.
The panel discussion that followed the screening was a significant part of the event. It featured Colin Ramsay (Film Director, Six Inches of Soil), Dr Azam Lashkari (Postdoc Agroecologist, JIC), Jez Fredenburg (AgriFood4NetZero), and Glenn Anderson (Norfolk Farmer, Wendling Beck Nature Recovery Project). The discussion was a platform to address the pressing need for systemic change in our food system, making it a crucial part of the event.
During the panel discussion, a important question was raised about the affordability of quality food in the face of austerity and the cost-of-living crisis. Colin Ramsay, the Film Director of ‘Six Inches of Soil ‘, shared insightful perspectives. He pointed out that high rents rather than food costs primarily drive the current crisis and that, as a society, we don’t spend enough on quality food. With supermarkets dominating 95% of the food supply and processed foods contributing to the health crisis and rising NHS costs, saving our soil and transforming the food system are essential components of a much-needed systemic rethink.
The event, hosted in the award-winning UEA Enterprise Centre—the first large-scale building in the UK with both Passivhaus and BREEAM Outstanding certifications—reflected a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. The TBLA Ltd team was also present to discuss their triple bottom line accounting services for sustainable organisations, ranging from traditional accounting to carbon accounting, reduction planning, net zero advisory, and sustainability reporting requirements.
As we confront the challenges of an unsustainable food system, events like the ‘Six Inches of Soil’ screening are not just informative, but they also empower us to make a difference. They play a central role in fostering community, sharing knowledge, and inspiring change. By bringing diverse stakeholders together and facilitating essential conversations, we can work towards a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for our food, health, and planet. The audience, including you, has a significant role to play in this journey.
Triple Bottom Line Accounting are Accountants for the Six Inches of Soil Film.
Many thanks to all involved in organising the event, including the panel above, Dr Natasha Grist of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development; Creative East; RIN (Research and Innovation Services), UEA; and the team at The Enterprise Centre, UEA.If you’re interested in learning more about local initiatives in this area, please check out the work of the new Sustainable Food Norwich initiative here: https://nisd.ac.uk/sfp-norwich/. On their webpage is a searchable map of local initiatives working on sustainable food. There are local veg gardening initiatives, food poverty and diet projects, sustainable food businesses, food waste initiatives and more. They work with UEA, developing action research projects as well. Sustainable Food Norwich will also be at the Norfolk Show in the UEA marquee on Weds and Thursday, 26-27 June, if you’re there and want to drop in for more of a chat. You can also get involved by volunteering, supporting local sustainable food businesses, or advocating for policy changes that promote sustainable farming and food systems.
Fran joined TBLA in 2019 after a long career in teaching. Her roles include human resources management, ESG and Marketing. During 2020 and 2021 she developed the TBLA Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impact service. As part of the process, she has carried out an impact analysis of the TBLA social and governance profile and a whole company carbon calculation with accompanying target setting, carbon reduction action plan and impact narrative. Fran is now working alongside the growing ESG team to help more SMEs plan for Net Zero around the UK. Fran is also on the board of the Norwich Business Climate Leaders hoping to accelerate the transition to Net Zero.
