Silke Schlusnus is ‘‘not just putting bread on the table’’.
Her sourdough bakery Echt is doing it sustainably while constantly striving to minimise its carbon footprint.
Ms Schlusnus arrived in New Zealand from Germany two decades ago, working as an occupational therapist.
But when she became a mother, she felt things had to change.
She and her partner wanted one nurturer to be there for their two boys, so she had taken that role.
‘‘So, I had the luxury of growing a business.’’
It was a home business she worked strictly around her sons, not away from them.
With her growing concern about climate change, she decided to combine her love of baking with her love for the planet.
The Sixth Assessment Report, released this month by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), found that human-induced climate change was now influencing weather and climate extremes across the globe, and that warming was happening at a frightening pace.
Her fears had been confirmed.
While she felt climate change was scary, ‘‘I do believe we can all contribute to making our community stronger in preparation for challenges. And even if no disaster strikes, making connections, knowing where our food comes from and caring about people and the future can’t be a waste of time’’.
Ms Schlusnus collected spray-free flour from Timaru’s local mill and organic grain from a farm in Methven, which she took home to mill herself. There was an extra cost to the bread for environmentally conscious flour, but she felt the money was well-deserved for the farmers, who were making better choices for the planet.
While not all of her products could be organic or spray-free she tried as much as she could.
She said things like online shopping prevented people from bumping into their neighbours or friends while running errands or picking up supplies — the opposite of her collection days from her porch.
‘‘People chit chat while they pick up their goods.’’
Customers also brought their fresh produce to share with her and others.
She said over the years she has watched some of her customers’ babies grow into children, and had been a part of the ups and downs in their lives.
She had made extra bread for when they had family to visit, and met those family members at subsequent visits.
With Covid-19 and weather events over the years, ‘‘we’ve shown how we pull together. And consciously choosing locally grown and locally made food — minimising carbon, food miles, and plastic — will help to create those networks and resilience’’.
Community was not only important to us, it was important for sourdough too.
‘‘It’s a community of bacteria and yeasts. Every different community member thrives under different conditions.’’
‘‘Nothing in the community should be overly dominant.’’
All of the microorganisms got a turn to work to their strength, ‘‘rewarding us with a more balanced and gut friendly loaf of bread’’.
‘‘Slowness is the key.’’
