COTSWOLD Feature
Eco Warrior
Louis Weston-O’Neill was named environmental champion at the recent Stroud Town Council Awards. Sue Bradley meets the enthusiastic 13-year-old.
TEENAGER Louis Weston-O’Neill isn’t hanging about in his efforts to make a difference to the world around him. He was a member of Greenpeace at the
tender age of five and the youngest food producer at the not-for-profit co-operative Stroudco by the time he was 13. Now he has added an accolade to his
impressive credentials after he was named the young environmental champion at the 2013 Stroud Town Council Awards. Yet, as he chops garlic for his next batch of
three chilli sauce for Stroudco, Louis remains modest about his achievements. “I am very interested, passionate even,
about environmental issues,” he says. “I try and grow as much of my own food as
I can and I’m the youngest food supplier at Stroudco; I think these were the two main reasons why I won the award.” Louis, who lives in Stroud with his mum,
Claudia, dad Eamonn and sisters Maya, six, and Esmee, nine, started making his three chilli sauce after trying a similar product at a friend’s house and deciding to have a go at himself. After trying a few variations, he hit on a
flavour combination ‘for pasta, potatoes and pretty much anything else you want to add a spicy kick to’, as it says on his jars. “My grandmother is Filipino and they eat
lots of chili and spices over there,” explains Louis, who has twice been to the Philippines. “I learned to cook by watching my mum,
Claudia, and my lola (grandmother, pronounced loola).” He’s currently developing a new product; a
salad dressing that he plans to sell through Stroudco. Louis has been learning about growing
vegetables from family friend and Stroudco founder Nick Wier, who has an allotment in Summer Street. “I am trying to grow onions and I have
potatoes, radishes and broad beans,” he says proudly. “I believe it’s better to try and grow things
yourself rather than relying on vegetables from the supermarkets, which are often grown in hot countries and have to be flown over on a plane, which takes a lot of oil. “Once the vegetables get to the
supermarket, all the ones that are too large, too small or too knobbly are thrown away. “Of course, vegetables grown locally taste
better too; they’re fresher and haven’t been sitting around on a supermarket shelf or on a plane for too long. “Sometimes we have no option to go to
supermarkets but as a family we try and buy as much as we can from Stroudco.” When he’s not cooking or gardening Louis,
who along with his sisters is home educated, keeps himself busy by reading up on environmental matters through the Internet and Greenpeace, of which he was at one time the youngest ever member. And the family often cycles or walks when
46 COTSWOLDESSENCE | September - November 2013
they want to go somewhere. “I talked to Louis about the environment
from quite an early age, although I started to hold back a bit after a while because he was getting quite worried about what I was saying about the world,” explains Claudia. “It was a lot for a pair of young shoulders
to take on. “Since then he has learned things about the
environment by himself, purely by being interested. “His Greenpeace membership was a
Christmas present from his great grandfather, who recognised his passion for environmental matters.” As well as keeping up with national and
international issues, Louis has campaigned on local matters, such as the threat of a flood-lit astro-turf being built close to a friend’s home and the planned incinerator at Javelin Park. “I think it’s important to use your voice
and to let the authorities know if something isn’t right,” he says. “If you don’t say anything, who knows where it will stop.” As for the future, Louis is undecided on a
career. “I quite like the idea of making a sea stead
– a floating city on the sea – possibly using an old oil rig or something like that,” says Louis. “I’d also like to make fire works –
environmentally friendly fireworks made out of waste materials of course.”
www.cotswoldessence.co.uk
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