ABSTRACT
Greening the realm refers to the political project of creating a green state, which has been defined in generic terms as a democratic state whose regulatory ideals and democratic procedures are informed by ecological democracy rather than liberal democracy. The political commitment to sustainable development in the UK began with the 1992 Earth Summit, when the UK government signed up to the UN-sponsored Rio Declaration. Public sector canteens in schools, universities, hospitals, care homes, prisons and the like represent a significant part of the food economy in every country. The prospects for sustainable development under capitalism will clearly also vary from one country to another, depending on the strength of the ecological coalition in the nation-state. Central governments green procurement efforts began by focusing on a small number of products, in particular paper, timber, electrical products and food, where it was believed that some early wins could be secured.
