Team Green Britain

"We are completely divorced from the food chain," laments Fergus. And this state of affairs so annoyed the 25-year-old, from Camuscross, on the Isle of Skye, that he set about an unusual - and fun - idea to re-connect the community to its local food production: he invented a bicycle-powered grain grinding mill.

His two-wheeled friend - donated by a local bicycle cooperative - is simple to use: it is attached to a hopper which gets filled with grain and, inside, grinding stones do their thing as the pedals are worked. Just three minutes of effort produces enough flour for a large loaf.

Having grown up on his parents' croft, "surrounded by pigs, hens, sowing and weeding", Fergus is familiar with self-sufficiency. But it was a visit to Italy that sparked his quirky idea. Over there, 95% of bread is made by artisan bakers; here in the UK, 98% of loaves are factory-made using energy-intensive processes and additives.

 "When you use human power, rather than just flicking a switch, you make a connection; you see for yourself how much energy it takes to produce flour from wheat," says Fergus. Those who've tried the cycle - which Fergus has been busily taking to various events around the country - also get something back: "There's a real sense of pride," he says, "they look behind them and say: 'wow, did I make all that?'"

The project has also encouraged Fergus to reach out and make connections among like-minded networks. "With blogs, forums and organisations like Team Green Britain, spreading the word is so easy now," says Fergus. "And it's really important to keep doing that."