Even Clouds of Volcanic Ash have Silver Linings

Two days spent indoors during what have been the clearest and brightest days of 2010 left the sun-worshipper in me feeling mildly anxious. The Eco-warrior in me, on the other hand, was pleased to be soaking up the warm company of like-minded people at UK Aware. As the event drew to a close some curious and ironic connections between clear blue skies over London, volcanic ash clouds from Iceland, free merchandise from 10:10 campaigners and a slightly tamer-than-expected exhibition attendance began to reveal themselves. A clear success for its 3rd year running – UK Aware was certainly more than just about buying eco products. Inspiring activists such as founder of The Big Green Idea Brigit Strawbridge, and international environmental lawyer for planetary rights, Polly Higgins, shared their own personal passions with the public. Nevertheless, the footfall during the gathering was somewhat lower than expected. But who can blame potential punters for being drawn away from a conference centre whilst the weather outside was so stunning.
What interested me though was the reason for the skies of London being in such unusually pristine condition – attributed to the absence of vapour trails from the usual flights to and from airports in the capital. According to Plane Stupid this has saved 200,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted by the aviation industry each day that flights were cancelled. This is the same amount that would be produced by 100,000 households in a year! So it seems that the commuter's loss can be the campaigners gain – even if it did dampen the spreading of eco-messages at the UK Aware.
A further irony is added to the situation when we learn that the metal neck tags being handed out at the event to people signing up to 10:10 are made from the jet engine of a British Airways 747 which flew into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung in Indonesia in 1982 – resulting in the failure of all four engines. Read the full story of tags here. With the return of sunny weather and spring flowers to the UK, Mother Nature has put a smile on many faces this week. Many faces will still be frowning at her tremendous ability to bring international travel to a standstill too. It’s time to listen to Mother Nature’s minor grumbles of volcanic indigestion – maybe she’s trying to tell us something about our lifestyle.
Ian Tennant

Willing But Not Necessarily Able

Just before Christmas, I went for coffee with Martin Powell, a twenty-one year old poet from Devon who's work was selected to open the CNN debate on Climate Change at Copenhagen. As Martin explained to me what sparked his interest in global issues, I was immediately struck by his sincerity and genuine concern about the state of our planet. Soon after 9/11, during his early teens, Martin found himself engrossed in the subsequent cascade of military action, but unable to understand the reason why war was breaking out. Brought to tears by the scenes aired on TV, Martin started expressing his feelings through poetry. He kept his poems private for years, until a friend persuaded him to make use of the work. Martin now plans to make a career from poetry and is currently involved in local environmental projects.

Martin's experience is similar to that of many youngsters faced with facts in our society that don't fit the values of kindness and caring so sternly drummed into them as children. As we develop from children, unashamed to question certain ‘accepted truths’, into adults with the ability to discern right from wrong - there is a precious window of time before we become distracted by the need to earn enough money for one's partner, children, dog…and of course white paint for the picket fence. During this time, youths seem more immune to the excuses used to justify war, unfair economics or environmental degradation and many feel an urge to make a real positive change in the world.

However, the question which remains nagging in my mind, is how can this bank of energy be harnessed before emotional detachment sets in? Of course, youth groups, charities and schemes exist to support such willing youngsters, but the impact they are able to make is severely limited by the miniscule resources available to them and the staff running these organisations are required to spend far too much time struggling for the next round of cash. Once again, human values take second place to monetary necessity.

It seems like a no win situation! But, maybe we can look to Bhutan for a key to the economic lock blocking the way. By introducing ‘Gross National Happiness’ values into the educational system Bhutan is restoring balance to their curriculum and giving credibility to those who stand for peace and sustainability. Let’s hope other countries follow their lead so that future generations will be able, as well as willing, to turn things around.

Links:
CNN debate on Climate Change at Copenhagen
Take Action – share your ideas on how we can re-evaluate the way society measures success at Our Future Planet.
Gross National Happiness by Rajni Bakshi

Ian Tennant

Is the Environment Movement Coming of Age?

‘A tale of how it all turned out right’ is the strapline to the latest challenging, but comforting report from the New Economics Foundation (nef). Indeed, there was a strong sense of ‘Yes, we can do it!’ amongst delegates of nef’s Festival of Interdependence last Saturday where the new report, titled The Great Transition was being launched.

The festival drew an impressive 1,400 people, some queuing for over an hour along the Southbank in London on a drizzly October day to enter a derelict OXO factory that served as a shabby chic venue for the gathering. This event marked the launch of The Bigger Picture – an ongoing project and series of events in response to our current crisis.

A broad mix of young and old from all backgrounds were treated to a colourful array of activities. From demonstrations of how to create your own currency to dialogues about the future of food production – laughter, engagement, sincerity flooded the raw, four-storey building – showing that life can be fun in a post-consumerist, sustainable society.

Whilst scientists and renowned environmentalists ring ever louder alarm bells to tell us that time is running out, nef are choosing to focus on the opportunity our current crisis offer us. Reporting some of the surprising impacts of the recession that have allowed many of us to rediscover the happiness of doing things that really matter such as sharing more time with friends, preparing food from scratch and enjoying our local environment.

Unlike a corporate or academic event where delegates attend as part of their job, nef’s Festival of Interdependence appealed to members of the general public and the growing personal desire to explore alternatives to the faltering rat race.

It remains to be seen whether the measures proposed in nef’s report really will create “up to £8.65 trillion of environmental and social value” by 2050. However, the attractive force of nef’s Festival of Interdependence left me feeling confident that more and more people are ready to engage on a deeper level about what sustainability means for their lifestyle. Is the environmental movement coming of age? It appears to me that we’re beginning a transition from the ‘Age of Stupid’ to the ‘Age of Reason’.

Ian Tennant