The little bit of work I was doing at Womad was being a mentor to a young environmentalist – one Josh Gard.
I’ll come back to Josh in a minute (but he’s the one smiling in the photo above). The event was run by Ecotricity (who supply my electricity and gas – they appear to be one of, perhaps the, greenest energy deals around) and the idea is that four bright school kids tell us all their great ideas in four categories; energy, transport, food and wildlife.
Each of the young greens has an old green to give them a bit of support and help in the run up to the event and on the day itself. So, I was an old green, alongside Robert Llewellyn (yes, he of Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge etc), Nicholas Allan (chef), and Dale Vince (Ecotricity boss).
The four stars, for they were all stars, were Joe Inman (whose idea was rewarding green energy customers to make the whole thing more popular), Martha James (an app to make hitch-hiking (and therefore car sharing) safer and easier, Amara Smith (being vegan is not only good for the climate – it’s fun too) and Josh – we’ll come to Josh in a minute.
Lucy Siegle chaired the whole thing really well – the easy bits and the difficult bits – and it was fun talking to her about Hen Harriers and grouse shooting.
And so to Josh – Josh is a bit of a star. His idea, which might well have been had a little bit by George Monbiot too, was rewilding and there would be no mucking about if Josh were in charge. Look out farmers – Get with the project or get off the land! – might be the message. He was articulate, passionate and witty – and, to a large extent, correct too. All four young people were very good, and they had got to this event through outshining other bright young people.
We old green people, could only admire and applaud.
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Sounds like an amazing thing to be part of (both for the young greens and you oldies!) Is there a video of the event anywhere, those of us who didn’t attend Womad could see?
Thank god for the young, cos us old have really mucked up.
I don’t think the implication that the young are somehow wiser or more caring than the old is true. It is as easy to find a young person who doesn’t give a flying f*ck about the environment and who is only interested in materialistic pleasures as it is with any other age group. Equally, oldies who care deeply about the environment and do their best to help limit the damage we inflict to it are as easy to find as environmentally impassioned youngsters. The reality is that most people of whatever age are insufficiently bothered about wildlife or environmental issues and the great challenge is to somehow change that.
Where young environmentalists do have an advantage over their older fellows is that they have more time and energy left to attack the problem and – since the evidence that there is indeed a problem mounts up inexorably – an ever clearer case with which to persuade the rest of humanity that it is time to do something serious about it.
If we have ‘mucked up’ it is because we were not strong enough to educate the masses! Too often people don’t respond until it is too late but the selling of the Forestry Commission [our land!] was a turning point. You need wins to keep you going.
Really good to read about their important work. The only thing that jarred with me was seeing them drinking water from one-use plastic bottles.
Andy Baird – thanks. There was a thing at Womad where you could buy a water bottle (for £6 I think) and get limitless refills through the three days of the festival – that was a good idea.
Was it passed by Dale Vincent?
His name is Dale Vince.
How long has he been called Vince, Dave?
They are only one use if you only use them once! They are perfectly refillable, then when they get a bit manky you can make little holes in the lids and turn them into mini watering cans to water your seedlings and houseplants. Or you can cut the bottoms off, invert them in the soil in a greenhouse or polytunnel and use them as funnels to get the water direct to the roots of your plants (saves on water). Or you can use them as cane toppers to stop you blinding yourself in said polytunnel. Or you can build a greenhouse from them (bit of a theme coming on here!) I probably could go on…..
But you are right, a jug and some glasses would be better!
Frances – yes, of course. We took our own old Badoit bottles and filled them from taps. But then, I’m keener on beer and wine than water really. Water makes the better tea though.