This looks like an interesting new documentary on nuclear power and alternative energy:
"The atomic bomb and meltdowns like Fukushima have made nuclear power synonymous with global disaster. But what if we’ve got nuclear power wrong?
An audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, PANDORA’S PROMISE asks whether the one technology we fear most could save our planet from a climate catastrophe, while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty.
In his controversial new film, Robert Stone tells the intensely personal stories of environmentalists and energy experts who have undergone a radical conversion from being fiercely anti to strongly pro-nuclear energy, risking their careers and reputations in the process."
During this term, we have been collecting simple actions that each of us can do to make a difference to the world we live in. Ryan has kindly typed these up, so here we have a top 25 Everyday Tips for Ordinary Radicals.
Switch your energy provider to one that uses more renewables.
“Soap-up” before running shower.
Cut down on petrol ‘fill-ups’ (conserve fuel).
Allotment sharing, or collective sharing of your fruit and veg harvest.
Do some gardening for the elderly in exchange for growing fruit and veg in their garden.
Make your own cleaning products for bathroom / kitchen / glass / floors (lemons and limes have natural cleaning properties).
Buy organic food.
Recycle.
Walk or cycle to places rather than driving.
Don’t waste paper - use portable electronics rather than printing things out that you only need once.
Reuse old paper by tearing it into quarters and using it for shopping lists and fridge notes.
Research the ethics of your supermarket. Consider switching to Waitrose, M&S or Sainsburys.
Make your own clothes.
Get involved in clothes swaps.
Shop at charity shops - supports people in need and extends the life of discarded clothing. The ones that in affluent areas often have top fashion labels and barely worn items!
Convert car engines into being fuelled by recycled vegetable oil from restaurants (bit more effort but great idea!)
Don’t get a lawn mower – get a goat! You get a mowed lawn without the cost of fuel plus regular milk - what's not to like?! To be fair, this probably isn't too practical for most of us, but Urban Shepherding is a real thing. Perhaps a more practical response is to share a lawn mower with your neighbour - after all, how many mowers does one street need?
At the end of our last gathering, Victoria challenged us to commit to doing one of these by the next time we meet. We'll be looking forward to hearing what people get up to when we meet in November.
Last Wednesday, some of us went along to a panel discussion inspired by the forthcoming Rio+20 World Summit. The speakers - including Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Rt Rev Peter Price, Bishop of Bath and Wells - were asked to speak on the subject of 'the world I want to see' and then engaged in a lively Q&A session. Sara, Lizzie and Sam were tweeting avidly, so you can find more by looking up the #FaithinRio hashtag on Twitter.
First to speak was Caroline Spelman MP, who began with a review of what has and hasn't been achieved since the original Rio World Summit in 1992:
"[The original Rio Earth Summit]was a turning point in the way the world looks at the links between the environment, development, and the economy. There has been progress on poverty alleviation, with significant improvements in access to water, education and healthcare in all regions of the world. Many businesses have embraced sustainability issues, and renewable energy has grown substantially.
Yet substantial challenges remain. Approx 1.4 billion people around the world still live in extreme poverty and those who were the poorest 20 years ago are still the poorest now. Environmental degradation continues, and sustainability has not been integrated fully into economic decision making."
Spelman highlighted that in just three year's time there will be an extra one billion mouths to feed. By 2030, DEFRA forecasts that water, food and energy will all be stressed. Each of these are potential flashpoints for conflict as well as sources of suffering. We do not have the luxury of time; we need Rio+20 to hasten change that benefits the most disadvantaged. But growth should be about more than just raising GDP, she said; well being and quality of life should also be indicators of success. For these reasons, the minister pledged that the UK would to push for a meaning set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be agreed in Rio.
DEFRA have posted her whole speech on their website, so you can read what she said in full if you are interested.
Next up was Steve Waygood of Aviva who spoke on the need for better corporate social responsibility within the global business community. He said that consumer power was an important way for the masses to shape the behaviours of the multinationals, but since
"90% of the data on business responsibility is missing [from public scrutiny]"
holding businesses to account and making informed investments is hard. To solve this, Aviva are leading a broad coalition of businesses and other stakeholders to pushing for corporate accountability and sustainability. At Rio+20 they will be seeking agreement on a transparency framework to that will reveal the true state of an organisation's corporate sustainability. As Waygood himself put it:
"Corporations should deploy their vast resources to improve lives, not just profit margins. Paying tax is just the start."
Third in the line up was Nanette, a lady working with CAFOD in the Philippines. She spoke about the importance of meaningful collaboration between communities, local government and local church to effect sustainable development, identifying that:
"ordinary people, anointed leaders and elected leaders need to take on responsibility and accountability."
She was especially keen to stress that sustainable growth must be socially just; Rio+20 must not be about developed countries making decisions about developing countries without their say or involvement. In the same way, she argued that while the Green Economy held great promise for the development of underdeveloped parts of the world, to deliver change that benefits local communities and not just shareholders, those green technologies should be in the hands of local communities, not the multinational corporations.
The presentations closed with a rousing statement from the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who spoke with great passion, challenging Christians to stand against poverty, the arms trade and the military industrial complex. He encouraged those present not to fritter away their potential but rather to spend their lives doing something that changes the world. After all:
"We can't just have a concern for poverty," he said, "we have to act to end it."
Watch the Bishop's speech in full:
Throughout the presentations and the Q&A that followed, we were reminded that the impact of climate change is not a future problem; for many in the developing world it is a real problem today. It was clear that amid financial meltdown in Europe, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and political scandals at home, keeping sustainable global development and the ambitions of Rio+20 high on the public agenda is going to be a struggle. Struggle we must however, for as Caroline Spelman identified in her closing statement, the charge we have is to leave the planet in a better condition that we received it.
Sara has highlighted an interesting event that is taking place next Wednesday at Methodist Central Hall. This is not a usual evening for JM gatherings, so some of you will have other commitments, but if any of you would like to join us in going along, please let Sara know so she can arrange seats. Alternately, contact Tearfund directly and we'll see you there! Some information about the event is below.
"Ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Progressio and Tearfund are organising a public discussion, considering the distinctive arguments and solutions offered by Christian perspectives to the vital topics for debate at Rio+20.
The event will take place on Wednesday 23rd May in Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH (Tube: Westminster, St James) at 6.30pm."
Interested in reducing your electricity bills, finding about green energy efficient solutions and reducing your carbon footprint, not just for your own home or business but even for our Borough? Yes? Then don't miss this FREE event by Energise Barnet- taking place on 28th May from 6.30 to 8.30 pm.
If you are a politically aware or socially concious young adult, does that make you unusual?
"The Futures Company has quite strong views on Millennials, which have been covered in posts here in the past. So when I noticed an academic paper from San Diego State University, which argued – on the basis of a 30-year tracking study – that Millennials (the generation born in the late ‘80s or so) are much less politically and environmentally engaged than previous generations – it seemed to be fuel for the fire."
