I watched the first television programme in the new Andrew Marr series which shows Britain from the air. I found it terrifying: so many people, cars, houses, so much stuff in so little space. Everything was alarming. The huge computerised warehouses full of food rely on thousands of lorries arriving on time to make their collections otherwise the system collapses and the shelves in supermarkets will be empty. Considering the overcrowding on the motorways the chances of them sticking to schedules seems very unlikely. I’m surprised I can ever get my packets of muesli when I want them.
Where are the lakes of sewage that cover acres of our land? We need to know so we can keep well away. We all make jokey comments about the fact that our water has been drunk several times but here was the reality and it wasn’t pleasant. I felt guilty flushing the toilet after watching the amount of waste we create. For some time now I have felt that we all consume far too much and the planet can’t cope so I have restricted my personal consumption and given recycled presents, not indulged in new clothes, shoes [particularly difficult for me], furniture and other durable [supposedly] goods but reducing the amount I buy is one thing, cutting the number of showers I take and how often I use the lavatory is another.
The positive side of this disturbing programme is how clever we are to keep things working as well as we do in this over crowded country. I’m amazed that when I flick a switch the light comes on, that my rubbish is collected and I never see it again, that lettuces are grown, houses built, letters delivered. Can it last?
Andrew Marr seemed full of excitement and awe at what he saw. Hopefully he’ll come to Ways With Words and tell us whether he was secretly terrified too. We’ll get Rob Hopkins of Transition Town Totnes, an expert on peak oil, to give his predictions too. Bad as I felt after watching Britain From The Air it’s all good material for a future Ways With Words event. I realised how ignorant I [and probably many others] are about how the country operates. Hopefully we can offer enlightenment and education at a Ways With Words event on the topic. It’s what the festivals are for.
Ways With Words’ next festival is in Southwold, Suffolk (6 – 10 November).
To see the full programme click here.
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