by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
The Brewery, London, EC2 – Wednesday, February 16. 2011
Great venue and great conference. Still needs a bigger exhibition, though.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that I have livestock to look after I had to leave earlier than I would have like to...
Due to some transport issues and timings I arrived a little late and did not hear the opening speech by Dame Ellen MacArthur in its entirety. I did, however, had the fortune to be able to listen to the panel discussion chaired by Charles Perry of SecondNature Partnership, with Tim Yeo MP, chair of the Parliamentary select committee on climate change and energy; Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party; Sue Clark, corporate affairs director, SABMiller; Dermont Blastland, TUI Travel; Trewin Restorick, director, Global Action Plan.
When it comes to issues on energy Tim Yeo MP is talking, and I am sorry if I do offend him here, out of his rear end the way he keeps harping on and on about how nuclear has to be part – a main part – of the UK's low carbon energy provisions, claiming that nuclear is basically zero carbon. Caroline Lucas, MP (Green Party) at least tried to put him right there but with, I guess, little effect. Nuclear power is not green, it is not zero carbon and not even low carbon. There may be no emissions from chimneys but... and on top of it is the huge water footprint of nuclear power generation. What is it with nuclear that they so love?
Nuclear is not an option as far as low carbon or zero carbon energy is concerned and that not just for the fact that there are carbon emission anyway and that is also true for solar, wind, etc. They all have carbon emission even if not directly. No, nuclear's problem is all that what needs to be in the end as to the decommissioning of power plants and as to the storing of the waste. What's it all about with some politician's love affair with nuclear energy?
Our biggest problem, as others of the panel pointed out, in the UK is our lack of energy efficiency such as in insulation of homes, efficient boilers and furnaces, etc., when compared with other countries of Europe, especially those of Scandinavia and Germany.
During the discussion Sue Clark of SABMiller said that consumer education as to green issues is very important and I would say that education of the consumer, of the general public, is of utmost important as a public educated in all matters green is an educated electorate that can push government into action.
This current British government had such a big mouth as regards to green issues and to the likes of feed in tariff and all that and now? Now they are backtracking on a lot of this and are withdrawing funding from so many important projects to do with renewable energy and other green issues. So much for the greenest government and parliament ever.
In another section of the conference that I have the pleasure attending Tracey Rawling-Church of Kyocera Mita with Paul Pritchard of Royal Sun Alliance were talking on running an energy and resource efficient office and here especially as to printing and document management.
Tracey was saying what I have been saying for years; the “paperless office” is but a delusion and it is not about to happen. In fact, according to research, we are printing more today than we have ever done before, regardless of all the admonitions.
I must say that personally I can see this on a daily basis as to the amount of printing that is done needlessly and single-side only because people do not think and refuse to read an email or a small document on screen and to save the document to the PC. They rather click on “print”. Some in fact do not seem to care at all, often with the attitude that it is not their paper, etc.
While I also like to read documents, longer than, say, four pages, rather in print than on screen and definitely have my books printed and bound an email or a smaller document is read on screen and saved to the computer for future reference.
However, it would seem that we still have a long road ahead here as to that issue.
Unfortunately, I had to shoot off not long after lunch, but not after having a lengthy conversation with my friends of British Loose Leaf, home of Justabox, as I had to attend the chickens at home. Having livestock can be a tie rather, I know, but fresh eggs daily are rather nice though.
© 2011
