Comments from Film Showing:
End of Suburbia
More and better public transport in Penwith • Community food production • There’s a lot can be done to use energy more efficiently, cycling is one. But also technology can be and is being developed that will make power station considerably more efficient • A stimulating and inspiring film! • While the film was set in America, there are a lot of parallels with the UK. I think we are better prepared in Cornwall as most of our communities have not been designed around the automobile • We need to consider that Cornwall is becoming very attractive as a green destination, and what this will mean • Agree there will be a more sustainable community/world eventually (I hope) – but I am concerned there will be chaos, social unrest and environmental difficulties before then – I don’t think we are ready for that, and so we will not come through it as easily as we might if we were • The RDA would be an excellent audience for this video – it should in fact be required viewing • Interestingly the permaculature magazines are now shifting from saying “do your own thing and make your patch/lifestyle more sustainable” to “ensure everyone knows how because your tiny sustainable patch will be very “desirable” because of its very sustainability • If no-one else has the skills and it won’t be able to feed/sustain everyone – get the skills out there so everyone can do it, rather than crashing into the tiny patches of sustainable methodologies in a blind panic and trashing them. The more of us know about this and are preparing for it, the safer we will all be • What is the sustainability of the Urban idyll versus the original market town concept. Effectively large cities completely separate the people in them from the countryside around. Market towns never did this since everyone from the surrounding area used them as much as the townsfolk and vice versa. Unfortunately mega cites are here to stay so we have to work with what we have got. Luckily in Cornwall we don't have any - yet! • The key issue with sustainable development is that everything is connected. Unfortunately that means you have to analyse every angle and it all becomes so complicated that everyone gives up (paralysis by analysis!) and retreats into just trying to fix problems in isolation. This often results in causing more damage somewhere else. You need a plan - we all need a plan! • I note with satisfaction that the old council planning department is now rebadged 'Sustainable Development' which is great but is it more than just a rebranding exercise • There is an incredible amount of misunderstanding and misinformation about the possible role of renewable in all this. Partly because the media has given everyone the expectation that they can understand very complex issues in no more than five minutes. The media also loves to stir everything up into black and white confrontation and this does not help the debate. Hopefully the series of events you are organising will help to give people at least the basic knowledge that they need to make informed decisions • Mayan prophecies say the current world will end on the 22nd December 2012. The world of movement will give way to the world of consciousness – read some Maurice Cotterrell • Carbon neutral in 5 years – greenwash or progress? If the latter, and Tesco etc follow, does this further reinforce their oligopolies? • Bring back the horses • The doom and gloom for me is the ridiculous fantasy world we live in now. Less oil yes! Bring it on! Lets go fishing and grow our own food. Good hard work • and horses • force someone from Penwith District Council to attend the next showing of this film • Musical walking bus. To make this more fun. Need workshops to learn enjoyable routines e.g. rap, part-singing, whistles, simple percussion. Interbus ./ school competition. Much more fun than mummy driving the 4 x 4 to school. Mike.Williams@btinternet.com • 5000 new houses for Truro – sustainable criteria – who decides? • Thank you. Its an organising task to see the bigger picture and to stay optimistic. Its wonderful that you are providing something at a local level. • Reference my persimmon home “there is no demand for sustainable housing” SW Sites Directory! • We need joined up Government i.e. when you ask for planning permission for wind power for instance, the planning department should grant permission even in an area of conservation. When will the local politicians, officials catch onto the fact that the matter is urgent and we have to think differently • Using local materials for building and making • Central government did nothing so I looked to the region, the region did nothing so I looked to the county, the county did nothing so I looked to the district, the district did nothing, so I will do it myself • Help! The last quote I had for solar panels was £7 – 9,000! How can I go ‘green’ on Cornish wages? sterrenvor@aol.com • ditto nolajacinta@hotmail.com • web 2.0 Blog / Mapping / Green Activist Populus • A plus point – Cornwall still has enough market towns to “survive” if we work at it. Cities?! • Encourage the people you know – friends, family – to use less energy! Monitor your consumption and set targets for reduction • Biogas plant in Penwith would be possible johnt@eco-op.coop 0781 122 6545 • get used to eating potatoes! • Its good to meet people • Planning department to look more favourably on alternatives i.e. turbines and solar panels • Gardening in school. Educating our young. Introduce to the teaching staff. May new schools bloom • Peak Oil at school • Exert more public insistence to make planning departments more sympathetic to renewable energy (re installations of solar and wind turbines – esp for small rural community projects). New build houses should have to attain statutory levels of insulation, renewable materials, and heat and energy sources – far above the present levels • Hear, hear! • There is still a lot of arable land on farms in Cornwall to produce oil seed crops between early potatoes and grain crops • Sustrans Cornwall Lindley Owen 01726 627929 www.sustrans.org.uk • Can anyone help me set up a folk craft school in West Cornwall? Old tools, old methods. Reuben 07746 391819 • I think these evenings are good ideas. I think (personally, can’t speak for anyone else) that we can make more of the networking, solutions etc. Maybe we should have a laptop and voice recognition software here • We need to reach more factions of the community and ‘sell’ the changes needed on stable economic grounds • Local energy production. Tree planting. Local government leadership and funding