Wednesday 31 August 2011

Monday 15th August 11, 'Just Do It' film

A good day, a bunch of positive things happened.

Not sure why I woke up when I did but soon after I got a phone call which rang off after I failed to get to it on time, so rang back and it was my Mum, arranging a meeting for a family trip out in their canoe, at the Pocklington Canal, and we needed to fix a date; we're all busy people!  I'll be cycling out to the canoe launch site, Gill and the boys will be collected from Pocklington bus station and have a short car journey to the launch site.  I'm quite looking forward to it!

My computer has had some problems with a loose connection to the power supply, and it has been getting worse, so I visited two local computer shops for a verdict.  One said it would be £80 to go inside and take out the DC port, and £10 to replace it, and £40 for a new power pack, and £40 to £100 for a new battery pack, since that too is old and only gives me 20 minutes battery time.  The other shop said £60 to go into the computer, and £15 to £40 for a power pack (they said they'd look on Ebay) and an unknown price for a battery (again, this shop uses Ebay).  I was a bit dismayed at the potential cost, so I emailed Ben to ask his opinion.  He rang me back quite soon and said that he'd be happy to look at it, to confirm whether he agreed with the diagnosis.  I walked round and left the laptop there and within the hour he'd tightened up the connections inside and done a little re-soldering on the plug which goes into the back of the box.... and the problem is (temporarily) solved!  He wants paying in £10 worth of dried fruit and a £5 note!  Wow!

I then cycled our eldest son over to his friend's house in Fulford, and noticed a pile of waste logs so once son safely delivered, I cycled back past them and brought some back with me.

When, towards 5pm, I went back to pick him up, I collected another load.

I had a bread and soup tea and then towards 7pm headed to City Screen to meet up with Nick, who had agreed to go to see Just Do It with me.  I've been looking forward to this film for quite a while, as it is about a movement I care a lot about, admire, and am, in a small way, part of.  Also, it was really good to see Nick, I'm very fond of him.  We always have great conversations.  And whilst having a pint with Nick, David Ward Maclean came to say hello.

This film is about a group of people I feel close to, people who care enough about our planet to put themselves in situations of personal danger and risk in order to try to highlight the issues and reduce the perceived problems.  I feel close to them not because I do what they do, but because they are equally passionate about the same things.  My way of 'doing direct action' is to live every day of my life in a low carbon, ethical manner, rather than get involved in noisy colourful protests and camps, although I did attend a Climate Camp at Drax.  They may have lifestyles which emit more (or less!) carbon than me, but they get involved in direct action with Climate Camp, Climate Rush, Plane Stupid and other groups and actions.  I have HUGE respect for these people, and the film followed a few of them for a year, including getting busy at the Copenhagen Conference in 2009 and the Vestas factory on the Isle of Wight.

The film was very inspiring and I hope moves people to get involved with actions which have positive effects for future generations of people and other species on this planet.  I believe that anthropogenic climate change is the biggest challenge that Humanity is facing, and in order to turn the problem round, we have to not only drastically reduce the rate of CO2 emissions, which continue to rise year by year, but we should find ways to reduce the actual amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which has risen from a generally accepted 270 parts per million pre Industrial Revolution, to 392ppm today, primarily because of the amount of fossil carbon we're emitting through burning fuels, plus the reduction in forested land and increase in other activities which emit CO2, such as draining peat bogs.  So far, there is no tried and tested way of sequestering atmospheric carbon in the amounts needed to reduce the concentration..... but we need to stop emitting so much as a starter!

After the screening, Emily James the Director answered questions, and there was a chap from the Free Frank Fernie campaign too. I was amused when Emily noticed someone filming this speaker and was holding the camera on 'portrait', and she grabbed the camera and turned it to 'landscape' which, as she is a film-maker, she knows gives a much better picture. 

I loved Just Do It.  I think it will be a testament to those who heeded warnings and took the action they thought necessary.  Whether they/we are successful in these endeavours, only history will tell. 

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