Adela in England

'Alternative Taxis'

2011-10-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

British mounted police officers on standby in central Reading.

It's interesting how horses are often used to intimidate, in riot control.

FoE Conference

2011-09-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, 9 - 11 September, I joined Friends of the Earth supporters at the 40th Anniversary Conference, in Nottingham.

There were several highlights worth mentioning. From the fabulous line-up on Friday night of FoE ex-directors in conversations with Andy Atkins (current Executive Director), to Kate Pickett (renowned author of The Spirit Level - definitely a must-read! see review) rounding off Conference with a thoughtful analysis of inequalities in society and the problems that stem from this.

In between there were seminars from a wide range of speakers, training sessions, workshops, discussions, stalls, awards, some funky dancing, and lots of networking and laughing.

Andy Atkins joined Tony Juniper, Charles Secrett, Tom Burke and Jonathon Porritt, former Directors of Friends of the Earth, who offered their opinions and analysis of the current campaigning context and shared anecdotes illustrating the past. Chaired by Elaine Gilligan.

It was fantastic to meet Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, Coordinator of Environment Rights Action Nigeria and one of 'Time' magazine's environmental heroes 2009.

At one of the seminars that I attended - 'Natural choice - putting a price on biodiversity?' -, Britain's eco-warrior Tony Juniper and several other speakers explored new ideas on biodiversity protection and how to convert public passion for nature into action to halt biodiversity loss.

One of the funniest moments at Conference - probably second after 'Mafia', the game - was the Vegetable Awards Ceremony. A few green fingered activists participated in the Green Fair and won prizes in these categories of the vegetable growing competition: Weirdest shape | Loveliest vegetable | Biggest vegetable (now that I think of it, I'm not even sure which category the chilli above won, words were eclipsed by laughter :-) ).

Young Friends of the Earth were obviously present at Conference, with our yellow Push Europe banner, promoting the 1 Penny UK campaign (aka 1 Cent campaign in other European countries). Want to find out how to make a difference with a single Penny? Then transfer it to the climate change ministry account, demanding ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets :-)

[in the photo above : Jonny Worthington, graphic designer :-) ]

Candlelit Vigil for the NHS

2011-09-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today, by lighting candles, people across the country showed their concern for the future of the NHS. UNISON members in Reading and members of the local community gathered outside the Royal Berkshire Hospital to tell the local MPs they shouldn't vote for the bill that will lead to the break-up of the NHS.

People are concerned about the Government plans to sell off large chunks of the health service to the private sector, which would make it easier for people who can afford it to jump the queue - forcing the rest to wait longer for treatment.

Earlier this year a young rapper calling himself MC NxtGen has posted a caustic critique of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's proposed NHS reforms. "Andrew Lansley, greedy! Andrew Lansley, tosser!" runs the refrain of his rap, dedicated 'highly personally' to the health minister. His video went viral!

Reading Pride

2011-09-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Reading Pride annual gay festival showcases diversity and encourages acceptance, aiming to develop an environment in favour of LGBT equality.

The "free-to-enter" event has been so incredibly colourful! from rainbow gates to free rainbow-swirl lollipops! ^^

...even canine companions had a rainbowy outfit.

Not just colouristically speaking, a Green has been at the centre of the RAINBOW: Rob White, Reading's first Green Councillor.

YFoE Summer Camp

2011-08-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yorkshire, 19-21 August

Young people from across the UK came together to hold the first Young Friends of the Earth summer camp.

For this gathering, tents, sleeping bags and all necessary camping equipment travelled all the way to Mytholmroyd, in Yorkshire.

The campsite was in a beautiful and very tranquil location, at Jerusalem Farm.

The aim? To push a whole continent - and we're not talking plate tectonics here.

On the last day we went for a walk up onto a lovely nature reserve...

...following a path out into open moorland with spectacular views across Ovenden Moor to Ovenden Moor wind farm.

High on the moors is Yorkshire's great wind farm - 23 turbines in total. To walk through a wind farm, among the grazing sheep, can be utterly peaceful.

The surprise for most people is the silence of the great machines (although the wind on its own more than compensates) - you'd have to stand immediately below a turbine to actually hear a sound that could be defined as 'noise' (and it depends on the ear listening!).

Some blades were lying on the ground. So they were thoroughly examined by Young FoE - both exterior...

...and interior surfaces.

And action!

As the others moved around with banners and signs spelling out different messages, I took some photos for a stop-motion video.

one climate - one planet - one future

The aim of this summer camp is to support the ‘Push Europe’ campaign for greater greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and millions of green jobs. To commit to the reductions in CO2 that scientists say are needed to keep our planet safe from dangerous climate change, Europe must cut at least 40% of emissions by 2020 without offsetting.

Time is ticking out.

Not another wedding photo

2011-08-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

This is a first.

Back-up'ed a friend - not a wedding photographer, not a photographer actually - at a wedding in Pangbourne, south Oxfordshire. It wasn't a green wedding or a freeconomy wedding, but I did it because my friend needed help. And to see what a British wedding is like. And for fun too... ^^
(-; Scrap all those formal shots! :-)

So the wedding day went like this:

When we arrived at the bride's house, Jess, the bride, was walking around in pyjamas and bridal veil.

Bride, bridesmaids, all Ms.-es in the house were hedonistically busy - the hair frenzy was unfurling.

The iconic piece of clothing... - technically, the décolletage is the most essential element to assess ;-)

Cinderella gracefully descending the stairs.

"NO, don't, don't do it!" ;-) warning in front of the hotel where the ceremony was taking place.

All, those, colourless, monotonous, formal, family, shots, followed. Not this one.

Who said our animal friends could not be invited?! ;-)

Want to have fun and get dizzy without a drop of alcohol? Then join the littluns and run round the wedding cake ^^

I've never done weddings. Visually speaking, I have never imagined it could actually be entertaining.

The Idler

2011-08-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

@ The Idler Academy, London

Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler, is interviewed by Ben Reynolds, editor of The Jellied Eel.

Hodgkinson has contributed articles to The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times as well as being the author of 'How To Be Idle', 'How To Be Free' and 'The Idle Parent'.

Lizzy, Tom's daughter, reads a children's book during the interview.

Idling to him is not really about being lazy but, instead, more about creating your own existence and doing what you love to meet your needs; to essentially find, or create, work that feels like play.

'Brave Old World: A Practical Guide to Husbandry, or the Fine Art of Looking After Yourself' is Tom Hodgkinson's account of life on a smallholding in Devon. As reviewed by the Ecologist:

"For those who still believe the Idler is about laziness, it may come as a surprise to learn that Idler editor and Ecologist columnist Tom Hodgkinson has written a book about his experiences of running a smallholding. All that digging, mucking out animals and chopping wood sounds suspiciously like hard work. But since the Idler philosophy isn’t about avoiding work per se – rather dodging meaningless toil – it makes sense of a sort. It’s about freedom rather than wage-slavery, creative thrift instead of mindless drudgery, and self-reliance instead of helpless consumerism."

London, no riots

2011-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is my favourite spot in London right now. I could probably spend the whole day watching children play in Jeppe Hein's interactive fountain.

There are no rules; walls of water appear and disappear; get wet or avoid getting wet...

No shattered glass, just water splashes...

No riots, just play...

It's like if you go in the fountain, you forget about what happened in London last night. For a moment the atmosphere of fear that swallowed the city fades away...

The Greens

2011-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Just a fun snap in Palmer Park, Reading.

Rob White, Reading's first Green councillor, and Melanie Eastwood, Reading's second Green councillor, introducing a new Green Party candidate for Park Ward: Jamie Whitham.

Ocean Action

2011-08-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

There's trouble in the depths. Scientists warn that many fish species could be commercially extinct in only a few years (And in the not-too-distant future the fisherman might become an endangered species).

Over 70% of European fish stocks are now seriously depleted and 90% of large predatory species have been fished out. Despite this, we've the largest and most powerful fishing fleet to date, chasing the last 10 per cent remaining fish.

Europe doesn’t rely on fish to survive – and, yet, the largest European fishing vessels increasingly exploit foreign waters. Today, one quarter of all fish caught by EU fleets are taken from non-EU waters. The devastating result: communities in the world's poorest nations go hungry.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight has become an incredible force for change. We cannot keep taking fish out of the sea and throwing them back dead (called by-catch or discards).

Berkshire Greenpeace volunteers took OCEAN ACTION!

They encouraged visitors at the Earley Green Fair 2011 to sign letters to PM David Cameron about improving the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The EU’s CFP, which sets the rules for the European fishing industry, is about to undergo a fundamental review. UK's fisheries minister is committed to "radical reform" of the CFP. But he needs the support of Prime Minister David Cameron to challenge the vested interests from Spain, Italy and France.

Hey, David, it's time to "Change the F***ing Policy!"
(stars to be read I S H :-)

For children's sake, will Europe fail to put the environment first?

Wild Day

2011-07-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Children "too wild to be indoors" have had a fun day out in the beautiful beech woods.

Summer camps can be awesome places for kids to get a healthy amount of exercise, however, foods served around campfires can often lack nourishment or may add unhealthy ingredients to children's diets. Marshmallows are a traditional, but typically unhealthy camp food. In fact, these sweet, gummy things are among the most unnatural items found on supermarket shelves. The marshmallow plant was actually used in the production of marshmallows many years ago, however, contemporary commercially available marshmallows are nothing but a heavily refined version of the original concept :|

Glasto'11 - After

2011-06-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

… after the revellers have left the temporary city, the bulk of waste management takes place.

Half of all waste generated by the festival is recycled, over 400 tonnes.

But it’s not just packaging waste that’s left in the fields once the party’s over. As the demographics of the festival have changed from the original ‘green’ hippies, to include more commercial types, imagine the depressing state the farm is left when the party's over: thousands of gazebos, roll mats, tents, sleeping bags, airbeds and chairs are abandoned each year. And on a wet year like this, lots of wellies get left behind.

It may take up to two weeks to sweep the whole site clean.

"Love the Farm, Leave no Trace" =)

Glasto'11 - Day 5

2011-06-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday. A sunny day indeed.

Morning.

Shangri-La, the 'zombie land', seems deserted.

Steward having a nap | Shangri-La

Mud scribbling | Shangri-La

"Quarantine" | Shangri-La

Deep Mud | Shangri-La

Litter-picking | Arcadia

A team of nearly one thousand people clean up rubbish every morning and ensure the 4,600 toilets are acceptable to use.

The mighty London Underground - a sinister, 50ft decaying tower block with a life-size, blazing tube train bursting from the 5th floor | Block9

'Wellybootylicious' indeed.

Knife joggling.

CD Fish | Greenpeace field

Skate ramp | Greenpeace field

Skate ramp | Greenpeace field

'Lost kids' | Green Kidz field

"Frown-free zone" - Welcome to Britain’s largest free children’s festival, where Rastamouse has made his worldwide live debut this year :) | Kidz field

Kidz field

Not quite the book lounge | The Other Stage

The site has 20,000 rubbish bins colour-coded for recycling. Wondering if there are enough of them though...

A late night wonderland of breathtaking creations follows | Arcadia/Block9/Shangri-La

As midnight strikes across Glastonbury, ‘The Spider Awakes’, setting the festival ablaze. Arcadia are a young, experimental company who take military scrap and turn it on its head to create positive environments for the purpose of celebrating life by incorporating circus acts, special effects and cutting edge technologies to create a huge, unforgettable 360 degree show.

The mighty London Underground, even more sinister at night | Block9

"We wanted to be the sky" | Shangri-La

Shangri-La is a futuristic and dystopian wonderland, a bizarre alternative world for you to get lost in.

The entire field is designed as a Blade Runner inspired urban film-set, and has its own unique rolling narrative that has evolved over the last three years. | Shangri-La

"Recycle by dying" | Shangri La

The 2011 storyline is pre-apocalyptic - the population of Shangri–La is preparing to flee to before the end of the world in 2012.

"Infected!" | Shangri-La

They’ve given up on trying to save the planet, and a virulent disease is spreading rapidly through the squalid slums. Instead they’ve colonised a new planet and the first transport there ships out on Monday.

This is the last party before they go, a rave to end all raves… | Shangri-La

Glasto'11 - Day 4

2011-06-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

Marine life projections, every night in the Greenpeace field.

A musical fish, as it's made out of CDs - curiously lots of them Morcheeba CDs.

Glasto'11 - Day 3

2011-06-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Friday. Various rumours about the special guests who are about to play this evening. People start swarming towards the Park stage.

People get stuck in mud on the way - how is this happening? - Wellie graveyards everywhere.

It's probably not very obvious in the photo above, but Radiohead is on the stage. With a 20-year history of raising awareness for human rights and environmental causes, I remember how a couple of years ago the band was campaigning to end harsh labor practices and the exploitation of children. Love the video.

Glasto'11 - Day 2

2011-06-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Learning to love the mud. An 'intensive course' apparently.

Wellies queuing in the mud outside the Greenpeace Showers.

'Shark' in the Greenpeace field. To celebrate the 40th anniversary and the launch of the Rainbow Warrior III this year the Greenpeace field is taking on a nautical theme: "OCEANS".

'The Wave', one of the cool art installations in the Greenpeace field celebrating "40 years of making waves".

Book Lounge in the Green Kidz field.

Green Fields.

'Let's change the world for good' :) One of the aims of the festival is to be a positive force for change, in part by raising money for good causes. With its eco-friendly vibe it’s only natural that organisations such as Greenpeace, WaterAid, and Oxfam have a strong presence at Glastonbury.

Glasto'11 - Day 1

2011-06-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Life in the mud begins.

Zoë :)

Glasto'11 - Before

2011-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

...before the masses arrive tomorrow. Nearly 180.000 people are expected to come this year to the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts.

A bit muddy. But quite green still.

Field of Avalon.

Tipis available for hire at Tipi Field.

Lunch in the Greenpeace catering tent.

Field in front of the Other Stage.

Portrait of an ethical editor

2011-06-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ben Reynolds is Network Director at Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and co-ordinates London Food Link, a programme to develop a sustainable, local food system for London. Ben edits The Jellied Eel, the quarterly magazine for ethical and sustainable food in London, distributed free of charge to over 80 locations around the city.

Ducks monitor canal

2011-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

That computer monitor has been in the Kennet canal in Reading for WEEKS!! Somebody please get it out of the water!

@ WOOD '11

2011-05-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

The fourth WOOD festival, celebrating music and nature in the beautiful surroundings of Braziers Park, Oxfordshire, took place this weekend.

Camera-shy pe(te)-ple were present =)

Show Jumping

2011-04-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ironically, a couple of weeks after the saddening accident at the Grand National 2011, during which two horses died, I photographed the show jumping at a well-known British equestrian centre, Wellington Riding in Hampshire.

---

The 'Grand' National - Horses die and they call this sport! - How this race is still legal is beyond me!

Horse racing enthusiasts argue that "horses love to race". Maybe the horses do enjoy being ridden to the point of exhaustion and beyond? Horses run in races for two reasons: it is part of their herd instinct to stay together in a group, and because they are kicked and whipped if they don’t.

It's true that running as part of the herd is natural, but jumping fences in a series with no room for natural movement, being whipped and ran so hard they can barely breathe (google racehorse heart attack) and falling so hard they break their legs and backs is certainly not ‘natural’ and I seriously doubt their ‘love’ for this. Horse racing simply exploits the animals' natural instincts for human gain.

It’s criminal the way riders beat their horses up with sticks, whips, boots and bits. You would be committing a criminal offence if you beat cats and dogs the way you assault horses.

And when racehorses are no longer winning they are discarded like rubbish. Those that don’t make the grade are not always rehomed. They end up as dog meat.

How can someone place a bet on an animal's life? It deeply saddens me that horses' lives are lost in the attempt to fill people's pockets. So much for animal rights in this country!

---

The horses in my photos below are ridden by children, so hopefully their lives are better.

Icecream

2011-04-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

In Palmer Park, Reading.

News updates - Weather and Climate Change:

UK basks in wonderful weather

Glaciers melting at fastest rate in 350 years

Plastic, plastic, everywhere!

2011-04-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

July 3 is the 2011 International Plastic Bag-Free Day — a day you can declare independence from plastic bags.

Reading.

Solar

2011-03-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Replacing some old solar panels.
Reading.

Waste not, want not

2011-02-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

While one billion people across the planet suffer from malnutrition, the amount of food wastage taking place every single day in developed countries is obscene.

The Food Waste Facts from Tristram Stuart’s Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal are jaw-dropping. To give just an example, a third of the food purchased in the UK is never eaten.

Supermarkets waste food products which are damaged or unsold, but that often remain edible.

Most of the waste food gets sent to landfill, where it decomposes into methane – contributing to climate change and exacerbating poverty in the developing world. Buying food simply to bin it is a waste of all those precious resources – land, water, energy – that were put into growing, processing and transporting it. And isn't it wrong wasting so much food when so many people across the world are living in poverty?

Why do the authorities allow large food outlets to throw perfectly good products away?

Throwing edible food away is IMMORAL, it is A CRIME.

Fortunately, there are some food waste heroes out there. This is a new breed of ethical consumer, educated people who have decided to seek an alternative way of life outside the economic norms, anti-consumerist activists in 'dumpster diving', often referred to as freegans.

Skipping for food sounds sordid and illegal; I understand this apprehension. But a lot of the time the only reason food has to be thrown out is because of a date stamped on it on an assembly line in a faraway factory. The food may still be fine to eat, but the company has to operate within the law. In a small greengrocery, the grocer can judge the state of their produce by its smell, feel, taste and look, and send vegetables for composting only when they're no longer fit to eat. In a large supermarket, layers of packaging mean the assistants cannot use such discretion and judgement. Regardless of how the produce looks and feels within its plastic wrapping, if its date is yesterday's, it's in the bin.

Also,

Whilst the supermarkets cite legal reasons for the measures they use to stop people looking through their dirty laundry, they are a smokescreen; their reasons are commercial. Every product saved from the bin is one fewer bought in the store.

(from Mark Boyle's book, "The Moneyless Man" - an essential reading)

Why not take a look tonight at your nearest supermarket bin? Perhaps you’ll find something for dinner.

Inclusion

2010-12-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

Manchester, 9-10 December 2010.

The 'Reaching Out' conference was a "valorisation" event which brought together a diverse group of people who have been involved in projects through two EU programmes: Lifelong Learning (Leonardo, Grundvig, Transversal, Comenius, Erasmus) and Youth in Action. Project promoters and young people were invited to develop a set of definitions and recommendations around inclusion.

Alongside the discussions and the workshops, there was a parallel strand of activity for participants who preferred to explore inclusion through a more creative approach. Their ideas and experience worked together over the two days to deliver a performance.

One of the scenarios mises-en-scène was built around the idea of inclusion of disabled people and featured Blaise, a 22-year-old in a wheelchair. The storyline is simple, yet thought-provoking. Rejected by a group of young people, then rejected by a girl, Blaise sings his sorrow, but the beauty of his solitary song charms all those who thumbs downed him. Once they see his talent, they don't see his disability anymore.

Climate March 2010

2010-12-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

This year's climate change march was aimed to coincide with the annual United Nations Climate Talks which are taking place this year in Cancun, Mexico on November 29th to December 10th 2010.

Thousands of climate campaigners marched through London for a Zero Carbon Britain by 2030. They urged the coalition Government to take strong action to decarbonise the economy and create a million green jobs in the process.

More on Flickr.

My neighbour, the fox

2010-12-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Probably attracted by the compost heap, a fox has established a route through the back garden, its tracks still imprinted in the fresh snow - the first snow of the year.

Foxes roam the streets at night, but this fox is a little bolder and will enter gardens in broad daylight to search for a quiet place to rest, look for food scraps or just because it is curious. It seems particularly interested in the pears fallen from the neighbour's pear tree ^^.

Being unfamiliar with urban foxes and quite fascinated at the sight of this one, I read a little bit about the subject.

Foxes are very adaptable animals and the same species are found in all habitats from the Arctic to desert regions, so urban areas are just one more habitat colonised by Vulpes vulpes. It is believed that urban foxes first colonised British cities in the 1930's, so that most cities in southern England now have urban foxes. Perhaps more than 30,000 foxes have moved into Britain's towns and cities. About one in seven foxes are now townies.

Most people are delighted by them and even feed them, however some home-owners have got so fed up with foxes that they are calling in specially trained marksmen to shoot them.

The question is then what gives one the right to take a life for the sole reason that this life is 'guilty' of rummaging through rubbish bags or digging shallow holes in lawns to find earthworms? After all, foxes are scavengers, it's what they do, they try to find food.

The answer comes from the pest control firms: "foxes are now bigger business than rodents". Bigger than life, money is all that matter.

'No Bicycles' in Oxford

2010-10-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

'About 20,000 cycle commuters steam into Oxford city centre each day, negotiating more than 36,000 cars, lorries and kamikaze buses, potholes, cobble stones and disoriented tourists en route.'

Oxford is one of the three top cycling cities in the UK. However, not all places in Oxford welcome bikes. In fact, when it comes to parking, lots of places are a no-no. With all the 'anti' signage, one would need quite a streetwise manner to spot a bike-friendly fence.

@ True Food

2010-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

The True Food Community Co-operative has run markets around Reading, Berkshire, for the last 6 years, with the aim of making affordable locally produced organic food and eco-friendly products available to the community. The not-for-profit organisation, run by a small staff and an army of volunteers, is now in great need of support. Otherwise the town risks losing True Food to recession.

Chris Aldridge, market manager @ True Food

Great Gorilla Run

2010-09-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today gorillas invaded London.

The Great Gorilla Run has taken place for the past seven years. The event is a 7 km (4.3-mile) fun run to raise money for the Gorilla Organisation, a conservation charity with community-based employment and education projects in Africa that reduce pressure on threatened gorilla habitats.

Conservationist and television presenter Bill Oddie has been a strong supporter of the Great Gorilla Run and describes it as “the most fun event for conservation going on anywhere in the world”.

There were 700 runners in today’s event, which is supposedly and sadly the same number of gorillas left living in the wild.

S'Warm - Day 5

2010-08-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

The third part of the story takes place at Canada Square, Canary Wharf, and tells the story of the completion of the journey and the Birth of the Urban Queen.

This was the S'Warm Journey.

S'warm: The Journey from National Youth Theatre on Vimeo.

Whether the entire S'Warm journey was worth it's carbon footprint or not, THAT is the question.

Most passers-by were taken by surprise this week, not knowing what was with all those people dressed in white paper costumes or holding yellow umbrellas, but they seemed to enjoy the music and the spectacle. The few of them who were asking questions were satisfied to find out that it was "just a theatre performance", not listening to explanations about the bee crisis. As for Einstein and his bee theory, "he was just a lunatic!", asserted a lady laughing.

The saddest thing however was that, for most of the people involved in the project, S'warm was just art for art's sake, some of them could not even explain what it was actually about, and, even worse, there was someone wishing that all bees died. While small children can understand what pollination is and its relevance to life in general, there are people in London who can't make these simple connections. I guess this shows how removed from nature people from cities can be.

Recent scientific research highlights the role that pesticides play in bee deaths.
(source: the Ecologist)

Saving the bees is possible. Just stop using pesticides, stop buying pesticised products; instead, farm organically, eat organic! It's good not just for you, it's good for the entire planet.

S'Warm - Day 4

2010-08-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

The swarm journeys in search of gold...

At the Monument, the Sting, London Bridge, Bank of England and Exchange...

S'Warm - Day 3

2010-08-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

The swarm journeys in search of more time...

Greenwich Park and the Prime Meridian Line, Natural History Museum...

S'Warm - Day 2

2010-08-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

The journey begins...

The swarm journeys in search of knowledge and a new power house...

Vauxhall Bridge, M16 - Albert Embankment, Hungerford Bridge, Southbank - Festival Hall, Festival Pier, City Hall - Potterfields Park, Millenium Bridge in front of Tate Modern...

S'Warm - Day 1

2010-08-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

The story takes place over 5 days and has 3 parts...

The first part tells the story of The Dying Hive and is performed in front of Battersea Power Station.

The performance explores some of the current attitudes towards climate change.

The sequence featuring Einstein "himself" establishes the main stimulus for the piece.

S'Warm - More Rehearsals

2010-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

After rehearsing in a boot camp at Battersea Park for three weeks, the performers will "swarm" London in a figure of eight over a period of five days starting tomorrow, reuniting at famous London landmarks to perform en-masse.

S’Warm takes a look at the honey bee issue – namely that without their existence the entire food chain would collapse. In 2008, nearly 20% of the UK’s honey bee colonies died and in 2009 a third of the US bee population succumbed. Einstein once famously said: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live”.

S'Warm - Rehearsals

2010-08-16T19:47:00.001-07:00

Summer 2010

Time is running out...

As Bee colonies collapse across the world and the planet warms up, the UK's young talent are starting to S'Warm.

S'Warm is inspired by the shocking demise of the global bee population, and will involve 500 National Youth Theatre members swarming around London for five days.

Balloon Fiesta

2010-08-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

The Bristol International Baloon Fiesta was not lucky this year, with bad weather postponing the mass ascents of hot air balloons.

I went there on the third day of this 4-day festival. After a sleepless night, I arrived at Ashton Court at 6 am gazing skywards, but there were no signs of aircraft rising into the clouds.

Rain and wind grounded the ballons even at 6 pm, and the huge crowds were feeling quite deflated as the few baloons present didn't take off.

Children however were having lots of fun chasing soap bubbles. They showed grown-ups that entertainment doesn't necesarilly equal putting gigantic floating shapes into the atmosphere, but is made of simple, tiny things that fill our hearts with joy.

Outdoor For More

2010-08-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

A youth exchange hosted by Frontiers brought together young people from Belgium, Estonia, Slovakia, Spain and the UK. After 8 days of being outdoors and sharing a space, the teenagers are relaxed, cultural differences fading away, so that, on their last day together, an improvised baseball game invokes tons of fun, the red ball clowning around.

Connie

2010-08-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today, in the dark woods, under the dark cloudy sky, two lights brightened up my day: the eyes of a child.

This little girl showed up with a bunch of flowers. I called her name and she turned around in surprise.

The next moment she was smiling camera-aware, the flowers themselves posing around her.

A day in London

2010-07-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I was in London for a day, and there were a couple of photography exhibitions that I really wanted to see, like the open-air photography exhibition "Defending Dignity, Fighting Poverty", organised by CARE International UK, on the Thames Path ; or "Making Ground: A Photographic Journey Out Of Poverty", documented by Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur and organised by WaterAid, in the Crypt. These are both admirable NGOs, that transform lives in the world's poorest communities.

The images displayed were in a thought-provoking contrast with the surrounding urban environment - outstandingly in the case of the outdoor exhibitions (there were more than the one that I have just mentioned). At the same time, an intriguing thing was the impact - or lack of it - that the photographs had on the different people passing by.

The rest is just street photography in between exhibitions.

Flies

2010-06-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a hot day for Britain. Too hot, the Briton would say.

And, oh, how plane trails gridded that blue sky! The atmosphere was so still that they didn't even get a chance to dissipate.

Aeroplanes must be to the Earth what flies are to Nemo. An exasperating buzz, ceaselessly hovering around his head, in a desperate attempt to land on his muzzle. And pause (/p**) there. And Nemo tremoring them away. That is exactly what the Earth tries to do when it quakes and erupts and thunders. Carbon dioxide emissions must be really disrupting its homeostasis.

Low cost flights and even domestic flights between UK cities have become an insanely cheap way of travelling, increasing rail ticket costs. The true cost, to the environment, has been completely ignored. It seems that not even the rocketing price of highly polluting kerosene could prevent the massive expansion of air transport; let alone personal responsibility.

How could flying from point A to point B be cheaper than travelling by train on the same route? How has this happened? Who allowed this?

Only by becoming more expensive will ticket prices start to reflect flying's environmental impact. The polluter should always pay, after all.

According to the weather forecast, after this mini heatwave, thunderstorms might be developing in places.

Stop Loving The Bomb!

2010-06-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

On 5 June, Nuclear Abolition Day, there have been demonstrations in over 130 countries calling for negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention to start by 2015. In Britain one of these demonstrations has been held at Aldermaston.

Aldermaston, in Berkshire, is the headquarters of the UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment [AWE]. Aldermaston facility has been operating since 1952, employs some 5000 people and covers 880 acres. It is the facility where warheads for Trident submarines are made.

In a few words, Aldermaston is the only place in the UK where nuclear bombs are manufactured.

Worried about environmental contamination, including the radioactive pollution of the Thames, protesters have often been at the site.

Today demonstrators gathered in front of one of the gates and had a picnic in the visitor parking, pleading for a Nuclear Weapons Convention [NWC].

The UK is about to throw away £97 billion on new nuclear weapons. It would make sense that this money be spent on real security needs like health and housing. Moreover, manufacture of new nuclear warheads is immoral and will only lead to further proliferation of nuclear weapons. That is why there is a lot of public support for cutting the expenditure on Trident replacement.

People and governments all over the world are now demanding negotiations on a global Nuclear Weapons Convention that would prohibit the further production and use of all nuclear weapons and set out the necessary steps to eliminate and abolish these weapons of mass destruction world wide.

@ WOOD

2010-05-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

The WOOD festival celebrates music and nature in the beautiful surroundings of Braziers Park, Oxfordshire.

WOOD is Britain's Greenest Festival. It runs solely on renewable energy, with a solar-powered stage, a bicycle-powered 'discotheque', composting toilets and showers heated by wood-burning stove. The event aims to highlight green issues and inspire an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Alpacas again

2010-05-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Alpacas thrive at the foot of the Chilterns, alongside the River Thames. There are over 800 alpacas only at Bozedown Farm.

Alpacas are gentle, peaceful animals, and make soft humming sounds to communicate. They are capable of spitting however, this is a defense mechanism that only occurs if they are stressed or threatened.

Crias, alpaca babies, are quite friendly and inquisitive.

The ability to produce processed fibre in a range of natural colours is an environmentally friendly aspect of the alpaca, as it does not require chemical dyes.

Zoe & Zen

2010-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have recently gone back to Braziers Park. It was a very short visit and I only had time to photograph one of the newest residents.

Zoe, 28, joined the community a few months ago, shortly before I left. Having her head shaved was inspired partly by her wanderings in India and partly by her imagination.

Wild Bunny

2010-05-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

The car stopped. We got out with breathless haste to see WHAT it was and IF it was hurt.

There on the side of the road was the tiniest baby rabbit we had ever seen. Not injured, just lost. We left it there, by the hedgerow, a few metres away from the road.

Road traffic accidents are a major animal welfare problem. Hundreds of thousands of wild animals, including deer, pheasants, rabbits, badgers, get hit by cars every year in the British countryside.

Inside The Living Rainforest

2010-05-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

Once entered get used to breathing air that is 77% to 88% saturated with water. A warm water vapour is pumped up into the air trapped in a giant glasshouse to re-create the unique character of rainforests, that is constant humidity and high average temperature.

Look out for free roaming lizards, birds and butterflies – you never know where they will appear next! Plus … monkeys, a crocodile, toucans, snakes and much more. See some of the world’s most popular food plants – bananas, coffee, cocoa, ginger, vanilla …

In Berkshire, school children have the opportunity to immerse in the rainforest experience without even leaving the UK.

Unfortunately, over the last 200 years, with the advent of ‘consumer culture’ and breath-taking population growth, rainforests have been devastated. Ecosystem destruction is being driven by an economic world view which originated externally in Western capitalist cultures.

Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface.

Give the orang-utans a break!

2010-04-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Nestlé, maker of Kit Kat, uses palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction.

We all deserve to have a break - but having one shouldn't involve taking a bite out of Indonesia's precious rainforests.

In Reading, Greenpeace activists are asking Nestlé to give rainforests and orang-utans a break and stop buying palm oil from destroyed forests.

Grooming Finch

2010-04-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finch is a remarkably patient 3 year-old Cocker Spaniel. Having his hair cut took no less than 4 hours.

The first session took place indoors.

...and the finishing touch shaped Finch outdoors.

Adventures at Frontiers

2010-03-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ashley. alienish. AshLIEN.

Stop Climate Change NOW!

2010-03-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

If you were in the centre of Reading this Saturday and you noticed a penguin, a polar bear, a gorilla and two tigers, hopefully you did not just stand there in awe.

Berkshire Greenpeace activists were recruiting new supporters and promoting last Thursday’s Hustings where members of the public can quiz the Parliamentary Prospective Candidates on their policies ahead of the General Election.

Nemo

2010-03-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Nemo is a New Forest pony, that is one of the native pony breeds of the British Isles. He has been rescued and adopted by Romilly, so he now has his own patch of grass on the Path Hill Farm. He loves carrots, and the kids who come at Frontiers are delighted to feed him.

Alpacas!

2010-01-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

Sticking to my NGO long-term volunteering plan, I switched from Braziers to Frontiers.

While walking to Frontiers, I spotted some alpacas on a white field. I was surprised to find out there are many alpaca farms in the area.

Nonny & Alpha

2010-01-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

Nonny, 87, is Braziers' oldest resident. She adores cats. Her eyes always glow when she talks to others about her Alpha.

Hello, 2010!

2010-01-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this New Year's Eve particularly because I did not witness any firework display! The noise of fireworks frighten children and startle animals. Despite producing bright colours and effects, fireworks are nothing but a cocktail of chemicals, which is why they cause smoke and pollution.

Yet, last night fire reigned at Braziers Park: fantastic flames instead of fireworks. Yay!

Kanako

2009-12-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

Kanako, 27, is a Japanese volunteer at Braziers Park.

She likes 雪 yuki, that is snow ^-^

First snow

2009-12-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

It snowed today! Not much. But enough to cheer up the atmosphere.

Snow over Ipsden.

Snow over Braziers Park.

Snow over my trees.

Snow!

The WAVE climate march

2009-12-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

More than 40,000 people from all over the UK and from all walks of live, marched through central London to demand action on climate change ahead of the crucial Copenhagen summit.

Over 100 organisations, from environment and development charities, to unions, faith, community and women's groups, marched together as the Stop Climate Chaos coalition.

The key demands of the Climate Emergency Rally were the following:
* 10 % cuts by end 2010
* A million Green Jobs by end 2010
* Ban domestic flights
* 55 mph Speed limit - scrap the roads program
* End Agrofuel use

The WAVE of people called on the government to:
'Quit Dirty Coal'
'Protect the Poorest'
'Act Fair and Fast'

Most of the people WAVEing in London were dressed in blue. Many of them had their faces painted blue. As I was marching with them, I looked at their faces, I tried to identify what it is that these people have in common that made them come here today. These people have hope. These people have empathy. These people do care about the future.

It was UK's biggest climate march.

Squirrel Invasion in Hyde Park

2009-12-05T05:51:00.000-08:00

Before going to the WAVE climate march, I was attacked by the grey squirrels from Hyde Park, London.

While taking photos of a squirrel that was hidden between the branches of a tree, some other squirrel started to run towards me. I thought I'd drop my camera! as I was used to the shy squirrels that live around Braziers Park. They would disappear in a second at the sight of any human being. Or dog.

With my lens, I never thought I could get SO CLOSE to a squirrel ^-^

After giving this squirrel some peanuts, this man has to chase it away with his briefcase.

'Cause let me tell you something: Squirrels Are NUTS About Nuts!

;-)

First Frost

2009-12-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Petr Frost.

Petr and the elephant

2009-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Another young man who spends his time in Braziers' kitchen is Petr. He is from the Czech Republic and came to England to become proficient in English ;-) If I am joking or not, I am not sure. The fact is he ALWAYS carries his Czech-English dictionary in his pocket.

The elephant, whom I call Misha, is Braziers' newest resident. Theoretically, he is from India. But I'm almost certain he was born, I mean made, in China ^_^

Joe

2009-11-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

As I got to better know people from Braziers Park, I dared to take photos of them. With shyness, at first.

This is Joe. He, generally, does the cooking at Braziers. Not today ^-^

In the fog

2009-11-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

The same isolated trees captured my attention. This time, in different atmospheric conditions.

If one focuses on the diagonal that splits the picture, one can notice 5 (I counted) birds - that were just standing there at the edge of the corn field, like motionless ghosts.

Landscape

2009-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

I almost NEVER take photos of the landscape. Except maybe when I find some fascinating trees. Like these trees, isolated there in the field, for example.

Taken while walking on the Quiet Lane, from Braziers Park to Ipsden.

Bonfire Night

2009-11-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

It's been 5 days since I got to this place and I haven't touched my camera. At ALL!

It has been raining most of the time. I think rain induced a state of mental fatigue.

However, it's the 5th of November! (I have just realised what this means to the British people and why bonfires are so common here, AND I made the connection with James McTeigue's film: "V for Vendetta").

Braziers Park welcomed everyone to "Performance Art, Live Music, Fire Maze, Fire Sculptures, Homegrown Hot Organic Food&Drink AND A MASSIVE BONFIRE!".

Eventually, I HAD TO take some photos through rain and darkness.

This is Stuart in the rain, cooking the food for corpse-eaters (carnivorous people ;-) )

Children were fascinated by the fire.

Hello, England!

2009-11-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

I moved to the UK > England > Oxfordshire > Wallingford > Ipsden > Braziers Park.

Images coming soon.
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Chronologically, this blog is the continuation of http://adela-n-romania.blogspot.com/