Evesham Eco Fair - hmmm ... Eco, Fair, Evesham, hmmm

51984198

Mr & Mrs Vortex exhibited at Evesham Eco Fair today.

It was the first time I had ever been to such an event, in any capacity.

It was all well done, and everyone was friendly ... but ...

1. The messages are SO mixed: Climate Change, Save Our Countryside, Save Energy, Womens Liberation, GreenPeace, Veganism, Lesbian Jazz Trapeze Activists, Transition Towns, Peak Oil (yes,I made one of those up)
What exactly would a casual visitor learn from such a barrage of apparently random messages?

2. The exhibitors are almost all white middle class 'nice' people. Some quite young very earnest activists and a lot of retired people. Is that the current UK 'typical' demographic?

3. The visitors were also the retired bank manager set.

Sure, we were given a few free eco light bulbs - wow.

The mayor and the local MP popped in - so I suppose a tiny bit of media exposure might result. ... but can such an event REALLY make any significant difference?

PS I was accosted by a young lady there: 'Are you Vortex?'
She turned out to be a lurker here who recognised me from a G20 protest photo! So posters, don't forget that for every poster there are probably 10 lurkers watching every move!

17geooge

No Peak Oil then?

oj4pipep

Yes I think that is the usual muddled mixed up hippy middle class liberal melting pot.

And you wonder why we don't get taken seriously?

sigh.

19855pip

Well what did you expect?  It's sodding Evesham!  It's like saying "I went to a rally in Cheltenham and everyone was wearing Barbour"

90gas64

Which demographic groups would you have liked to have seen represented today, Vortex?

Ps sorry if I freaked you out a tad

news2005

Hello Phantom Lurker!

Welcome to PowerSwitch!

geoiadbg

What a woman. I liked the way she doorstepped Phil Woolas on TV. I have always admired Joanna Lumley ever since she took her kit off for Children in Need some years back - I thought then she had balls. (you know what I mean)

4safesof

Ok, you asked ...

People with influence, money, power, fame, charisma, beauty, leverage would be useful.

Successful activism needs more than keen students and earnest pensioners.

Public speaking & presentation skills and an aptitude for data collection & analysis would be helpful.

Think Joanna Lumley.






Last edited by Vortex on Sun May 17, 2009 11:41 am; edited 1 time in total

softsoft

People with money & power will never engage with climate change/PO activists because by doing so they endanger their privileged positions.  I no longer believe that they seriously doubt these issues are issues, but they're happily sitting on their arses thinking "Well I'm alright, so it won't affect me."

Apologies if my previous post was flippant, but I know that area well and the snobbish mentality that is so prevalent there. I once explained about the effect of rising sea levels on countries like Bangladesh at a dinner party and the consensus was "Well, there are too many of 'them' anyway."  Faced with that kind of moronic attitude, there's simply no room for discussion.

It's good that these eco-fairs happen, but surely targetting them better would be more worthwhile.  That part of middle England will only ever be dragged, kicking and screaming, into taking responsibility for their actions.  Similar events in cities like Bristol, Bath, London, etc are IMHO more likely to gather momentum.

oaljt0n

Doesn't it depend on the purpose of the fairs? Are they to educate people, or a get together for the already enlightened?

I go to South Somerset Green Fair every year. The big event is a scythe festival, and most of the stalls are fairly alternative. If it was full of people in suits being educated on green issues I wouldn't go!
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