Organic option
Focussing on green issues
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| Checking a crop of organic wheat |
WITH climate change, rising food prices worldwide and the peak oil crisis all hitting the headlines on a daily basis, it is no wonder that these topics seem to be on the tip of everyone's tongue - at work, at market, in the pub and even on the soaps!
As with such hot topics, there are inevitably some conflicting ideas about the "ways forward", and while much responsibility for decision-making will occur at national and regional level, much responsibility will rest with those of us working at a very local level to implement the daily and fundamental changes required to face the challenges ahead.
The climate, therefore, is ripe for an event such as Green Horizons.
This will be a lively and diverse tradeshow that aims to provide an innovative and engaging forum for information and advice and for discussion and debate on green issues.
The tradestands will help visitors save energy, make better use of natural resources, and reduce their carbon footprint and will include everything from environmentally-friendly building materials to electric farm vehicles, from wood-burning stoves to compost bins, from bird and bat boxes to recycled bags and from organic foods to solar panels.
Green Horizons also has a selection of organisations and experts who will be exhibiting and delivering presentations in the Green Arena. These include the Severn Wye Energy Agency and the Energy Saving Trust on the main information stand. They can advise on green issues and grants and point you in the right direction for further information on specific points.
Particularly topical is the presentation on "Transition to a life beyond oil", discussing how peak oil and climate change are going to radically change the way we live our modern lives - currently totally dependent on oil to function.
The Transition Towns movement aims to gauge how working together at a local level we can drastically reduce our carbon emissions and make our communities resilient to the shocks ahead, in the belief that if properly designed and planned for, this transition contains the potential to bring about the greatest economic, cultural and social renaissance we have ever seen.
Another highlight will be the Organic Farmers and Growers - the first body accredited by the government to carry out the inspection and licensing of organic food and farming in the UK. They will detail how to get organic certification through the OF&G and their client-focused, friendly, no-nonsense and practical approach to certification.
The OF&G Ltd can help you make organics work for you commercially, whether you are a producer or a processor. Find out about the range of technical experts they can connect you with, their soon to be launched Organic Textile Standard, the forthcoming standard for anaerobic digestion, their environmentally-sensible packaging and their recently launched carrier bags made from corn starch that break down completely in compost. It is also worth knowing that the OF&G was recently awarded the contract by the Composting Association to carry out inspection and licensing of composting to the PAS 100 and Quality Compost Protocol - under which scheme compost can be classed as a "product" rather than "waste", bringing a range of financial benefits.
The Green Arena has a great programme of further talks and question-answer sessions including solar energy, wood fuels, small-scale renewables for smallholders, reusing grey water and the wonder of compost toilets, a questiontime for smallholders, and a presentation on holding land in trust for the sustainable future benefit of agricultural communities.
There are so many issues to be talked about, that Green Horizons are setting up the "Why Bother Booth" - an opportunity for participants and visitors to design and manage or merely request short talks and informal discussions on relevant issues of their choice. Subjects already flagged up to be debated include "Localisation", "Fair Trade", "Bio Fuels", "Community Responses to Climate Change" - and plenty of others.
Last but not least, it is worth noting that while all these issues seem only recently to have reached the limelight, CAT - the Centre for Alternative Technology - has been researching, teaching using and promoting sustainable living for more than 30 years. Their free information sheets offer practical tips on energy efficiency, renewable energy, transport and travel, eco-building and renovation and water and sanitation. Green Horizons is delighted that CAT will feature prominently at the event.
Some useful websites: Centre for Alternative technology - www.cat.org.uk; Energy Saving Trust - www.energysavingtrust.org.uk; Royal Welsh Agricultural Society - www.rwas.co.uk; Environment Agency - www.environment-agency.gov.uk; Organic Centre Wales - www.organic.aber.ac.uk; Organic Farmers and Growers Ltd - www.organicfarmers.org.uk; Transition Towns - transitiondyfi@yahoo.co.uk, www.transitiontowns.org.
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