June 2007 Archives

Today I cycled into York to collect my regular compostable materials pick-up (never call it 'waste' as it's a resource for recycling into a valuable soil improver!) which I do three times a week, whatever the weather. At the first set of traffic lights, a cyclist in front of me cycled straight through the red light, and this riles me for a number of reasons. Every cyclist is someone's child and someone loves them, and would be gutted if they were injured or killed. If there was a collision, their actions could ruin someone elses life as 'innocent' drivers suffer shock if they injure or kill someone. A severe accident would put an extra drain on the NHS and other services. Finally, of course, the minority of thoughtless cyclists give us all a bad name.

This week the UK has experienced torrential rain and floods, and the attendant disruption of our transport links, schools, workplaces, and the emotional turmoil for flooded householders. This the week when NewScientist Magazine has brought the issue of persistent drought in Australia to our attention, and the problems that water scarcity has for agriculture, industry, power generation, and of course, the needs of domestic customers for personal use.

Blog readers will probably know that my favourite mode of transport is the bicycle, which in my case is nearly always followed by a trailer which enables me to easily carry tens of kilos of luggage. I also enjoy riding tricycles, tandems, recumbents and my unicycle. I learned unicycling shortly after discovering devilsticks and other circus skills in my mid-20's, which soon led to 15 years of being children's entertainer 'Professor Fiddlesticks', my alter-ego which I continue to enjoy to this day.

This week I am delighted to have recieved the copies of Community Care magazine which contain my columns (26th April and 31st May) and excerpts from my weekly blog (Word on the Web). I am happy to find that I am being touted as 'The Ethicist', as my lifestyle choices are wider than just the traditional 'green' ones like not having a car, being vegetarian and using renewable energy. I believe that a sustainable lifestyle should include other ethical choices, connected with health and happiness and developing a fairer society.