On Sunday 24th February 2008 the world changed... or did it? Certainly there was a 'first'; a jet plane made a short trip with one of it's four engines running on biofuel. A Virgin Boeing 747 flew from Heathrow to Schiphol in Amsterdam using a mixture of coconut and babassu nut oil. Sir Richard Branson hailed this as the dawn of a new era but I don't think we're there yet. This 'new era' isn't going to be easy either.
When the Co-op shop round the corner put up a 'Mosquito' device a while ago, I was quite pleased. Firstly, I could not hear it... being over 40, I'm well past the age of being able to hear the high-pitched siren, and secondly, it meant that I wasn't being asked by teenagers to get them some cider, which had happened on several previous occasions. However, the device has been deemed to be unfair to children and young people by Children's Commissioner Al Aynsley-Green, and he has called for it to be banned. I don't agree with him that it breaches their human rights, but I do believe it should be used with care.
I do not celebrate or do anything special for St. Valentine's Day. I do remember sending and receiving Valentine's cards when a teenager but since I've been married, and have been aiming to consume as little as possible, it just looks like another way for big business to make money, often at the expense of the environment. However this year I have been approached by a friend doing a media studies degree who wants to interview me about my views or experiences of the day, so as it approaches, I have been unusually aware of all the advertising and activity connected with it, confirming my cynical view.
Recently we've been bombarded with messages about obesity, how any processed meat can increase our cancer risk, food miles and carbon footprints, and there's so many cookery programmes on the box.
So, we can deduce that food, especially your 'five-a-day fruit and veg' is important! Now is the time of year when we can invest a little bit of time and money on getting some really good, fresh, local vegetables later in the year. It's time to plant some seeds and fruit trees or bushes, if you have space.
