|
Our 24 hour technology famine was a synthesis of ideas. We wanted to raise some money for a good cause, prove that (even in the UK) it is possible to live without technology, and to discover some of what is involved in living in an eco-friendly way.
The actual process of deciding the 'rules' for the weekend proved to be a lot more difficult than the event itself will actually be. What we've come up with may not be perfect, but it's an interesting start. If you have different views as to what we did, how we got there, or how you would do it... Great! Part of the excersise was to encourage such thinking.
The Concept: For 24 hours, a small group of Rotaractors would live without technology, and eat only locally produced food. There. A simple enough statement. But the devil's in the detail.
"Locally produced food". The idea here was to find out if we could seriously cut down the hundreds of thousands of miles that our food travels to get to us. But just what is 'local'? And what about stuff that just isn't produced in this country? Oh, and as we're on an eco drive here, let's make sure we don't buy things with unnessasary packaging. We settled on 'food that is produced in East Anglia'. There's plenty of farmland, so we actually stand a sporting chance.
This decision also led to our choice of location for the event. Right from the start, we knew this would be easier if we were all in one place. It's also more fun if there's a bunch of you. Woodbridge was the first and obvious choice - Mostly because we actuallly stand a chance of being able to buy all we need there... and also because it's much easier to walk in and out of Woodbridge than it is to make the somewhat longer trip into Ipswich that would result from starting from our Ipswich members' houses. Remember: no technology means no cars.
And here we hit the big one... what qualifies as technology? Should we make any exceptions? Do we have to walk to town, or could we cycle in? Bikes are technology... but they're also eco-friendly, and that's part of the excersise. In the end, this particualar issue was solved when we realised that no-one had a bike they could take to Woodbridge very easily. Other issues were not so easy... it's amazing how much technology we take for granted and rely on...
- Glasses/contact lenses: Very useful technology... but the more occularly-challenged of our party were quite clear on this point. We kept glasses.
- Electricity: TV... lights... computers... All agreed - this had to go. We would simply pull the fuses.
- Gas: Heating... cooking... *gulp*: Gone.
- Battery power: Radios... gone. Torches... gone. Smoke alarms....... keep.
- Candles: Technically, they're technology. But we keep. Follow the other path and you end up without clothes and cutlery too.
- Water: Our biggest debate. Washing... drinking... flushing. One suggestion involved filling the bath for general washing, drinking locally produced apple juice and digging holes in the garden. What we decided on was "minimal water for hygine and hydration".
So... even before we've started, we've learned a lot about our own lives, and what we take for granted. It has maded us think about what we really value when we think we're going to lose it. Soon, we expect to learn the practicalities of living and shopping in an eco-friendly way.
Oh, and the money? We're looking for company and personal sponsorship, with proceeds going to Practical Action - a charity that aims to demonstrate and advocate the sustainable use of technology to reduce poverty in developing countries.
If you're like to sponsor us as an individual, please click here. If you are a shop or company, please email us here. We can offer links to your website, and inclusion in all possible publicity and presentations. We'd especially like to hear from your if you business is involved with eco-products, or locally produced food.
|
