Grow Your Own Magazine

I've just found out that Lancaster University (where I work) has a seminar tomorrow lunchtime with Leo Hickman (the Guardian's ethical living journalist) entitled "Stripped Bare - what does 'ethical living' actually mean?"

We can put questions to him and he'll try and answer them.

I'm going to give up my lunch hour to go, as I think it'll be interesting.

Anyone have any questions that you want me to try and put to him??

If you're in the area and fancy popping in, PM me and I'll send the details through...

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

Bit obvious but I'd ask him how he got there, ie. what does he consider the most ethical method of transport. Or what does he think of 'Fairtrade' products, is it more ethically correct to buy Fairtrade or to buy from local producers?

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Blast, am dead envious as I would love to be able to go along to that - his books / column are great and it would be very interesting to hear him talk. Can't think of anything particularly interesting to ask but would be very interested in hearing what he had to say.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Will there be a transcript of the talk? I know at Loughborough I used to type out lectures after recording them.
Ethincal living : does this equal treading lightly on the earth etc, and leaving the place as you would have wished to find it?

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

Or even available as a podcast - OH did a public talk for Bath Uni that is now downloadable as a podcast?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

My question is Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Would that be "Spongebob Squarepants" NOG??

Following on from threads about food/shopping etc I wouls ask...

Which is more ethical to travel 60 miles to buy "locally produced" organic meat or to buy it from TESCO?

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it's written in the wind that we're two, carved out in the sand that we're real,
it's lit up in the stars that we're true, we're destined in the sky to be glad
Paul Weller
http://johntygreentoes.blogspot.com/

Ask him about the selfish gene - the one that gives someone the propensity to 4 x 4, jet around, shop globally & not give a fig, playing the 'green harms growth' joker card to justify their inherited ? greedy behaviour. Hmm.

Hi OWG

Would you say that the rise in companies promising carbon off-setting for a fee are shamelessly profiteering? I would. Many folk appear to take the bait, though.

Bob

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

I've got a 4X4 greenlung, it runs on LPG and is very eco friendly!

You can't always judge a book by its cover!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

How does the man who drives the snow plough get to work - I've always worried about that

How about how does Ethical living lie in the modern political party ( with reference to the clips shown last night of Mr G brown slagging off the other lot for wanting to spend money on Trident instead spending it on the health service ........ I'll say no more)

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

All these "new green taxes" will only affect those who can't afford them.
The well off will still fly the rest of us will have to stay at home.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Went for a pint in one of my favourate pubs on tuesday (The cap & stocking) in Kegworth.
Walked there along river (9 Miles) & back on road 7 miles.Thats Ethical.
Even the beer was hand pulled & only came 15 miles from brewery.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Windfarms are a hot topic, especially up here. Is it ethical to damage our environment to put up massive windfarms, that are in the middle of nowhere and so lose up to 2/3 of the power generated in transmission to where the energy is actually needed, in the towns and cities much further south? Greenpeace seem to think so.

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

There is no one solution re energy provision, we all should reduce our own personal wastage which would certainly help. Wind farms do have their place in helping relieve our reliance on fossil fuels but are not always implemented in a sensible manner or in an appropriate place for the need. I heard a great story a few months ago about a village who had bought a wind turbine between them to serve all the houses and would them sell any excess back to the national grid. Not surprisingly they were very happy with this arrangement and the visual impact was easily outweighed by the fact that they were self reliant and not subject to increasing fuel prices. Any changes we make have an imact on the environment, some visual, some aerial etc etc.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I agree with you Alison, we all have to make sacrifices and do our bit, which potentially includes the visual intrusion of large structures like windfarms on our landscape. I actually think they are quite graceful structures. However, there are good places and bad places for windfarms, and this is a bad one! The blanket bog surrounding us up here can be described as the closest thing you'll ever get to a natural landscape in Britain - the Rolls Royce of our natural land. Windfarms are very contentious for all sorts of reasons, and I'm not a 'not-in-my-back-yard' sort of person, although i do love the wide open landscapes and big skies. I think micro-generation is an important aspect that the goverment aren't doing enough to encourage, community schemes great, just please no massive farms right in the middle of our most precious natural heritage!

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

I'm with you on wind farms B_W, they're nowhere near the universal 'green' panacea they're touted to be.

And its not just the natural heritage they can destroy, archeological heritage too. Think there's folk on the Isle of Lewis not too keen?

Also what happens when the wind doesn't blow, or blows too strongly, etc....

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Environmental taxes are one of the biggest cons going - they're just another way for governments to get their hands on your money.

Climate change is happening - there is NOTHING that man can do to stop it. Whilst I agree that we should live in an environmentally (and ethically) friendly manner, we can do Jack to stop it.

How was the seminar by the way?

Just back! It was very interesting actually (especially the woman who insisted on breast feeding her baby right in front of Leo...**)

**Not that I think breast-feeding is wrong, but maybe there are right places and times to do it - i.e. not sitting in the front row of a seminar at a university

I'll collect my notes/thoughts and try and get something down on this thread

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

Hope you didn't think I was having a go at you, just observing that few things are totally good or bad.

Would have thought it was a bit off putting to a speaker having somebody so engrossed in another activity whatever it is! Thanks in advance for your notes, will be most appreciate.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Oh no, totally not Alison, I was worried you might have thought I was having a go at you! It's really difficult even with emoticons to get your meaning across, no?

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Dwell simply ~ love richly