The Human Imprint

Volunteering your talents

During my time in Utah, I really saw the value of volunteer work, not just to the organisations that depend on the resource, but also for the people who were volunteering their time and their talents at all stages of their lives. I saw the benefit to individuals of giving their time and skills, gratis, not only because they had a sense of having given service by helping others, but also a feeling of self-worth, because they had found inside themselves a personal gift or skill. They had a sense that their skill was valued and in turn they themselves felt valued.

I work with community groups at home and I know how important that feeling can be personally and to the community as a whole. We all need to feel needed. Self-worth is a fundamental part of the human spirit. If we lack self-worth we often feel that we can alter this by "receiving" gifts , buying ourselves clothes, food,  gifts, a better house, a more expensive car, but the truth is that we only gain self-worth and self-esteem by giving. Self-worth is also only attained by self-acceptance and identifying our strengths and our vulnerabilities. Giving of our time, our talents, our experience and wisdom, or even just listening when someone else needs so desperately to talk is truly valuable.

If we don't value ourselves how can we expect others too?

A post on patience

Today, I had a rather enlightening, although not unusual experience. I had to post some of my study materials home, well 18 lb in weight of study materials to be precise! I carried the parcels to the post office for 9 am and the post office was shut. People came in moaning and trying the door, although you could see it was shut. In fact within 30 seconds of some people arriving they were intensely angry that things weren't going their way. Most stormed off in disgust after demanding information from the other people waiting. My parcels were too heavy to charge too far .. so I resolved that I would stay put and just take my parcels to my meeting if I had too. After 10 minutes the man came out from the office and said that he couldn't open the safe! He was more than a little STRESSED and he said that he would send for reinforcements and hoped the post office would be open in a further ten minutes. Again there was much huffing and puffing and moaning and people having a go at him. On my study I have been told of women walking four hours every day to get water for their children these people couldn't weight ten minutes!

True to his word he started the day and everyone surged to the door. He told them that he would assist the person who had waited the longest first .. me! That didn't go down too well nor did our chat about his day hopefully getting better from this point on as he sorted out my parcels.

Courtesy doesn't cost anything. When someone is doing their best and the problem is out of their control, why let off steam at them? It won't change the situation - the post office will still be closed, the train will still be late. I had used my time in the queue to prepare for my meeting and I turned up prepared and calm and the meeting went well. I wonder how those irate people around me approached the rest of their day?

US emissions ceiling legislation

A US Senate group has completed the work in order to implement the first US legislative action on global warming. The proposed legislation would require named industries to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and then by a further 65% by the middle of the century. These emissions ceilings would include about 75% of the US economy and be mandatory for industry sectors including energy and transportation but not agriculture.

For more details follow the link:

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071018/full/news.2007.179.html

Exports fuel China's carbon footprint

According to the research group, the Tyndall Centre, using 2004 data, 25% of China's greenhouse gas emissions are produced making goods which are destined for the West.  In 2006, UK imports from China rose by 10%, nearing 6.5 million tonnes, so the figure could actually be a  conservative estimate. This data demonstrates that a nation's carbon footprint is both internal, within national boundaries, and external and both should be considered in any effective carbon emissions reduction strategy otherwise we simply export our footprint to other areas of the world.

For more information follow the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7052115.stm

Maritime CO2 is double that of aviation

It is estimated that there are around 90,000 ships on the world's oceans. A report by Intertanko, a body that represents the majority of the world's tanker operators, suggests that emissions have risen in the past six years to the point where global emissions of carbon dioxide from shipping are double the level of aviation.

For further details follow the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7052037.stm

BT invests £250 million in wind farms

BT plans have been to implement a £250m wind farm project in order to generate renewable power. It is predicted that this will mean that a quarter of its energy needs will be met by this project by 2016. BT has identified three sites on land it owns in Cornwall, the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. It is the largest corporate wind power project to be developed, excluding those developed by the energy sector itself.  For more details follow the link:

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article3075707.ece#2007-10-19T00:00:01-00:00

Agricultural issues

I have spent the last two weeks in Utah, studying water issues and how they relate to development. It has been interesting for me that so many of the issues that we face in the UK are the same here, such as growing urban population, less emphasis on agriculture and the need to produce food and agricultural products, and growth of amenity and tourism activities to support the leisure time of the urban population. Universally, food production seems to be of less and less importance - is this a critical policy mistake?  Land prices close to urban areas for land sold for development makes the returns for agricultural production non-viable and many family farms are realising the asset value of their land. In Utah 80% of the water utilised goes into agriculture compared to around 3% in the UK and the demand for water for urban development potentially impinges even more on agricultural production here. There is an old western saying "You can steal my horse, even take my wife, but don't touch my water!" - food for thought I think.

Pioneer spirit

Whilst in Utah, I have heard many stories about brave pioneers. One particularly amazing one I was told by a descendent was about his ancestor who was totally blind and walked across the plains with a hand cart. I can't begin to imagine the strength of character that that requires! I flew across from Chicago in a few hours - it took them months to come across to Utah. An amazing story which will put some of the future challenges I may face truly into perspective.

Story Tellers

Today I spent some time in a museum and my attention was captured by the display on storytellers. The display was about the native American people and how story telling was such a part of the Pueblo culture. The elders would encourage the children to gather around and listen as they, the elders, told them stories. These could have been stories that they themselves had learned when they were children. Story telling was the way they passed from generation to generation the folktales, customs, and their religion.

So who are our storytellers today? Who will pass our heritage from generation to generation. We may not get others to gather around us literally any more, but can we do it virtually? Whilst face to face communication is the best when telling a story, will blogging become a version of Pueblo story telling tradition? We will have to wait and see.

From a town called Searchlight

Yesterday I had the opportunity to listen to Senator Harry Reid speak at Brigham Young University. I was struck as I walked into the building by the size of the auditorium which you just wouldn't find in at a UK university. There were several thousand students attending to listen to him. I was struck by him as an individual and also the story of his life and the humble beginnings that he frankly described in Searchlight, Nevada and what he had gone on to achieve so far in his life of public service.

It made me realise that it is always best to gain information or experience first hand. When others tell us about a fact or issue they naturally filter the things that were important to them, or they think will be important to us - when you experience or communicate directly there is no filtering effect, except our capacity to listen. In the words of the African Proverb, "One must talk little and listen much"