Bores To Manual: Julia Hollander Explains Her Climate Change Campaign
JULKIA Hollander, the mother of a child she gave up, who wrote a book about it, which upset India Knight, also wrote a book about Indian Folk Theatres, is a green campaigner who shunned air travel, until she gave it up.
Now read on:
At the outset, I thought I could persuade (friends) to join me — if we all stop flying, I urged, we can radically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions… (and) avert terrifying climate change.
Passions flew… I became tearful. When one long-haul addict scoffed that volcanoes rather than aeroplanes were to blame for global warming, I lost my rag — ‘I hope your children will be the first to starve to death!’
I realised I had to be patient… I needed to be calm and rational, stop preaching and start reading up on the facts… One example of this new approach was when I informed a neighbour that the new draught-proofing would do little to reduce her carbon footprint: no more than one tonne of CO2 a year, whereas if she stopped taking her family on meditation courses to India, they could save nearly 40. A year later she is still not speaking to me.
I don’t seem able to avoid offending people. I try convincing them that abstinence is a positive experience… But they always suspect a subtext of austerity and deprivation…
I object to my status as the local hair-shirter. What good is it, anyhow? I meant it to be a group effort, but after all this time I am still one vestal virgin among thousands of revellers… Enough. I have made up my mind: after three years of solitary sustainability, I need to be normal again… I am off to rejoin the high life…
There’s a book in this…
Posted: 27th, July 2008 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
