The town hall in Bridport was full with an expectant crowd. Organised by the Transition Town network in Bridport, as part of their Green Fortnight, everyone had come to hear me talk about plastics.
I’d taken a lot of time getting slides together, but the projector wouldn’t accept them! It became clear that I’d have to do without. Actually, I don’t think it mattered so much in the end because my speech was quite anecdotal but I was pleased I’d brought a prop… I was wearing a black velvet dress that I’d bought from The White Company. It came in a huge cardboard box. Inside it there was a large plastic bag, tissue paper, other paper but worst of all – reams of bubble wrap. Why? The dress was definitely not breakable. And, the extra protection didn’t make the item seem more valuable. How mad is that?
The best part of making a presentation on plastics is that people are so engaged – and enraged – by the topic. There were lots of questions and discussions. One of the most controversial parts of what I said was that I don’t think bringing back the milkman is a good idea. In fact, when one came to my door offering regular milk deliveries, I told them that I didn’t want their services on environmental grounds. Have a look at my blog to find out why…
I don’t generally give the same speech twice, but a couple of weeks after talking on Bridport, I gave a similar presentation in Taunton. Organised by a counselling and psychotherapy centre – the Terrace – this time my slides did work – and we had some very helpful input from the Somerset Waste Partnership.
