Page 36 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #04

talking

intrinsically malicious. Most people I know loops in everything so
would love to live without plastics, but no-one nothing is wasted”.
is actually demonstrating how it is possible.” But Smit is
A sculpture at the Eden Project was called equally critical
WEEEman, a giant built from the waste of green campaigners.
electronic and electrical equipment an “For too many years the
average adult discards in their lifetime. “The environment movement
lazy interpretation is, look how disgusting has been forced to give a
we are but that’s the wrong message. We’re dystopian vision, an Old Tourists will none of us islands,” he says. He believes
not wasteful. We’re taking the blame for a Testament admonishment be able to people want to live again in intimate local
watch footage
regulatory system that isn’t insisting on things to our culture of communities, but without parochialism.
of marine life
being repairable. How is it cheaper to buy a consumption and it’s had (above) on “Localism does not mean ‘hair-shirt’ and
new DVD-player than repair the old one?” to paint big business as Aldabra coral going without and survivalism,” Smit adds.
a baddie,” he says. “It’s reefs (top). “It means having the technology that will
hile the globalisation of the a bit like blaming the enable you to live a very sophisticated life
Eden Project makes it look dustbin man for our landfill. What we’re with a gentle foot on the world. We will
like any other great capitalist not getting is a narrative about how exciting all see ourselves as local but inextricably
success story, Smit is it is to be alive today, what we could do, linked, in terms of our behaviours having
W critical of capitalism for and what the world we envision is.” His impacts on each other, which will lead
its lack of innovation and its destructive environmentalist friend George Marshall to different behaviours and different
pursuit of economic growth. “Everybody asked an evangelical preacher about the international regulation. We’re about to
thinks that capitalism is good because it leads secrets of his success and was told: “It’s like enter the most exciting times since humans
to advances. Capitalism actually doesn’t – it this George, you’re preaching damnation, came off the prairies.”
leads to competition to be one grade better I’m selling redemption.” Aerial: Minden Pictures/Alamy; underwater: WaterFrame/Alamy
than what was there before,” he says. “Why Smit’s message of redemption is that PATRICK BARKHAM is a nature
is capitalism failing us so badly? It’s because we’re entering a new era that is both local writer and Guardian journalist. This
the courage of investment is incredibly and global. “I don’t want to set myself up feature was inspired by Patrick and
small.” Right now, he says, investors should as any kind of guru, but there is a dawning Tim Smit’s Q&A at New Networks for Nature
be pumping money into devising “closed realisation all over the world that we are 2017; www.newnetworksfornature.org.uk.

36 BBC Wildlife April 2018