Go Hug a Tree There is no Planet B.

GINK
Proudly presented by Go Green Week 2011

The planet is heating up, the weather is become more erratic and our time
is running out. Something needs to be done, soon and now. We can forever call
ourselves innovators and leaders, but we need to put all that rhetoric into action
to truly make a difference. Our leaders have been negotiating all our lives, it’s
time we ourselves did what we wanted them to do on a grand scale. Everyone
has an impact on the environment and it’s our responsibility to make that the
smallest we can. Start demanding in yourself what you demand from others. And
together, with each individual can, bottle paper and action, together we can
change the world.
GINK Editors
 Cancun
I don‘t like trees. Simple. I don‘t hug them, I don‘t particularly think they‘re beautiful
and more to the point I don‘t really care about them. I don‘t have an issue with them, or
the rest of the natural world for that matter, but I certainly would not give up my time to
save them.
Yet, I have a reputation for all of the above. I get questioned when I say that I don‘t
appreciate the beauty of the natural world. People don‘t understand why I don‘t like
being called an environmentalist. I‘m asked why I want to save the trees when I don‘t
care about them. The answer is simple; because my passion is people.
When I was growing up I wanted to eradicate poverty; I read Marx and believed that it
was the Gospel. I was convinced that my aim in life was to achieve global equality. Yet
because of the people I was surrounded by I got drawn into climate change campaigning.
I was forced to learn about it and it didn‘t take long until I realised that it was not worth
caring about anything else; because what was the point in creating equality if it got
destroyed by the climate. Why campaign on the rights of a certain peoples if those
peoples are simply going to be wiped out in a century?
And the more I learn the more convinced I am of this. Every African leader who I saw
speak in Cancun said the same thing; they‘re number one priority was poverty
eradication, but to achieve that they needed to fight climate change; therefore their
number one priority was climate change. Climate change currently looks to only
exacerbate the gap between rich and poor, to lessen the rights of underrepresented
peoples, and to further the tensions in the war hotspots of the world.
Yet at the same time my revolutionary ideas were squashed. I felt we simply did not
have the time to have a revolution to deal with climate change; we had to use the
channels already open. Yet the more I think about it the more I feel that this isn‘t quite
true. Yes; we need to use the channels open to us. But no, we cannot continue with
capitalism as we know it. To this end climate change and its impacts present a unique
opportunity to reform our economic system to a more equal one. It demonstrates clearly
that we cannot work on a system of exponential growth when we are living on a finite
planet; finally our leaders know that something needs to change.
The more meetings I sit in on, the more faith I lose that we are going to curb the affects
of climate change. To me it is unlikely that we shall ever avoid at least a 2 degree rise in
our global temperatures. But nonetheless we must strive for ‗climate justice‘. We must
use this as an opportunity to re-invent our economic model to fit our finite resources, and
our depleting oil. We must adapt the world we live in; not because of the trees but in
order to sustain the human race. If we continue to live the way we are living as climate
change gets worse we will self-destruct. Everyone in the world who believes in economic
development must realise the necessity to adapt to changing circumstances.
I appreciate that some of this may be controversial; and I do not belittle those who still
work towards mitigation. But I strongly believe that this fight is no longer about
switching of lights or recycling. It is about the necessity to completely change the way we
think in order to sustain the human race in a global situation totally different to the one
we see today. If you like polar bears and trees, and trying to save them will motivate
you; then that‘s fine. But if you‘re passion is development, or equality, or poverty
eradication; then we need you in this fight. For it is, at the end of the day, new economic
and political thinkers who will enable the survival of the human race in the ‗post-
apocalyptic‘ world.

Lindsey Riddoch (2009-11)

2
5 ways to reduce your carbon footprint @AC
1. Think About What You Buy
Clothing: Try and reduce what you buy as this has the
most impact – especially when you leave AC you won‘t
take as much as 75% home of the stuff you buy here!
Think – Do I really need this?
Try and borrow or buy in a charity shop
If you do buy new, look at where and how they the item
is made, as this opens up the whole ethical trading issue
which you should ALWAYS think about when you buy something.

2. Recycling – Just Do It!

Carefully recycle all plastic, cans, paper, plastic waste, compost all organic matter – in
your houses, in the college, at home, when you are travelling – make it a habit.

3. Take Responsibility For Your Landfill Contribution

Choose electronic bills and statements, keep in touch via email etc, buy secondhand
books and share papers.

4. Think About What You Eat

The best way to make a real difference to food-related emissions is to reduce your
consumption of meat and dairy products. Veganism might not be popular, but it can
make a big difference to CO2 and methane emissions so SUPPORT MEAT FREE
MONDAYS!
Try being vegetarian or vegan three days a week.
Never buy processed food or ready meals and buy locally sourced food not food that is
high in air miles! Ordering in will not help you or the planet!
Buy more carefully and never throw food away

5. Your Gadgets

The best study on the footprint of home computers was carried out by Apple; it showed
that a single new desktop machine created emissions of almost half a tonne during its
manufacture. (The UK average carbon footprint is 20kg per year)
The simple rule is: buy less stuff, keep it longer and then ensure it is properly recycled;
there are many organisations that will do this for you.
Keep your electronic devices (eg phones, TVs, computers, DVD players, games machines)
one year longer than you would normally have
Use the washing machine when it is full to capacity and at lowest temperature
Never use the tumble dryer - most of you overfill it anyway so it is not efficient and
doesn‘t dry your clothes – use the drying room – ITS CHEAPER!!! And actually not that
much hassle…
Take shorter showers – we will be installing clocks into each shower so you can time
yourself!
Sarah Hamilton (Sunley Houseparent)

3
 Something Sweet
BBBBBBBZZZZ. What does bee-
keeping activity actually do?
We have around 9 hives, several next
to the Romeo and Juliet Hut and a
couple down in the valley.
This term in bee-keeping, we‘ve been
up to a lot.
The first session, we learnt the ropes
of bee keeping, how to open the hives
and how to check how much food is in
the hive. We also looked inside the
hives to see how full the slides were.
We put drops dilute of oxalic acid solution in a syringe and spread droplets over the bees
in the middle section of the hive in order eliminate parasites that live on the bees.
We also did two hives with icing sugar rather than oxalic acid, as this is a more 'friendly'
way to get the bees to groom each other in order to get rid of parasites.
In the second session this term, we moved an iron gate to the valley in the old Victorian
greenhouse in order to build a weaved mesh and it stops the bees flying around people
working in estate and also acts as a wind barrier.
In the third session, we weaved dried branches
through the iron gate to stop bees flying through it
and force them to fly over the top.
In the fourth session, we started work on
building a base for the hives in which there
will be a metal mesh small enough that the
bees can't fall through but the parasites can, in
this will be white paper which can be pulled on
a draw to check how healthy the colony is.
In the fifth session, we finished building the
base of one of the hives and also checked the
amount of weight of the hives to see if some
food should be added. We also started on a new
base for another hive.
We've also bottled honey and sold it in order to
raise funds for the bees and their sustainable
development. If you were lucky to get a jar, bon
appetite!
Scott Dwyer (2010-12)

4
Gwent House Students Bags ‘Keep Wales Tidy’ Award
On Thursday 27 January, 3 students from Gwent House received an award from Keep
Wales Tidy at the Pier Head buildings in Cardiff for their efforts over the last 9 years
clearing local beaches of litter and rubbish.

We work alongside the local Heritage Coast rangers and collect bags full of rubbish that
are all recorded, sorted and disposed of properly. We do the beach cleans between May
and July and have had some great fun doing them! The students get a great deal of
satisfaction from participating in the cleans. They give some of their time to the
community as well as helping them in completing their Duke of Edinburgh
community/volunteering section.

Each year we have noticed a reduction in the litter dropped on Vale beaches which
obviously shows people are becoming more aware of the dangers dropping litter can have
on the public, wild animals and marine life. Not only that, but it keeps beaches clean for
us all to enjoy.

The students Naomi Baelz, James Adlam and Dan Bibao all had a wonderful morning
meeting with a number of MPs and the Wales today newsreader Sian Thomas. This was
followed by a buffet lunch. We are very pleased to receive this award and hopefully our
efforts will help in our forthcoming assessment for a second Eco-School flag.

May I say well done to all students involved with Eco-Schools and the beach cleans. We
still have a lot of work to do over the next few months to ensure we retain our Eco-School
status, so keep up the good work.

Anyone interested in coming down to Gwent house to help us with our Eco-School work
please call Mark or Sarah Hamilton 1030/1038. We meet Mondays 14:00.

Mark Hamilton (Gwent Houseparent)

5
 Finning
Once the most feared creature that roamed the world‘s mysterious waters, sharks have
been, for the past decades, mercilessly hunted down.

Having patrolled the oceans in the world for more than 400 million years and survived
mass extinction events, these majestic creatures are now at the brink of extinction due to
increasing demand for their fins, especially in China. There, shark-fin soup is served as
a delicacy on special occasions such as weddings and landmark birthdays, as it is seen to
symbolize wealth and status. As China‘s economy grows rapidly, so does demands for
commodities. Each year, up to a staggering 73 million sharks—three times the number
reported to Food and Agriculture Organization —are taken out from the sea and thrown
back into it, finless. It is not uncommon to see the water surrounding shark-fishing boats
stunk with red—it‘s blood from sharks gushing out from their bodies. They struggle in
the vastness of the ocean to keep afloat, only to realize that what awaits them is their
final fate.

Fishermen have become so used

to this practice and shark-fin
soup consumers so accustomed
to this steady supply of shark-fin
soup that neither party seem
alarmed by how sharks are
finned or compelled to do
anything about it. This illusion
must be overcome and
acknowledgements have to be
made about what is really
happening: shark stocks, just
like almost every other species of
fish being fished, are in sharp
decline; no matter how hard
governments have tried to
Photo Courtesy of Oceania
impose fishing regulations on
the fishing industry, they have
all failed miserably as there are, and always will be, difficulties in patrolling and
enforcing regulations at sea.

To make matters worse, sharks can take up to twenty years to reach sexual maturity,
therefore increasing the risk of being caught before they could reproduce. Also, they only
produce very few offspring, unlike fish species that release tens of millions of eggs every
year. In fact, this is a carefully-designed, closely-knitted system which ensures a balance
between the number of predators and preys. A recent study shows that the Oceanic
Whitetip Shark population in the Gulf of Mexico plummeted an incredible 99 per cent
and many other shark species are speculated to suffer the same ill fate. The mere act of
finning destroys the harmony of our eco-systems—isn‘t this too high a price to pay for a
tasteless bowl of shark-fin soup?

Adrian Leong (2010-12)

6
Students make green pledge
From http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/02/08/students-make-
green-pledge-91466-28130496/

A SOUTH Wales college has launched an environmental initiative which brings together
carbon-minded students from more than 80 countries.

International school UWC Atlantic College – based at St Donat‘s in Llantwit Major –

launched a pledge system as part of a week of initiatives for Go Green Week, which aims
to raise awareness of climate change.

Cash-strapped students will also benefit from the college‘s Can Film Festival, giving
them the chance to watch a film for free in exchange for bringing along empty drink cans
and bottles for recycling.

The programme is part of student environment network People and Planet‘s annual
week for action on environmental issues.

Atlantic College‘s Go Green Week features activities to promote sustainable living,

including making journals from ironing plastic bags, building an evergreen tree from
recycled materials and promoting green travel.

Participants are also hosting a candlelit community meal as part of the festivities, which
were launched on Saturday and continue to Valentine‘s Day.

Throughout the week, students are encouraged to display their green pledges: long-term
commitments to change their own behaviour including walking more often, flying less or
for shorter distances, recycling more, saving energy and eating less meat.

Paul Lau, an organiser of the project, said: ―The benefit of Go Green Week is that it
brings together people from all over the college who wouldn‘t normally be involved in
environmental issues.

―By putting on events which are fun and accessible, we can reach out to more people and
create a sustained movement for environmental sustainability within our college.‖

The college, which is based at historic St Donat‘s Castle, is home to 350 students from
more than 80 countries in the world.

The college held a mock United Nations event last week which debated the world‘s
approach to tackling greenhouse gas emissions, the establishment of a nuclear-free zone
in the Middle East and staged a simulated approach to an oil spill off the coast of
Nigeria.

Scott Dwyer, who chaired the environmental committee at the event, said: ―The best part
of model United Nations for me was simply listening to new and innovative ideas to
solve issues that have been featured in the news recently.‖

Graham Henry (South Wales Echo reporter) on Feb 8 2011

7
 Add This To The Rhetoric

It is posed and it is posed.

But in nature it merely grows.
Stones pose in the falling night;
And beggars dropping to sleep,
They pose themselves in their rags.
Shucks. . . lavender moonlight falls.
The buildings pose in the sky
And, as you paint, the clouds,
Grisaille, impearled, profound,
Pftt. . . . In the way you speak
You arrange, the thing is posed,
What in nature merely grows.

To-morrow when the sun,

For all your images,
Comes up as the sun, bull fire,
Your images will have left
No shadow of themselves.
The poses of speech, of paint,
Of music-Her body lies
Worn out, her arm falls down,
Her fingers touch the ground.
Above her, to the left,
A brush of white, the obscure,
The moon without a shape,
A fringed eye in a crypt.
The sense creates the pose.
In this it moves and speaks.
This is the figure and not
An evading metaphor.

Add this. It is to add.

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)