Southend Students Highlight the Plight of Bees
and more good news……
Always on the lookout for the good news which rarely hits the headlines in these days of gloom and doom, I’m having a very rewarding week … lots of good things happening!
1. For starters, I had a very pleasant surprise when I attended a production put on by the students of Essex University E15 Drama School at the Clifftown Theatre, Southend, at the weekend.
A short play used dance, drama and puppets to describe the decimation of the bee population through mono-culture and pesticides and the impact that will have on our natural environment and on the Earth’s capacity to support life on Earth as we know it.
Written, directed and acted by the students, it was really powerful, full of energy and brilliantly acted. I spoke with a student afterwards who told me that the students talk a lot about their concern for the environment.
How very uplifting to know that these young people have a pretty good idea of just what’s happening and are using their considerable talents to spread the message.
2. Then I learned about the progress being made by Extinction Rebellion internationally, nationally and locally. (I attended the event in London over the early May Bank holiday and had a wonderful experience.)
Social media is buzzing with the news that members of XR have met with Environment Minister Michael Gove and the UK Parliament has declared a climate and environment emergency.
The rebellion, which was established in the UK just a year ago, has spread worldwide. Lots of brave and determined protestors spreading the word that we really do face a climate emergency and that governments worldwide need to tell the truth and act urgently to stop global heating. (For the demands being made by the rebels, click here.)
3. Added to that Greenpeace have been continuing their campaign to stop global heating by very successfully blockading the BP head office in London. For an update on progress, click the Twitter feed here.
4. This week my son introduced me to Emily Coxhead’s ‘The Happy News’ which describes itself as ‘a newspaper to celebrate all that’s good in the world.’ Just up my street!
Launched in 2015, the newspaper is published four times a year and is packed with only positive stories from across the globe, as well as an entire section dedicated to our Everyday Heroes. These are ordinary people, groups or organisations who readers have nominated because they add a little bit of sunshine to the world.
I learned about the man in Colombia who has built a library out of books he’s found in the rubbish and has opened his library to children in the community and that a cuddle can help a wound heal faster because it helps the release of oxytocin.
American, yes, so the language and slant on things might be different from that which I read avidly in UK’s wonderful Positive News magazine but lots of good stuff to be had.
5. Finally, to add yet another lift to my week: I’ve moved the sunflowers out of my greenhouse into the garden and they seem to be growing at great speed, I had a lovely afternoon on my son’s flourishing allotment yesterday and the buds on my lilies look ready to burst into flower at any moment.
Learning about these ‘small’ people doing ‘small’ things in their community reminded me that the Cultural Anthropologist Margaret Mead said:
‘Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.’
This is one of a series of articles by author Eileen Peck, questioning the challenges in today’s world and looking at possible solutions.Find out more about Eileen