King of the Mountains

We live in an age of concerns over resources, and the impact of production. For those of us lucky enough to live in an area with good recycling provision there is the chance to return our used packaging so that the materials can be re-used. The problem with this is that while recycling is an excellent way of cutting down the use of landfill sites it still requires large amounts of energy be used to convert the waste into something usable. There is also the problem that products cannot be recycled forever.

In contrast, consider an approach seen in Germany. Upon buying a couple of bottles of a soft drink it was noted that they were of far more substantial construction than those found here, and that they bore signs of having been used, such as scratching around the base. There was also a facility to return empties. The conclusion was rapidly reached that rather than shredding the empties they were instead being cleaned and refilled. Far less energy intensive.

This approach to packaging can also be found in other products. For example, model railway equipment there is usually sold in a solid plastic box designed to protect the contents for their entire life. The author has examples of these boxes dating back a good 15 years, while the box may be scuffed and cracked the contents are still in perfect shape, and the box still usable. Compare this to the bizarre plastic and card confections used by some British market suppliers that are almost impossible to open, and very difficult to use for storage due to their complexity. There is no need to have this complexity whatsoever. Far more detailed stock survives in simpler, longer-lasting packaging.

Consumer pressure does not seem to have a huge effect on the packaging problem. The fact remains that only a tiny minority will refuse to buy over-packaged goods, for the vast majority there is not the time or the inclination to seek out alternate sources. Yet if suppliers were to introduce a system like that seen in Germany it is likely that it would be taken up without fuss. Observation of the introduction of kerbside recycling in this area suggests that people are quite willing to use such services provided that they are properly managed and easy to use. In Powys, the user can have as many bags as they wish, each roll coming with a label to request further supplies. Collection is usually a few hours after the normal refuse collection, so the user need only place the recycling bags alongside their conventional black bag. Make it this easy, and people will use it. No need for aggressive strategies such as weighing bins or imposing punitive charges on those who do not recycle. Such moves tend to alienate people rather than encouraging them.

And now onto another personal annoyance of the author’s - “Planned Obsolescence”. This is why our computers are thrown away every few years, and why most people do not bother to have domestic appliances repaired.

Put simply, there is too much profit for companies in selling a new appliance for them to be interested in selling spares at sensible prices. A recent inquiry regarding new plates for a sandwich toaster revealed that they would cost only a few pounds less than the device did in the first place – even allowing for economies of scale this is utterly ludicrous. We see it in cars too – unless the buyer chooses a premium brand then the average lifespan of a car will be around four years. Keeping them going beyond this will lead to a never-ending stream of electronic and mechanical problems, costing a small fortune to repair. As the spares will not be desirable the car will most likely be crushed and recycled. Compare this to older Land Rover products where examples beyond economic repair are stripped for parts to keep others going.

The sparrow air force continues to dominate the garden. They have now moved into the "mass orgy" phase of operations and we will doubtless see hordes of young sparrows in a few weeks. They appear to regard the gutters as a sensible place to build a nest, the result being an impressive waterfall when it rains. As this is Wales, it does this regularly. The blackbird is still bouncing around chirping, and the robin is still trying to hide from the sparrow hordes.

One rather interesting diversion I’ve found of late is to view media reports as though one is an intelligent extraterrestrial. There’s just something wonderfully surreal in pondering what a being from Alpha Centurii would make of the more incomprehensible reports that appear on Teletext.

What they might also notice, after puzzling over “Explosion in Red Kite Population”, is a rather strange phenomenon. We seem to have become a nation that displays an inverted snobbery over intelligence. Enthusiasm for reading, or any non-sporting hobby, is seen as odd and used as a lazy shorthand by unimaginative scriptwriters to show characters as being somehow deficient and outside normal society. Likewise we have a situation where anyone with specific knowledge is regarded with suspicion. Scientists seem to suffer most from this. Any mainstream news story about genetic modification or mobile phones is usually stuffed with sensationalist claims that do not stand up to scrutiny.

The problem could be blamed on schools, but that would be unfair. Teachers will tell you that despite the best efforts of the purveyors of “celebrity” fluff there are still students who want to learn, and who indeed regard those glued to “lifestyle” magazines as the odd ones. The problem is that they are outnumbered by the brainless sheep-like individuals who panic at the first sight of anything remotely difficult to understand. Those who may have been wavering are easily persuaded towards the sheep.

To my mind, the problem began when it became apparent that it was possible to become rich and famous without apparently possessing any talent whatsoever. In a nation which seems to regard the winners of mindless “reality” TV programmes as newsworthy, is it any wonder that young people see them as role models? Why bother with attempting to become the next Brunel, Hawking, Wodehouse or Clausewitz when someone previously employed to repair fingernails can gain the same fame and fortune without any of that hard “thinking”? Likewise, if you can make sounds that are a passable copy of the singing of an American artist, and are conventionally attractive, why not audition for a record contract on TV? You’re virtually guaranteed a hit with your first release because of the vast marketing machine provided for you.

The essential problem with all of this is that it leads to a society with very little depth. Doing anything with your evenings other than finding a bar and consuming more alcohol than a former Russian leader is considered odd. Likewise attempting to converse on matters deeper than the events of a particular TV programme will leave you short of friends very rapidly. This shallowness will also lead to the followers of fluff having little left in their pockets, as while someone who knows where to look for information and understands a few basic principles can easily fix their leaking shower pipes, the “reality TV” fan will be forced to call a plumber. This is just one example that sprung to mind at the time of writing.

One has to ask why this is the case. Our society has, in the past, given the world some of its finest engineers, writers, statesmen and scientists. Now we seem to turn out gormless individuals with mouths resembling open sewers. I have nothing against swearing per se, but it does tend to indicate a lack of imagination when someone rarely completes a sentence without the use of language more commonly found around wounded pirates. At what point did it become a social norm to drink oneself into oblivion? People did not do this during the 1960s when there seemed to be a constant risk of sirens denoting that they had four minutes of life left before nuclear war, so why now in an age that is probably the safest for some time. Terrorism may worry people, but to be perfectly honest there is a greater risk involved when you drive to work.

The practice of drinking vast amounts “to forget” was previously the preserve of the armed forces and others in stressful jobs. One can have ample sympathy for this – having seen half of your unit wiped out would probably drive most of us to the bottle in an effort to get some respite. But what are the people seen slumped in town centres or fighting violently amongst themselves attempting to avoid? Judging by their appearance they are not short of money, or food, or other essentials for life, so what is driving them to this?

I would strongly suspect that it is a symptom of a deeper social malaise. In the last few general elections we have seen voter turnout fall dramatically. People do not feel that they have a duty to participate, and also seem to feel that nothing they do will make a difference. If they feel that disconnected and that their actions have no impact on the world, it is not surprising that they take little interest beyond the fashionable causes of the day. That these tend to be promoted by newspapers with their own agenda is often rather amusing, as the people adopting said causes also tend to be proud of their individuality!