ohmygod WALLY OLLINS issohotrightnow

YO and welcome to the third in a regular slot where we report from a high brow and civilised Evening Of Chat that we attended with some painfully on it person from somewhere.

Slip on your argyll socks and crunch a cashew..

This week its the Grandmaster Flash of branding: Wally Ollins. Might have expected him to have a slightly capitalist and self orientated philosophy, but he was right on it  about global equality.

“What is so right about 10% of the world’s population having 90% of the wealth? Why do people want to keep it like that? That’s unsustainable.”

Can’t see the previous two? That’s cos I haven’t written em yet fool – I’m living in the future.

Deathmatch: 100 yr old allotments vs. 4 weeks of concrete pathway

IN the blue corner: 81 productive healthy 100 year old allotments in Hackney Wick ringed with plum blossom, a veritable urban oasis and so wholesome, socially inclusive and downright paradisical they make Julie Andrews jealous.

IN the red corner: 4 weeks of concrete concourse for the 2012 Olympics, flanked by a compulsory purchase order and some heavy-duty bulldozers.

Does anyone remember the words ‘Olympic Legacy’?
If you do, sign the petition before april 2nd (that’s when the bulldozers are due to move in)

“You won’t believe who …”

“David Cameron’s homework satchel?”

“Nah, some bloke asking for an Eco Taxi Service.”

“You’re pulling my Tarzan and Jane. Hope you told him about Ecoigo or Green Tomato?

“Nah. I told him to get on his bike”

Bump into you in Shunt

Green Networking

ALRIGHT! Lets get loaded on free booze and chase that hot eco-dude / chick

No dude.

We’re not talking your monthly lager fuelled mingle-athon (but hey! nice to meet you too. its 07725 105 664)

We’re talking a gigantic network of connected green spaces, where people can travel and fly kites, where little furry hedgehogs can nuzzle with each other and be friends with the foxes, and where urban water management can be sustainable. YEAH!”

Its called Green Grid and the good old GLA are doing a primer. Check out the details (policy types, hum and har over the serious stuff! Arty folk gaze the photos and the essays!)

Flash your wedge

Okay, we’re a little (ahem) late with this one seeing as it was launched before chrimbo and all, but in fairness it doesn’t cover Peckham …..yet.
It being the anti-nectar card, use-their-own-tricks-against-them-jackie-chan-stylee brilliantly simple idea that is wedge. Basically a reward card for local independent businesses, dreamed up by John Bird the Big Issue man in his crusade to save what’s left of our high streets (and cause Tesco etc some mild annoyance in the process).

It’s already got fair bits of central, west, southwest and north London covered. For some reason the shops of Peckham haven’t been invited to the party yet but when they do goddammit we’ll be the first through the doors waving our pieces of plastic and clamouring for discounts on giant bunches of plantains. And just so we can all feel extra smug saintly while shopping virtuously, half the £20 card fee goes to charidee.
You can also nominate your favourite local emporiums (emporia?) as wedge traders by emailing the suggestion box. Sadly I don’t think it extends to pubs & bars yet…

normal service will be resumed shortly

Would you believe us if we told you that our new year’s resolution was to become more, er, unhurried? How about saying we’ve temporarily joined the slow information movement?
Alright, alright. Ben’s been driving around Spain with a hirsute maniac and I’ve been busy with other stuff and we’ve been unforgiveably slow in updating the blog for a while. We’re very sorry. It won’t happen again.

reasons to be cheerful

Januaree… its easy to feel like a lonely abandoned (& broke) ex-christmas tree…
But lets not. Lots of things to do and look forward to – climate change opera, Wangari Maathai at the RSA, home-made fabricators are go and did we mention the optimistic scientists? Hundreds of them (well, 160) all clustered at the Edge talking up 2007 and giving reasons for getting out of bed in the morning.
Meantime zero carbon is so hot right now …

Fair’s fair

Go on, get a lovely glow going in your guardian-reading heart and get down to the fairtrade fair in Balham tonight. Mulled wine & cakes (yay), free ethical investment advice (er, yay?), a multimedia spectacular combo of film, music & raffle, and of course gazillions of fairtrade doodads to buy for your loved ones and not the slightest whiff of a sweatshop anywhere near any of it! That’s what we call Christmas spirit!
The fair is run by the good people of WDM and starts at 7 in the church at 21 Ramsden Rd.

North London people who can’t bear to cross the river – there’s a great year round fairtrade shop in Manchester.

Giant Turban Farm

Far out! They are building a farm!

Out at sea!

to grow giant turbans!

Enough to power one in every three of London’s homes!

We don’t get it but it sounds great!