At University in Dublin in the late 90s I went on my first protest march – I think it was against cuts or for teachers. It was definitely for good things and against bad things. One of my fellow student protesters took home his placard and kept it in his window for the rest of the year. It was from this seminal Father Ted episode where they’re protesting against the sexually explicit film The Passion of St Tibulus and inadvertently make it a rousing success, so to speak. A little slower to keep up to the bright young things of UCD in 1999, politicians and students alike went on to roll out the slogan 10 years later where they wanted to highlight the vagueness and hypocritical shite spouted by some of those with power or platform.
I would mention the Pope at this stage, but as he has exited stage left there’s not much more to say on that one other than, Careful now.
The Father Ted protest slogan came to mind while I was enjoying the brilliant infographic below, ted-O-Matic, which is quite rightly ripping the piss out of TED Talks. Don’t get me wrong; I use them when I’m teaching students about sustainable business – if nothing else it stops them having to listen to me drone on about environmental management systems and engagement strategies and gives them the opportunity to listen to wiser, more experienced people, while I nip off for a coffee.
However, there is something alienating about TED Talks these days, in a similar way to watching the Pope on his throne talking about made-up stuff and nonsense. Yet, I am your aspiring eco-innovator, who wants to be the sexy, smart woman on stage inspiring everyone with my simple yet profound story in 18 minutes or less. So what has changed since TED talks started in 1984? Has everyone just got fed-up with them? Or is there a cultural shift which makes us a bit sickly when confronted with the sage on the stage?
In sustainability we are seeking leadership, or that’s what we call it. We’re looking for someone to show us the way out of this sinking ship, via solar powered bikes, straight to the land of good, and away from this land of bad. Yet, since TED Talks started, the access to information we now have available to us hasn’t made us wiser, or better at making the choices that provide a just and equal future for humanity. It’s made us realise that we don’t know shit. Every decision is questionable – every choice, like different renewable energy technologies, has a complex web of risks and mitigations which need to be weighed up and put in place. We are paralysed by information and inspiration, and the government is in the cinema masturbating over sexually explicit films, while we protest outside.
I love inspiring TED Talks and DO Lectures, but as my friend Kerlarsenickoff (read his latest blog on the perils of agonising over the colour of shite) pointed out – we are in danger of creating meaning where it is unwarranted, in order to make sense of the world.
Story telling is profoundly important for inspiration and it’s also a creative art, but innovation requires everyone to get involved. We need to sit down and have a cup of coffee with another person, not fill the kettle too much, analyse our data, talk about the things we can do to meet our challenge, and then do them. They mainly involve really boring things like buying less crap, walking more places, turning your heating down and probably washing behind your ears too.
Saving the planet is mundane, and that’s why we need inspiring leaders to take the piss out of.
Today I had a conversation with a senior colleague who asked me how I’m settling into my new surroundings. Have I got used to the change, the slower pace of life?
Indeed, I imagined my emancipation from London commutes and the constant buzz of opportunity of activity to be my making Up North. Plenty of time to relax and read, long walks and slow days away from the drain of The City. Who was I kidding. My mum has never once sat down long enough to spell relax. Where do I find the relax gene? I love to connect and collaborate and I say yes to every adventure I’m offered, if it helps me to meet my mission. So, here I am in Chester, seeking out creative and positive people, organising events and hackathons. Collaborating to nudge, cajole and influence new behaviours. Collecting opinions and starting more social [media] networks to meet friends and influence people.
I’ve managed to upset a few apple carts; you don’t get anywhere without doing that, but my values remain my guiding principle for my work and my boundaries remain flexible, thanks and no thanks to social networking.
Sustainability Practitioner
