How about making life easier for teachers and saving fuel at the same time?

OK, so I'm now well into the The Transition Handbook. In order to make a point about the sheer wastefulness of much of our trade a few random examples are given of imports V exports of various commodities to various countries (actually, some of these are taken from The UK Interdependence Report). Just one small example, that I find astounding - in 2004 the UK exported 1,500 tons of potatoes to Germany. In the same year the quantity of potatoes we imported from Germany was.... yes, you guessed it - 1,500 tons. There are many more much worse examples than this, but it seems to me absolutely unconscionable to be doing that. Actually the amount of scarves that we exchange with Canada (39,000) is as bad, but at least, I guess we send them different designs to the ones they send us, but potatoes! Even if the varieties are different, there is no possible reason why the ones we send there couldn't be grown here, and vice-versa.

Which brings me to an idea that came up in a conversation with my wife the other day (I think she may have thought of it, but she says that I did - not such a bad thing to differ on), which kind of resonates with the trade point above. She is a teacher and every day she travels about 16 miles each way to school, usually by car. This is clearly not ideal and of course she would prefer to work somewhere closer to hand, but as it is there are no jobs available nearer to us. At the same time we know of a teacher who travels around 40 miles each way to work at a local school. Most days she probably passes my wife coming in the opposite direction. Wouldn't it be great (and I admit that this could probably only work in a centrally controlled, but geographically disparate profession such as teaching) if they could swap jobs? In fact wouldn't it be great if the Department for Children, Schools and Families were to look at where teachers lived and to offer them the ability to job swap to reduce their commutes?

Another good book

I've just been reading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is the story of her family's attempt to eat only locally grown or reared (mainly homegrown, and by default mainly seasonal) food. My wife read the book first and recommended it. Given that the author is extremely successful I feared that it would be another self-indulgent middle class feel-good book, but it's not. Clearly Kingsolver and family spend a lot of time digging, planting, picking, bottling etc. which to my mind is what validates the whole thing.

It is very american in flavour, but that doesn't detract. The most important thing for me was the overall message that with a bit of land, a bit of effort and a bit of help from your friends and neighbours (with some given in return) it is possible to do this and to enjoy doing it. I'm currently reading The Transition Handbook (peak oil and global warming and what to do about it) of which I will write more later, but which also makes a similar point, that moving away from consumerism can actually be enjoyable.