Press Releases
For some years it has been obvious that Britain, with its historical abundance of coal, oil and gas has taken a very different view of national energy security compared to its European neighbours. On the continent those countries with poor fossil fuel resources have successfully developed alternatives, particularly where political will prevents nuclear power being an option. These energy alternatives are exclusively "renewable" and many rely on farmers and the land based industries to provide the raw materials whether it be wood, crop based bio fuel or waste products. In the process farmers livelihoods and income security have been improved and wealth created in local communities.
In the UK the almost overnight realisation that the North Sea oil and gas reserve were running out and that our coal fired and nuclear power stations were mostly obsolete, has created panic. The political acceptance of the fossil fuel contribution to climate change has only added to the apparent rush towards policies encouraging the domestic and industrial use of renewables. A huge and growing market has been created for any product with a "sustainable" logo, which has led to a feeding frenzy of manufacturers, importers and distributors keen to bring their goods into the commercial vacuum. However the UK public, while often intending to do something, is unfamiliar with the new ideas and mechanisms. They have for too long been extravagant energy consumers living in a disposable age.
On the other hand consumers on the continent are very familiar with the sustainable energy technologies. Their high streets are full of shops displaying domestic wood- pellet stores, solar heating panels and energy saving products.
There are many exhibitions and shows promoting new technologies and renewable products, regularly drawing huge attendances. Experience has shown which has been the most reliable or cost effective options and which products don't live up to expectations.
The Royal Bath and West Showground offer a large (230 acre) south facing site with a regular annual current visitor count of over a million visitor days. The Royal Bath and West Society, an agricultural charity, sees a huge potential to use the showground to publicise the sort of material about sustainability which is already household knowledge amongst our European neighbours, and in the process promote the market for the land-based renewable sector.
For three years now a special area of the main shows has been given over to displaying renewables, "the ECO-Zone". Here members of the public can learn a little about energy, and how to use it wisely. Trade stands show them commercial options. Farmers can learn form the experience of those present in the ECO-ZONE already involved in renewable energy generating from humans, Bio fuel or anaerobic digestion. Novel transport forms, building materials and domestic products are all on show.
But people go to the Royal Bath and West show for a fun day out, and that is what they find at the ECO-GYM. This is an area of the ECO-Zone where people can visualise energy, by using their own muscles to generate electricity for scalectric and toy train races. They can find out just how hard it is to keep one light bulb on, or run a TV, or even boil a kettle. They can lift the weight of their own carbon footprint and by using their own energy see the size of the problem facing the planet.
It is a small but essential step in the long road to public acceptance of the need for change, and a precursor of more ambitions intentions for the showground.