Out & About
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 The weather was
not always sunny that Sunday afternoon and you can't always
say that southern Regents Park has the greatest skyline in
the world right now.... But the Fair was colourful, bright
and loud. What is more, it was FREE!! |
 The main stage
was powered by a combination of micro-wind turbines and
Photovoltaics. No doubt there were also some big batteries
around too. Unlike other outdoor events the air was free of
the noise, vibration and fumes of Diesel generators. |
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 Yet another
micro-wind turbine near the main stage. This is an
interesting example of a standalone tower rigged with guy
ropes. However it is not mounted high enough and it was
quite a still day so none of the Wind Turbines on site that
day were turning. Likewise the sun rarely shone so the
Photovoltaics struggled. |
 One of many
Photovoltaics arrays around the site. This one powered one
of the exhibition Marquees. |
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 This poster was
spotted on the day It was sponsored by the Mayor of London's
Office. It seems a little optimistic but we liked the idea
of 'Gardening for Global Warming'. We are at that stage.
Small Gardens in big cities do help to cool the city 'heat
island' effect. No doubt other big cities will follow this
advice. |
 We stopped by
for a chat with the people behind the Desertec stand. They
were promoting solar power in North African deserts as a way
powering Europe. The power would be transmitted to Europe on
a Super-High Conductivity Power Grid. These are exactly the
sort of BIG capital centralised power systems we are all
used to but are renewable. Let's hope that, in the interests
of Energy Security that we ALSO focus on a mix of
decentralised and distributed power generation systems
closer to home.
This was one of
many exhibitors to be found at the Show. There was a broad
spectrum with everybody from Friends of the Earth to the
Conservative Party setting up a stand. If you wanted to
consider a subscription to The Ecologist or New
Internationalist then they too were on hand to answer your
questions. If it as "green" and in London it was in Regents
Park that day. Of course this also meant an array of
traditional 'left wing', 'new age', 'peace' and
'alternative' life-style fringe interests. It goes with the
territory but we enjoyed it all as we walked around. |
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 Here we seen the
Main Stage power by large photovoltaic arrays mounted at ground
level next to the stage or on top of the lorry (left). This is
in a rare burst of sunshine. |
 A view over the
fair's "Health Village". The day did attract the usual mix of
"New Age" karma from the souls who normally haunt Glastonbury
every year. We managed to steer clear of several happy/clappy
groups and a massage area where people did steam-train
impressions. Nice. If that's your thing then great! |
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 Obviously all those
Wind Turbines and Photovoltaics were going to struggle. The
secret? Well, we spotted a few of these beasts sitting around
the Fair. They are Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators. How great is
that? They didn't make a sound but were obviously pumping out
the power for the multiple events and PA systems. This really is
the future even though the Hydrogen was probably supplied from a
Fossil Fuel. Makes you wonder where all the waste water was
going. We saw no evidence of steam. However, you can't complain
about something THIS clean so close to the events but that do
not make the slightest noise. |
 Back
to the more usual symbols of renewable energy. These Wind
Turbines were part of a small 'farm' powering one of the Event
Marquees. This was of specific interest because the three
non-white turbines here all appear to be hand made. They looking
nothing like the commercially available system such as the white
one in the middle which normally has three or more blades. All
the Turbines here were rather crudely mounted and, again, not
high enough to catch much wind outside of the turbulence created
by the trees in the background. The Event Marquees had a
speaker's corner for debates of renewables in the City. We
preferred to stay outside with Post-Carbon Girl. |
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 Plenty of Recycling
Facilities in evidence around the site. All had a small army of
volunteers giving instructions to the public as to what to put
where. |
 At the end of the
day.... Post-Carbon Girl chills out next to a small collection of Wind
Turbines and Photovoltaics at a renewable energy exhibition at
the Fair. Camden had certainly pulled out all the stops on this
one. It was an enjoyable day with plenty to see and do. There
were hundreds and exhibitors and traders offering everything
from free CFL's to Organic Wine. from Hemp Clothes to Toyota
Prius test drives. You name it, it was here. Sadly it was
largely aimed at the people of London therefore tailored for
mega-city life. Are big cities sustainable?
Learn more about
what you missed of this year's show at
www.camdengreenfair.org.uk. Put it on your calendar for next
year. We can certainly recommend it as a good family day out. It
certainly attracted the great and the good. It was like being
transported to a wonderful alternative universe where we had
figured out all the problems & all their solutions. As we left
the show we were rudely awakened by someone's Range Rover
whizzing by. Clearly someone who needs to get out of their SUV
and go to the show! |
Conclusion
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