Bob Bingham
My name is Bob Bingham and I am a retired marketing director from the marine industry in the UK. My wife and I followed our children to the other side of the world and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.
As I get older and look back on my life I am very conscious that I have lived in a golden age. Apart from Hitler dropping some bombs on me and some near misses from the IRA I have not been involved in a war, I have had unlimited use of oil and coal, cheap and abundant food, good housing and warm clothes, free education, medical care, travelled the world, a steady job and a great hobby sailing our boat.
I am blessed with a great wife (one only) two lovely children and four intelligent, talented and healthy grandchildren. I worked for forty years and may well be retired for forty years.
As I get older and look back on my life I am very conscious that I have lived in a golden age. Apart from Hitler dropping some bombs on me and some near misses from the IRA I have not been involved in a war, I have had unlimited use of oil and coal, cheap and abundant food, good housing and warm clothes, free education, medical care, travelled the world, a steady job and a great hobby sailing our boat.
I am blessed with a great wife (one only) two lovely children and four intelligent, talented and healthy grandchildren. I worked for forty years and may well be retired for forty years.
Having been part of the generation that had unlimited use of the World resources I am now very conscious that this way of life is not sustainable. The World cannot go on providing us with a lifestyle at this level forever and we now apparently need one and a half planets to keep us going.
Some people concentrate on the population growth as the problem but according to Hans Rolsing it is people like me who are living too long who are the problem.
In reality we are all part of the problem. If you drive a car or travel you contribute to global warming, if you buy food at a supermarket you are part of the system so there is no point in pointing at others to blame. Do something about it yourself.
In my case I spend my time trying to educate people to the dangers of a warming planet through the increased level of CO2 and I help restore streams to make them resilient to a warming planet and increased drought.
I'm not a poetical person but this poem by Drew Dellinger entitled “Hieroglyphic Stairway” strikes a chord.
it’s 3.23 in the morning
and I’m awake
because my great great grandchildren
won’t let me sleep
my great great grandchildren
ask me in dreams
what did you do while the planet was plundered?
what did you do when the earth was unravelling?
surely you did something
when the season started failing?
as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying?
did you fill the streets with protest
when democracy was stolen?
what did you do
once
you
knew….?
Some people concentrate on the population growth as the problem but according to Hans Rolsing it is people like me who are living too long who are the problem.
In reality we are all part of the problem. If you drive a car or travel you contribute to global warming, if you buy food at a supermarket you are part of the system so there is no point in pointing at others to blame. Do something about it yourself.
In my case I spend my time trying to educate people to the dangers of a warming planet through the increased level of CO2 and I help restore streams to make them resilient to a warming planet and increased drought.
I'm not a poetical person but this poem by Drew Dellinger entitled “Hieroglyphic Stairway” strikes a chord.
it’s 3.23 in the morning
and I’m awake
because my great great grandchildren
won’t let me sleep
my great great grandchildren
ask me in dreams
what did you do while the planet was plundered?
what did you do when the earth was unravelling?
surely you did something
when the season started failing?
as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying?
did you fill the streets with protest
when democracy was stolen?
what did you do
once
you
knew….?