Nation Scale Food Security

On Wednesday last, Hay on Earth focussed the minds of 60 people, including a good number of world experts, on the questions facing us wen considering how to move quickly to a position of community, regional and nation-scale food security. Wales' Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, joined us for the afternoon and appreciated the quality of discussion and the level of aspiration.

Whilst it is clear that there's no strategic plan of any significant level, there was real demand and commitment to creating a draft Food Security plan for Wales within the next six months to focus on:

1. Peak oil and energy security
2. Community-based food growing and skills
3. Regional level support mechanisms
4. The role of retail, wholesalers and growers.

The next stage is to convene a meeting involving representatives from the four sectors outlined above, at the earliest opportunity. Contact me via this site if you are interested in getting involved.

Small nation leadership

Thursday last week saw the launch of Wales' new Sustainable Development Scheme at our Hay on Earth event at the Guardian Hay Festival. I chaired morning session, with the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales, and Jane Davidson AM, Minister for Environment Sustainability and Housing, both giving powerful speeches which outlined Wales' commitment to making change happen. The Guardian's John Vidal was one of those there, and had this to say in his article:

Wales today laid out radical plans to make it one of the most energy- and resource-efficient countries in the world within a generation.

The government development plans, which are legally binding, are far in advance of anything planned for England or Scotland and would see it become energy self-sufficient in using renewable electricity within 20 years and reduce waste to zero by 2050.

The proposals would make Wales one of only three countries in the world legally bound to develop "sustainably".

"We intend to reduce by 80-90% our use of carbon-based energy, resulting in a similar reduction in our greenhouse gas generation," said Jane Davidson, the Welsh environment minister, launching the sustainable development scheme at the Guardian's Hay festival. "We are committed to making annual 3% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from 2011," she added.

"This is about living within our resources while improving people's well being. It will require radical changes in Welsh society," said Rhodri Morgan, first minister for Wales, which is currently celebrating 10 years of devolution.

We'll be back at Hay on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week for the main three days of Hay on Earth, when we'll be joined by around 180 people and two Cabinet Ministers to create real action for change on food security, community enagement and action.

Liberation thinking

Two striking things about today's meeting with 50 or so climate and sustainability specialists in Cardiff:

How liberating it is when people start doing. Filling out the detail of the Do Connect timeline changed the energy in the room in an instant, giving all participants, looking at micro-generation, transport, food and education, a chance to make theor own mark and think about what will happen, rather than what should happen.

We're going to compete against Scotland. In the art of Do. Rachel Nunn, arch-doer from Stirling and instigator of the outstanding Going Carbon Neutral Stirling project is up for battle - to see how many unusual, fun, effective climate actions each country can achieve in fixed timelines - a couple of weeks to Do, no more. The plans are being drawn, and the games will commence soon. Fun on the way.

Community Time

Today is the third of three Community Climate Change workshops that I've been working on for the Welsh Assembly Government, with a strong group of presenters and workshop hosts. Rachel Nunn has talked of her simple, elegant and impressive work at Stirling in Scotland, setting up 'Carbon Cutter' groups that work along the same lines as Weight Watchers - weigh in every week, lots of support and small actions by everyone. Ken Peattie presented useful information on his research in to the 'moods' that drive behaviour change on sustainability and climate, and Andy Rowland hosted well attended sessions on the use of REAP Petite as an eco-footprinting tool, and of the results that they've had so far in the Dyfi Valley in Mid Wales.

So far, we've run the Do Connect timeline for change twice, and will be getting the views of another 400 people in the next week. The experience has been cathartic for some, helping them connect the detail of what needs to happen this week to the big picture and timescales of change. When the content is collected, we'll post it online and get communities engaged in drawing up their own, localised plans with names of people, places and organisations as well as dates. Biggest message? Start now, learn fast, share widely.

Chicken a la Carte

Another short film about food, filmed a couple of years ago, and still highly relevant. Watch the FoE film and this one to get a shot reason for change.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com