I have been lucky enough to encounter the positive eco-guru Rob Hopkins twice in the last few months. His new book, titled How to Fall in Love with the Future is out on June 17th, and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading it. So this article is dedicated to the work of Rob, and those visionaries who create positive solutions to what often feels like an increasingly desperate situation.
My first encounter was in February, when I went to an excellent ‘immersive light-show time-portal experience’ by Rob called Film Recordings From the Future. Rob had created a positive vision of what 2030 could look like. I went with a friend, Chris Jones, of Woodland Valley Farm, which is home to the Cornwall Beaver Project,. Chris’s wildlife-rich beaver-forged landscape featured in the film.
What was truly wonderful about the evening, which took place in the magnificent Devonport Guildhall, was that all of the technology showcased actually already exists. Rob had knitted together clips of films made about each project and accompanied it with ambient electronic artist Mr Kit’s live music. These films covered:
- A car free city. In this city other noises take place of engines; pianos playing, children laughing, bicycle bells. Wide boulevards for walking and cycling and a robust public transport system makes the city a very attractive place socially. The improvement in air quality also has a positive impact on mortality. The city was in Europe, but you can read about what is already being planned in the UK on this Car Free City site.
- An underground mushroom farm. Mushrooms have amazing properties, from food, to medicine, to fabrics, without starting on the good that their mycelium does to support plant life.
- Sun-power. A restaurant that cooks using only the heat from the sun.
- A fully regenerative farm that has restored biodiversity on the edge of a city, bringing volunteers together to work on the land.
- Bicycle rush hour – a town where the rush hour takes place entirely on bicycles.
- Beavers rewilding landscapes and restoring ecology.
Rob was able to show that these concepts are already working successfully. They simply need scaling up. We can dream and we can make dreams reality if enough of us want that reality.
At the moment there are very few opportunities to see Field Recordings for the Future, as it is expensive to put on. However on June 21st at St John’s Church in Totnes there is a rare double showing as part of a weekend of celebrations of 20 years of Transition Town Totnes. Tickets for the 5pm performance are available here and for the 8pm performance here. Rob and Mr Kit will be joined by double bass player Stevie Toddler. Stand by to be transported to the future. Absolutely unmissable. I’ve stolen Rob’s marketing spiel for this paragraph, but it’s spot on.
A crowdfunder page is also underway, offering some great rewards, including signed copies of How to Fall in Love with the Future and the opportunity to be an executive producer.
A few weeks ago our paths crossed again, when Rob held a workshop at Woodland Valley about reimagining the future. We met new friends, made animals out of potatoes and used our imagination to ask What If?
The caption above reads “What if, in everything it does, your organisation acts as if there was a climate and ecological emergency and worked with other organisations within Cornwall with this sense of urgency and possibility?’ This to me seems like a tangible concept, and certainly something we at Railholiday we aspire to.
It is empowering to imagine a future of positive change. We cannot afford to slump into a belief that we cannot make change, or that the machines we are working against are too big, or that other countries need to make change before we do.
Think of the positive things happening in your neighbourhood; in South East Cornwall alone we have beach care groups, community shops, repair cafes, allotments, local festivals, live music making, libraries and environment action groups. We’re planting trees, growing organic food, nuts, orchards and managing wildlife reserves. All we need is some beavers – and I’m sure, because of all the work that people like Chris and others have done over the last few years, that they will soon come.
Do check out Rob’s website: robhopkins.net. Rob has a podcast From What If to What Next, which is well worth a listen.
Eight billion people are all “just one person”. Together we can and will make a difference. Rob Hopkins articulates this beautifully. I hope you find his website useful and that he gives you the positivity that you need in your life to make positive change. It feels like just the tonic we need.
