Our next Green-Thinkers bookclub is on 5th December at 6.30pm to discuss Tony Juniper’s “What has nature ever done for us?”. The book is a fantastic insight into our fundamental, but poorly understood, life-support systems; and it is timely for communities, businesses, and governments around the world.
We will be asking questions such as:
- What benefits does nature provide to you, and your region / organisation?
- Can, and should, a price be put on nature?
- What do you see as the greatest threat to the effective functioning of ecosystems? and what are the potential consequences if they break-down?
- And dare I ask – if traditional conservation has largely failed to protect iconic endangered species, can biodiversity offsetting ever be a good thing?
Gareth Kane recently brought to my attention the latest advertisement from Toys-R-Us depicting a bus full of bored school-children on a field-trip to a forest; but when the trip was diverted to a shop full of plastic toys they were allegedly ecstatic. If we believe nature has intrinsic health and educational value – have we lost the battle? and how can we turn this around? As an alternative see this infographic about the value of tree from Natural Capital Forum, and also the family from Nottinghamshire who set their children a challenge of completing 100 different outdoor activities in a year – Nottingham Post.
Date: 5th Dec 2013, Time: 6.30, Location: Newcastle at the Bridge Hotel. Price: (£5 / £3 concessions) includes sandwiches and chips!
Please email marek@green-thinkers.org to book, if you have not already done so.
Kind Regards,
Marek Bidwell
green-thinkers 
