{"id":1879,"date":"2012-05-31T14:41:35","date_gmt":"2012-05-31T14:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/?p=1879"},"modified":"2016-09-09T15:21:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T14:21:32","slug":"viviennes-diary-21-28-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/2012\/05\/31\/viviennes-diary-21-28-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Vivienne\u2019s Diary 21 \u2013 27 May"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Monday, 21 May:<\/strong> Weather glorious. Left home at 8 am with Cynthia for Google\u2019s Zeitgeist conference at the Grove Hotel in Herefordshire (about an hour outside London) \u2013 due to talk in the early afternoon. We went early to get an idea of what the conference was about. The audience was mainly Google advertisers and employees \u2013 people with a lot of money and influence.<\/p>\n

The first panel discussion on the current political situation \u2013 Greece and the Euro \u2013 bludgeoned me into incredulity. Worthless discussion about upturns, downturns, cycles and growth and not including the factor of climate change: like preparing the Sunday roast and not turning on the heat because the house is burning down. Why am I here? I can read this stuff in the papers.<\/p>\n

We first met our friend, Marc Koska, at a previous conference. These things are networking opportunities to raise support for our causes. And Marc has a wonderful cause: he invented a disposable syringe \u2013 only one time use is possible – that has saved millions of lives. Massive spread of disease in poor countries is due to using the same syringe and needle on a string of patients. After 20 years of finding ways to combat the practice of drug companies, his safe syringe will become the only model used, supported by the World Health Organization. Great news!<\/p>\n

Lily Cole and Jimmy Wales (the founder of Wikipedia) were interviewed By CNN anchor, Becky Anderson. Jimmy is endorsing Lily and her project, giving her the technical help she needs to inaugurate her \u2018gifting\u2019 website, \u201cImPossible\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now I was to be interviewed by Becky Anderson. Nobody had yet mentioned climate change and I was bored by the audience and didn\u2019t care what I would say. But I was angry and it all came out anyway \u2013 my mantra: climate change is caused by the bad financial system; human values instead of abstract sums about money. When Becky tried to ask me questions I told her, \u201cYou\u2019re trying to interrupt me\u201d and carried on in full spate until I was finished.
\nThen! The members of the audience were delighted and clapped and hooted. I was surprised and of course really pleased.<\/p>\n