Vale Festival 2007 *

2007-06-13 4:37 p.m.

You know, when people organize fund raising events or large scale games, auctions quizzes to build up money for a cause, what is the overall effect on the participants? Can it be measured numerically that yes a certain number or percentage has actually understood the meaning behind the event? Can we say that out of all that came, such and such a number discovered what children in Africa faced daily just to get sufficient water, what it is like to face the misery of not being able to gain simple primary education, how one feels seeing people facing bombs and bullets daily? Can we derived statistics, like getting an average, or hypothesis test or such? (Yes, this is what I think after going through lectures from Drs. Barassi and Liu as well as Mr. Horsewood).

Back to the question, the aim of the event whether or not it is to gain funds, is to raise awareness and encourage people to take action. However, without the presence of games, rides or music, the crowds would disappear very fast or may not even materialize. Yet, with attractive music and games that appeal to all, one may grab all the pamphlets, note all the posters, but at the end of the day, return home with the memory of the fun they had, and little of how others (man or animal) are suffering at the other side of the world.

This was my thought after the whole Vale Festival ended. Vale Festival was a summer music centred (well mainly) event after the exams with the them of “Combating Climate Change Chaos.” Naturally, the UNSoc committee saw it as an event which we could be part of, especially since our initially plan of have a petition against small arms at the Fab N’ Fresh event didn’t work out. We really didn’t have much time to plan since we only heard of the event just before our exams. But by hook or by crook, we came up with pretty ingenious and interesting items. Face-painting (administered by Ruth), the creation of posters and info sheets of climate change, a short petition to PM-to-be Gordon Brown, urging him to focus on achieving Millennium Development Goal Number 7 [1]. The last was the fun part for along side singing the petition, people could have their picture taken with a poster reading “Make MDG 7 a Reality”. The signatures and pictures would be sent to the UK government.

So with some hiccups here and there, we trouped towards the Vale, walking at the pace of Marek, our President, since he was pretty sleep deprived. The Vale (it does look like a Vale with slopes and “hillocks”) was buzzing with activity. Initially, we found ourselves along the footh path with our a table and a bench and no shelter from the elements. Kindly enough, the Oxfam group, which was selling used/fair-trade clothing, allowed us to share their shelter, and we thus were located on the middle of a “hill”. Then, the board provided had to be taken away, not before we were provided with a much larger board which made our UN flag most prominent. So, with only the wind disturbing our items, the boys (Marek and me) got our faces painted with the words UN and waited.

The major part of the day saw us trying to encourage people to sign our petition and get their pictures taken. To double the number of names, we sent roving teams around to the other stalls, engaging in a reciprocal act, we got their leaflets and info, they signed our sheets. Along the signing was a short quiz (see below) that I created and the highest winner by five p.m. would get a box of chocolates. Time passed and well, we did nget some business, but with the bands playing, the crowds were centred around the other side of the Vale, leaving the societies booths with occasional visitors. Marek would later try to cheer me up, saying it (our part) was quite a successful one. Still, I wondered whether it could have been different.

We gather close to 150 signatures and photos in then end. Shab was really great in encouraging people to sign it, got to learn from him. He seemed to have a number of friends at the Festival. I managed to get Heather and her sister Sophie to sign, as well and Paul Rhys and the girls. (I called their photo a classic one, it was really a great shot, I’m sure Gordon Brown and the UK government will be moved by the pictures.) Past five, we located the winner of the quiz and shut down, happy that all went well.

My “off duty” time saw me scrubbing away the facepaint, which Janet said I shouldn’t have done and resting with the group, sipping some beer and chatting with Indie/Rock/Rap music blarring in front of us. We busied ourselves by playing catch sitting down and well finding bits and pieces of issues to talk about. By Midnight, the music cease and the cold had settled in. I was freezing even in summer—brave me decided on a simple short sleeved shirt. The rest of the time saw us camping out next to the lake watching the show “Blood Diamond”. I’ll rate is was really excellent, plot and otherwise, and didn’t know the main actor was Leonardo DiCaprio. It truly displays the conflict over blood diamonds.

Ah, short entry again. I leave you now with my quiz.

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RESPONSE TO IT?

Q1) What is not an aspect of Climate Change?
a) The Polar Ice Caps melting
b) Excessive drought in normally humid and wet areas
c) Animals finding shelter from temperature changes

Q2) What is the Stop Climate Chaos Vision?
a) To continue pestering governments to turn environmentally friendly or enforce sanctions against them
b) A world in which human induced climate change is capped at a level that will allow all of humanity to prosper, by means that promote global, social, environmental and economic justice
c) Climate Change is mostly natural, so we can stop it to only a certain extent

Q3) Which decade was the warmest so far and which European capital saw the largest increase in average summer temperature?
a) 1910 and Berlin
b) 1970 and Rome
c) 1990 and London

Q4) How many people die from climate change every year?
a) Close to 150,000
b) 50,000
c) About 1000

Q5) Current climate trends would leave 3 Billion people in the African region and South Asia facing __________________.
a) Food Shortages
b) Lack of Sanitary facilities
c) Sufficient Water

Q6) What is the target set by Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals?
a) Continue economic development and make developed nations help other countries to preserve the environment
b) Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources
c) Ensure that the environment is always a priority for all countries

Q7) What does the UNFCCC stand for and in what year was it created?
a) United Nations Fund Concerning Climate Change, 1999
b) United Nations Facing Climate Change Committee, 1995
c) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 1992

Q8) Which fact is true of the Kyoto Protocol?
a) All countries in the UN have signed the Protocol
b) Developed countries have made more advances than developing countries
c) No targets are prescribed for developing countries

Q9) Which country has infamously not signed the Kyoto Protocol, placing economic growth over that of the environment
a) The Russian Federation
b) The People’s Republic of China
c) The United States

Q10) Between 1990 and 2000, how large an area of rainforest was depleted?
a) 1,000,000 sq km
b) 940,000 sq km
c) 5,000,000 sq km

Q11) What was the major failure of the 2005 UN World Summit on Climate Change?
a) A low turnout of nations
b) Member states did not reaffirm their commitment to the ultimate goal of the UNFCCC
c) That member states failed to agree and meaningful ways of strengthening the international response to climate change

Q12) What does the EDM178 stand for and who has signed it?
a) Earth Day Movement 178 and G8 countries
b) Early Day Motion 178 and 646 British MPs
c) Early Day Motion 178 and EU countries

Q13) Which is/are criticisms of the UK efforts in combating Climate Change?
a) C02 levels are still rising despite a pledge to cut them by 20% by 2010
b) C02 levels are still not cut for major polluters such as Rail and Air Transport
c) Both of the above

Q14) Which country has been noted as being able to switch to more environmentally friendly modes of electricity production but still saw a change in GDP?
a) France
b) Poland
c) Denmark

Q15) Name at least three ways you can help to combat Climate Change and three ways how you can spread the message globally

[1] Millennium Development Goals were a set of eight goals signed by UN members in 2000, focusing on tackling areas such as poverty, the environment, education and AIDS. Goal number 7 is to “Ensure Environmental Sustainability.” For more info, please see this link and please help to make them a reality.

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