I am as they say, “Gob Smacked”. This is because I have just received a bright yellow envelope in bold type with the slogan “Hungry and Homeless”. It instructs me to “Open now and see how you could help to save your local bees. “ It was from Friends of the earth (FoE) and my immediate response was to say aloud, “If they really want to save the bee, instead of asking me for money they should be telling me to ‘Buy local Honey’. I bet that most FoE members could afford to buy local honey, and if they did then more UK producers would be encouraged to employ some of those folk who currently can’t afford local honey.
Of course, honey in jars comes from Honey bees (Apis Mellifera) not bumble bees, but I’m sure that instead of reading pamphlets from marketing departments FoE readers could get their advice on bumble bee food and habitat from local bee keepers. I don’t know the figures, but I am guessing that there are more people currently employed producing reports and tracts about bees than there are folks producing British honey.
I am always getting letters from wild life organisations and have now learned their modus operandi so to speak. First, they identify a subject of some genuine long term concern and then, through hyped up publicity, elevate that concern to the point where immediate action appears necessary and finally, they launch an appeal to persuade the public that a cheque or direct debit will go a long way to solving the problem. In this latest example they portray the wild bee as ‘hungry and homeless’ to which their solution is, “Reply now and get a, ‘Handy Bee Cause Folder, A Guide to saving the bees in your garden, a Pack of wildflower seeds, A Garden planner and a Bee identification guide.” Job done. Donors can be satisfied that the bee is safe and all it will cost them is £15. Contrary to that view, my advice to readers is to dash out and buy a pot of local honey. Better still, buy it weekly and help provide jobs for local folks.
There are of course various threats to our planet, chief of which is rampant human population growth and so I think we can pretty well ignore the doom-mongers and the pamphlet writers who tinker at the edges of that problem. Most importantly, we can ignore their solutions. This week it is bees but what about next? I hear that the Ash Borer Beetle (Agrilus planipennis) is on the march from China via Russia, so how many pamphlets will the wild-life charities send out when it reaches Calais? For myself, I think the best answer is to save our money and change our habits.
Generally I am an advocate of Trade not Aid, and for that reason would like to see fewer tariffs on imported food from Africa. If the EU were to follow the example of China and encourage the growth of local businesses, African farmers would then earn money from selling the fruits of their own labours rather than being given the fruits of ours. Also, by doing this Africans will build up their own self esteem and so become less likely to want to live elsewhere.
But enough of the naysayers and po-faced people of the world. A word about the optimists, movers and shakers. The other day I was reading about the work of Dr Scott who wrote in the Journal of General Practice about long and healthy lives. Jogging and red wine are OK he says but the best predictor of a long life he says is Religious Faith and church attendance. The risk of heart attacks is reduced by two thirds, and chances of recovery from stroke or cancer are increased significantly. Even mental health and drug and alcohol misuse show recovery plusses. He is, of course, talking averages not absolutes and so we all still need to guard against any excess, however the article concludes by saying that a Faith in God is relevant to all the diseases studied and that, whilst that belief is to some folks illusory, the beneficial effects of faith in God such as greater happiness, morale, optimism and meaning to life, are real and measurable.
Finally, earlier mention of local honey reminds me of the story of a group of retired American apiarists who were on a bus tour of Switzerland. When they stopped at a goat’s cheese factory a very attractive young lady escorted them through the cheese making process. At the end she took them to a beautiful hillside where lots of goats were peacefully grazing. “These,’ she explained, ‘are the goats we put out to pasture when they are past their best.” She then asked what America did with its old goats. After a short pause a wizened old farmer from Nebraska replied; ……
“They send us on bus tours.’
View from the Pew 