One thing that has always amazed me in my time as an activist is how much organisation it takes to do even simple things like street stalls. And, more importantly, how much organisation it takes to get all the materials there and back.
When I lived in Southampton many activists transported materials for their stalls by car. But I never felt a car was necessary and was surely there were alternatives.
Initially my alternative consisted of putting all the materials in a huge bag I once used to go travelling, and walking down to the local shopping centre carrying a pasting table. That was just as good as transporting materials by car, and you didn't need to worry about your activist carbon footprint.
I tried to use method for a Transition Town Brixton stall at Oval Farmers Market. But that stall required a gazebo which added so much extra weight I had to go by bus. And I was very glad I lived so close to the bus. But surely, I thought, I still didn't need a car.
And I tried to use the method for the Lambeth Country Show this year. Come pack up time I had to transport a gazebo, a pasting table, several placards and piles of leaflets and airplot cards that various people had bought over two days and couldn't manage it. I enlisted help from a fellow activist to carry them to the park borders (this is the picture at the top of this blog), then called a taxi.
Bike with TrailerSo is this the end of my no car activist experiment? Is it possible to do stalls at big events without highly polluting motorised transport? Or should I, instead, simply get a luggage trailer for my bike.
Do please leave some comments on your experiences, or come to the Urban Green Fair to see how we get on there.
Comments