Greetings from snowy Hoorn, north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Holland is just a province of the Netherlands (ok two -- north and south Holland actually), so people get as tetchy when their whole country is called Holland as Scots do when Britain is called England.
Moving on, we're here as a guest of Fred Gardner, renaissance man, engineer and modest revolutionary whose company Teamworks creates tidal and wave energy devices. And energy efficient housing for Africa. And now – a community energy company which could be a model for the rest of the world, and maybe the only way global warming targets can be met while switching away from fossil fuels before they run out or become exorbitantly expensive.
It's fiendishly simple. People demonstrate demand and provide seed capital by joining the energy company, private capital (happy there IS demand) backs the solar, wind and tidal projects and the profit on the energy produced (usual "lost" to power company shareholders) helps subsidise the higher than average unit cost of new renewable energy technologies. That helps them to become more efficient and cheaper through use – the way ALL technologies finally become mature. And by 2022 when oil and gas prices are projected to rise enormously, all these renewable technologies will be more cost effective. The snag? People must work together across every civic, political and cultural boundary known to humans.
If there's a place it could work it's here. The co-operative spirit is in with the bricks – or rather in with the dykes. Since much of the Netherlands is below sea level and even reclaimed from the sea, the Dutch know the value of joint working. If one farmer built a dyke to keep out the sea, he was still vulnerable to flooding if his neighbour had not. So from 1300 the Dutch set up polders - local groups for discussion and joint action. That has encouraged a live and let live outlook seen at its best on the narrow streets where bicycles have primacy and any motorist involved in an accident with a bike will be presumed to have caused it. The result is a society where more (very stylish) women cycle than men, where mums and kids cycle together to and from school with all the health benefits that confers on "stay at home mums" in particular. Compare and contrast Scotland where yesterday's report by the Chief Medical Officer suggests men are closing the longevity gap on women. It seems Scotsmen are starting to get the message on exercise, smoking and weight control - women aren't.
Better health habits are easier to acquire as part of a herd not as an individual. And the herd here cycle...... and drink the weirdest buttermilk and caramel custard.
They're also playful. At a restaurant last night Mr Smith said he couldn't see the menu cos he'd forgotten his specs – so the waitress came back with a selection of five sets of glasses that had been left behind by customers.
"You've no excuse now", she said, handing him a fine-fitting pair of women's specs.
"Ah, but it's all in Double Dutch," quipped the ever ready Mr Smith.
We had tortillas – which works in anyone's language. As ever a trip away from home provides copious food for thought.
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