tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27792838824665789812011-07-07T21:49:40.297-07:00Dr John Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00658262653166438797noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779283882466578981.post-10158411755237723292009-11-02T13:13:00.000-08:002009-11-02T13:14:24.750-08:00Dear Dr Robinson<br />Thank you for your email and your offer to present your 'Head in the Sand' award to the City Council.<br />Unfortunately, I must decline and I hope you don’t take this response as anything but sincere. It is not an attempt to snub the IBWS but rather a response based on our opinion that the Council is not a worthy recipient of the award.<br />The Council did not actually organise the F1 exhibition at Te Papa. It was Te Papa's decision to hold the exhibition. Having said that, that decision has the full support of the Council.<br />I appreciate your unhappiness that the exhibition is being held but would stress that it is proving to be one of the most popular exhibitions held at Te Papa. Many thousands of people have already seen it.<br />I don’t agree with your contention that Formula 1 motor racing is a particularly notable example of careless wastage of oil resources. It is well-known that motor racing in general does not consume a significant amount of fuel when overall fuel use is put in a global context.<br />I am also aware that there are moves in world motorsport to improve fuel efficiency in racing cars, to move more cars to fuels such as ethanol and diesel to improve safety in cars, and there are even discussions about competitions involving 'hybrid'-powered vehicles.<br />The Council itself is committed to a wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing fuel use and dealing with environmental issues in general. However, we are also committed to supporting a range of events, such as the F1 exhibition, that bring pleasure to thousands of people and help support Wellington's economic wellbeing.<br />Yours sincerely<br />Kerry Prendergast<br />MAYOR<br /><br /><br /> Kerry Prendergast, greetings.<br /><br />The Island Bay World Service is a Wellington group formed to publicise the extent of the set of interlocking crises now evident on the world stage and call for adequate action from the public, other environmental groups and government (both local and national). In doing so we speak where necessary outside the current conventional wisdom with its emphasis on growth and ‘business as usual’. Members (including scientists who have worked in this area for several decades) are well aware of the mounting problems facing the world, which will come to a head in a series of linked catastrophes around 2030.<br /><br />Each quarter we give out two small sets of awards, the IBWS Wellington World Warrior Award to people who have made some particular effort to open the debate, and the IBWS Head in the Sand Award to people who insist on denial or lead actions harmful to the planet and people.<br /><br />We have awarded the Wellington City Council an IBWS Head in the Sand Award for encouraging careless wastage of a finite resource, oil in the year following the oil peak by setting up the Formula One (F1) exhibition. Of course this is critical of your stance and may not be welcome. However we would welcome an opportunity to meet, to hand over the award, and to discuss our concerns with you. We believe that we should debate with people of other views rather than shouting across a void. However, if you prefer we can deliver the award.<br /><br />Yours sincerely, John Robinson for the Island Bay World Service<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2779283882466578981-1015841175523772329?l=ibwswccaward.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dr John Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00658262653166438797noreply@blogger.com0