Author: Sal
Eco-Island Conference: Jack Tupac Pennington Walks Ventnor To Cowes (podcast)
Monday, 31st March, 2008 at 1:38 pm, Isle of Wight
One of the first people we bumped into at the Eco Island Conference last Wednesday was an American writer and poet named Jack Tupac Pennington.
Simon was quick to pull out his ever faithful audio recorder after Jack explained that he’d embraced the Eco Island vision and decided to walk all the way from Ventnor to the conference in Cowes.
It took him several hours, but he did (thank goodness) break the journey up into a couple of stages, setting off a few days before the start of the conference. Ventnor to Carisbrooke took six hours through the rain and hail, where he camped out in the great outdoors.
In our opinion, Jack spoke a lot of sense as he explained why he felt it important to make the effort to remain eco-friendly.
If you’re going to be ecological you need to start with the most basic things in life such as transport.
We had a chuckle when he suggested that we should all get horses instead of cars, because they are often even more friendly that humans!
Over the years, Jack has hitch hiked around Europe and more recently in the UK. In fact he’s a fellow blogger and writes on the subject.
Listening to the interview, you’ll hear that he has strong opinions on who is responsible for the ecological disasters that the world is experiencing today.
As well as very friendly and open, Jack is a fascinating guy to meet, so if you happen to see him walking along the side of the road with a thumb out, do pull over and give him a lift - you’ll meet someone who may inspire you.
Listen to the short interview by clicking the play button below.
Email This Story To A Friend
April 1st, 2008 at 11:57 am
[…] of the plan, “We’ve also decided to get with the kids. We listened to the words of Jack Tupac Pennington and decided to invest long term in horses … phasing out the 4×4 - that’s an […]
April 1st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Who ever is interested in investing in horse give me a call I would like to get one too as soon as possible and even nicer would be to have one for my summer walk so we get some time to get to know one another. I want to walk beside my horse first so he knows I am not asking him to anything I can’t! 4×4’s as a “rational” plan for making the island more sustainable…is this a joke or what, has anybody been to a council meeting to ask Mr. Pugh if he is a lier!?…
April 1st, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Jack, respect to you, mate but…err…you’re American! Might you not be best off evangelising on your own doorstep rather than banging on about India and China?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Jack said “4×4’s as a “rational” plan for making the island more sustainable…is this a joke or what”
Yes Jack, it’s an April Fools joke - i think that all articles that the bloggers wrote before midday were supposed to make you laugh - not get angry.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Dear Steve,
The planet is my home and yours too! Its people like you that say things out of a lack of knowledge. Cynicism doesn’t help you or me or the next chap in India or China. We all live in the same eco-system regardles where we come from, its not where we are from its where we are NOW! I breathe the same air as you do.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Dear Micheal,
I don’t know any good jokes and if it is a joke its not a very educated one escpecially given the topic of conversation. I appologize I do not pay attention to holidays…I must say I am a bit of a workaholic!
April 1st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Jack “if it is a joke its not a very educated one” Ha ha very funny
I guess you are not familiar with the education debate and how this april fools article was a dig at the council for how they ran the education consultation.
Stop working so hard and have a laugh - if you read between the lines, it’s an hilarious piece of writing - hats off to whoever is responsible.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Dear Michael,
The education consultation; this was the attack on shutting down schools in on the Isle of Wight? I think whoever decided to put that through must have not been thinking about the consequences of alienating the young people who live on the island. They are alienated enough as it is and although I have a strong view about the education system I don’t think alienating them is the answer. In fact it will have serious implications on how they behave to older members of the public, specifically the ones who brought on the attack (I am assuming this was someone on the IOW council). Oh, by the way a fine glass of wine and a beautiful woman is what I call a relaxed state of mind, but thats work too! Dry humour I guess!
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
I’d have been happier, Jack, if you’d included your homeland in your list of major polluters, that’s all. Thanks for putting me straight, though.
I hope you don’t breathe the same air as me…it’s full of Carbon Dioxide by the time I’ve finished with it!
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[…] April, 2008 (7 seconds ago) at 1:42 pm (7 seconds ago), Isle of Wight Last week Simon chatted with American writer and poet, Jack Tupac Pennington who had walked all the way from Ventnor to Cowes for the Eco Island Conference. Read Jack’s […]
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Trying to reduce our carbon admissions is a great idea, and I’m all for car-sharing, cycling and walking whenever possible.
However in my opinion, hitch hiking is not the safest mode of transport. I think a lot of people share this opinion and this is why hitch hiking is not very popular.
Also, I agree that America is one of the main contributors to global warming, along with China, Japan and India. Of course, I also recognise that The UK are also responsible.
I think we’re always going to abuse whatever we use for transportation. If you visit countries that use donkeys for transportation, you’ll understand what I mean.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Oh my god, this has got to be a bit of a joke right?? I am fed up of the environment stuff the environment!!! Let’s all drive 4X4’s and have a good time. I know I bloody will!!!
Also I don’t think this guy realises the dangers of girls hitch hiking. What girl in her right mind would get in a car with t a complete stranger?!
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
It has been said that the environmental issues constantly raised are pure marketing hype, as most things are these days.
Even scientist have turned around saying how its not as bad as people are letting it on to be.
I think some of the solutions you’ve raised in your interview were extremes, where as if everyone made baby steps towards helping out the environment would work just as well. As to be honest i doubt your going to be able to stop major corporations using their factories aboard as this would decline their own businesses, which is their number one concern, hence the use of these factories.
Also don’t planets and stars die anyway? So this steady decline of the earth is just natural, granted with the growth of technology were not helping however i don’t think its completly fair blaming the human race for an already natural and fated death.
To be completly blunt, im sick of all this bollocks. And if your looking to blame somebody you should be pointing your finger at your home country, who are owners of alot of the companies using factories aboard, the iraq war (you comment on this was a bit below the belt) and are the biggest contributers to the C02 emmisions.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Dear Sophie,
Yes the leader in the production of horrible substances entering the atmosphere is the United States, we were also the first country to actually blow up thermal neuclar war heads which have obviously contributed to numerous other problems other than climate change. I rely on Europe for a lot answers because it has a longer history of making mistakes and suposedly learning from them as well. The United States is merely a 208 years old and its forefathers were all immigrants from Europe. As for hitch hiking I suppose you haven’t read my rule book on how to do it properly. On the other hand if you don’t believe in it then you won’t be picking me up so no worries there, some one else always does:)
I do not however, agree that the cynical route will solve the current global warming issues. If it is obvious to you that we as human beings abuse of everything we are offered then maybe its time we stopped taking things for granted. What if you woke up tomarrow and the electricity didn’t come on when you flicked the switch or if your car just didn’t start or if all the public transport just stopped. You would firstly complain, which does not solve your problem it only generates confusion which in turn doesn’t solve your problem. You might walk to your destination or ask some one else to drive you there…the list goes on to what you could productively do in order to solve the problem.
My only declaration is that a limitation to something is a lack of knowledge and something tells me that more and more people use ignorance as an excuse for not combating their laziness. Dame Ellen pointed this out in her declaration and metaphor with living on a boat at sea to living on the island.
I am happy to hear that you are aware of the countries listed in the leaders in global warming. The thing about India and China is that most of their emissions are coming from two things: 1 western manufacturers who produce their products cheaper so that consumers might enjoy those products here. 2 increasingly large eastern populations trying to emmiulate our western society by buying and sustaining the use of automobiles.
Walk don’t talk
April 4th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I can be arsed to walk miles and miles and miles to wherever I needed to go and I don’t have access to a horse. That is why man invented the bus and the train.
Point is, I’ve heard all this before and none of the people who preached to me this viewpoint have ever managed to convince me to side with them.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Dear Anthony,
Ok thats good, at least you have a point of view and as I am not a preacher of any of the sorts I can only wish you a pleasant journey on the bus or train. Stating a comment on a subject however passionate one may feel about the subject is not preaching however. I respect your point of view although I may not accept it as you do not accept mine, so we can agree that we disagree!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
“What if you woke up tomarrow and the electricity didn’t come on when you flicked the switch or if your car just didn’t start or if all the public transport just stopped.”
I would get dressed in the dark and open my curtains like I do every morning. And as for my car not starting, I don’t have a car and nor do I drive. Public transport is rather unreliable anyway. I take pride in not relying on cars and public transport, but to perfectly honest, if I ever want to travel to Devon from London to see my family the same day, I’d rather not walk.
“As for hitch hiking I suppose you haven’t read my rule book on how to do it properly.”
I would never put my life into the hands of strangers while travelling alone. You should read the poem ‘The Hitcher’, by Simon Armitage; really make you wonder.
And as for trying to blame Europe for the troubles of Global Warming and the state America is in, just don’t. I’m not saying Europe are innocent, because nobody is, but America cannot blame the way they behave on another nation; I do not blame America for the way The UK is.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
If everybody hitched, there would be nobody to pick them up!
I think everybody catching a bus (40+ people to a bus) would be much better than everybody hitching (5-7 people to a car/SUV) as there would be less traffic on the roads and I’m sure the CO2 emissions would be far less per head (can’t be arsed to do the Maths).
Hitching/horses is no good if I have to be at work ten miles away by 9am. The idea of getting up at 6am in case I don’t get anyone offer me a lift doesn’t fill me with great joy!
I think everybody has a part to play in helping the environment (I try using energy saving bulbs, recycle what I can, shout at 4×4 drivers in urban areas) but taking it to the extreme is not viable for the majority of people.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Dear Carlos and or Sophie,
I mostly agree with all of the statements you have made. Hitching does work for me so I do it. When it comes to helping lower emissions if everybody does their part then we are all on the road, so to speak to doing something. I realize that some of my answers are merely for myself and I have never forced anyone to follow them.
As for putting your life in the hands of strangers: we all do this on a daily basis so nothing has changed. Public transport can be effective as proven in major cities in Germany, France, Norway, and Switzerland. Most of their trains and busses work on a network of electric cables. I am all for public transport, if it works effectively because nobody wants to be late for work or pay enormous ammounts of money for a bus ticket only to go 3 stations.
As for the ideological complaint about America vs. England, I will only state once more that the U.S. is a very young country and we have made the same mistakes as Europe in a smaller time frame as Europe which should scare anybody living in Europe because Europe with the exception of France backs the U.S. in some of its international affairs. Europe has the history and the power to lead the U.S. to better solutions but has not chosen to do so for chivelry reasons connected to World War one and World War two. Nevertheless these are but the historical facts and we live today, so keeping in mind and respecting the outcome of history one can easily come to the conclusion that western globalization or as I like to call it “Financial Colonization” is a fact that haunts current affairs in both Europe and the United States. I do not put the blame either on Europe or the United States, each one of these countries contributes on a daily basis more problems or effectively chooses to solve problems. My stake is that we the people of the world have to get back to the basics and learn from one another without bias or discrimination, which may take a lot of effort because we are all brought up in capitalistic nations and competition is the race we all want to win one way or another.
Walk, take a bus, ride a horse follow your own course…