The incomparable Satish Kumar in the Big Tent of Keynsham Music Festival on 5th July 2013. This was the first large ticketed event put on by Live Simply. Nearly 300 people packed into the space to see the great man – with the fitting backdrop of trees casting their shadows across the tent. We learnt a great deal, not only from Satish, but from putting on this big event.
The 2014 Music Festival weekend saw the visit of renowned social activist, author, campaigner and Quaker Alastair McIntosh to Keynsham.
Things are as they are now because we do not demand better…
On the Friday evening he addressed a packed KMF Main Tent audience on the subject of Rekindling Community. Drawing on his own experience of working within communities of many kinds, both in the UK and overseas, he challenged and inspired those present to take responsibility for their society. Things are as they are now, he suggested, only because we are quiescent and do not demand better and more ethical outputs from the politicians who represent us and from the banks and corporate world which rule so much of our lives. An engaged and determined community need not accept the status quo, and has every right and indeed responsibility to insist on a fairer, more just and caring environment for all.
Adam Lent and Katie Alcott. On Friday 3rd July 2015, between them they provided the enthusiastic audience with an inspiring account of why small needs to be powerful (Adam), and how to do it (Katie).
In 2015 Adam Lent was the newly appointed European Director for Research and Innovation for Ashoka, the premier global network for social entrepreneurs. His message was that history shows we do not have to put up with domination by big business and big government and current trends show that small is not only beautiful but powerful.
Katie Alcott gave us a great local example of small power. She told her story of founding her business,Frank Water, following her own experience of serious illness through drinking contaminated water in India. The goal of her charitable social enterprise based in Bristol is ‘safe water for all’. They work with community organisations across India funding their work through selling bottled water in the UK and channeling 100% of the profits to their Indian partners.
Two extraordinary women brought their stories about how to save the
world from the genius and the foolishness of the human. Both are
concerned with …
What Lies Beneath?
Eve Poole has a PhD in Capitalism and Theology from Cambridge
University. Eve asked this question:
“In a testosterone driven market place where men seek to cut
each other’s throats, would women have acted differently, choosing
to co-operate, rather than compete, when faced with a crisis? Would
life for us all be different if there had been a Lehman Sisters
instead of a Lehman Brothers?
Eve argues that communication and sharing is actually a better
outcome sometimes in a competitive environment. Her work is
stirring up great debate and interest.
Kate Rawles is an action woman! She does ‘Outdoor Philosophy’. Her
2006 long distance cycle ride took her from Texas to Alaska
following the spine of the Rocky Mountains exploring climate
change. In 2014 she was ‘mission leader’ with Pangaea Exploration
from the UK to the Azores and Lanzarote focusing on ocean plastic
pollution. Kate asked this question:
“What are the root cause of our multiple environmental
challenges?"
