I’ve just realised how exciting my life is right now.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I forgot what’s going on but somehow, with my head in a whirl I just couldn’t quite find the space to get excited. Heck the nerves haven’t even kicked in yet.
You see, the thing is, suddenly everything is different.
For one thing, my writing life is just awesome, considering I’m not yet published in the traditional sense. I love writing for Fantasy Faction and I am stoked with the programme we have created for Get Writing 2012.
But that is not all. Oh no!
Whilst I’ve been working on all of that I’ve also been drafting CV after CV, specific ones for every job I wanted to apply for. At first it seemed that I wasn’t getting anywhere but then I am a firm believer in that saying that when it’s meant to be, it will be.
To cut a long story short I have found a fantastic job with Southern Rail. It will be a challenge, taking my environmental career to the next level but I’m excited about it, looking forward to all the new experiences I’m about to have.
I’ll also be moving home, leaving my beloved Hertfordshire behind and discovering the delights of the West Sussex countryside. Morpheus my gorgeous little black cat will be shaken for a little while, it’s a big move for a little cat but in the end, I think he’ll be happy.
I’m taking the opportunity to make some sustainable choices too. I’ll be travelling to work by rail, slashing my car use, plus I’ll be sharing a house with my newly retired mum. Sure that’s going to be a challenge after years of doing whatever I want but it has it’s advantages. Not only will it be cheaper running one house instead of two flats but it also reduces our various footprints. I’m hoping to start a new personal project (more on that soon) and also, I’ll have the freedom to spend time writing, travel a bit and more knowing that my little cat will always have someone home for him.
Of course, big changes like this mean lots of goodbyes too. I’ve met some amazing people through my work at Dorma, my membership of Verulam Writers’ Circle, East Herts Fantasy Writers, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Badger and Bat Groups, Stevenage Council’s Tree Warden Scheme… so many friends and so little time to say goodbye to them all. So I’m not saying goodbye. These days contact is so easy with facebook, twitter, email, post, phone, travel all available. I will see everyone again, not as often as I wish I could but I am not losing friends, I’m gaining new ones. If I haven’t been able to get in touch yet, know that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking of you, I am well aware of the impact you’ve all had on my life and for that I thank you.
I’m writing this sitting on the train on my way to Fantasycon where I’m meeting up with people I know, people I’ve met once or twice and people I’ve only met online, just another branch of my life these days.
My future is open to offers. Seriously, how much more exciting can life get?
A large part of me is very excited. Our government has finally made a commitment to cutting carbon emissions. You can read about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/17/uk-halve-carbon-emissions
OK, so that’s it then, right?
Well, no. That is so far from right that I don’t have the words.
This really is just a beginning. What has to happen now is that the commitment is embedded into our society. We all have to make changes, at home, at school, at work, on the road, everywhere.
The government cannot make this happen alone, sure they can ratify the commitment in law, they can wave their laurels around a bit before resting on them but in reality, it’s us that needs to embrace the commitment. But what can we do?
Actually, we can do more than we think. We can stand up and challenge where we think there is scope to do more, we can get involved with schemes and plans that are already in place, we can dare to try harder.
Two and a half years ago I did just that. I told my employer we could look at green issues, pointing out that they could be missing out on savings if they didn’t. A week later I made a presentation to our Finance Director, explaining about carbon, landfill tax, packaging regulations, competitive advantage and so on. A couple of weeks later I was standing in a board meeting giving the same presentation. I was given the green light, (or maybe I should say they saw the green light…) and I took on the project alongside my normal accountancy role.
Just over a year later we had made significant savings in our electricity consumption, made reductions in fuel consumption, tackled our waste streams and achieved certification to BS EN ISO 14001:2004. It is now acknowledged that if I hadn’t made that presentation we would still be on the starting blocks. Of course, the presentation I would give now would be quite different, things move quickly in the field of Environmental Management, but the possibilities for making a difference are still there.
So, my challenge to everyone is this. Look closely at what you can do. It may be as simple as making changes in your life but maybe you could be the start of something bigger.
We have a target to meet now, don’t we?
I’ve just read a blog from George Monbiot (the link is below), these are my thoughts.
I have spent the last few years of my career driving a change in me and my employer, of which I am proud. I know there is still a lot to be done and we are continuing with the improvements but this is a choice not a result of legislation. What bothers me is that this is the exception, not the rule.
In the business world there are countless missed opportunities, sometimes this is due to a lack of interest but more often it’s down to lack of knowledge. Businesses will all too often only consider ‘green’ if they really have to mainly because they can’t see the benefits.
The sad fact is that there are systems for business which help to make financial savings and also benefit the environment which aren’t being used either.
Quality and Environmental Management systems are closely linked by design but systems such as Lean also have benefits as they aim to wipe out waste. They recognise the fact that waste costs money but many managers still don’t see that the by-product is that less waste is better for the environment.
Trusting the corporate world to ‘Do the right thing’ simply isn’t enough. Legislative constraints are a serious driving factor in making directors sit up and think. Especially where falling foul of the law results in a personal liability. There is not enough of a financial return for many businesses to make the investment without support, guidance and a bit of a push. (In some cases a hefty shove.)
If the government honestly thinks that there will be a spontaneous shift towards responsibility if the so-called RED TAPE is removed they are, frankly, and in my opinion of course, living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Problem is, I don’t think many Cuckoos voted.
So, Mr Cameron, please wake up. Your Big Society was already here, charities have been filling the gaps that the government couldn’t fill for years. Charities are the mainstay of defending our wildlife but they can only do so if the legislative structure – wildlife protection, reserves, parks and so on – is there for them to rely on. Businesses will only go the extra mile if they really have to because there is a cost involved.
Now I’ve said all that, I will add my own little curveball. The legislative framework does need a review. There are many issues, from the fact that it is difficult for a business to give away stuff rather than dispose of it because it is regarded as waste so requires a Waste Transfer Note. It is tricky for businesses to group together to generate a return on their recyclables without a heap of paperwork. The list goes on. But this doesn’t mean scrap the legislation, it just means step back, take a long hard look, with a business head on and redesign it.
I fear that removal of legislation, Cameron’s ‘Red Tape’ will give a red light to green issues. If we are to survive as a species, if our wildlife is to survive for future generations, we cannot afford to allow that to happen.
Hi,
I’m starting over with the whole ‘blogging’ thing. I have a blog set up on my website, www.sandranorval.co.uk which for various reasons wasn’t really working out. I had formatting problems and linking problems so it just wasn’t doing the things I wanted it to do. To cut a long story short I decided it was time to make a fresh start.
I have a number of things going on that I’d like to be able to blog about, mostly centred around my writing.
First of all, and probably most important to me personally is my novel ‘Libertine’. There’s around thirty people out there, from a range of ages and backgrounds who have read the first thirty chapters now and it’s going down very well. The feedback has shown that people are interested enough to care that it works and whilst I still have a way to go, I believe in the world and my characters. So the first tag will be Libertine.
I am also thoroughly enjoying writing monthly articles for Fantasy Faction and have received some wonderful feedback from those too. The series is call ‘Path to Publication’ and is about my journey up Mount Publication as a learning layman. I am working hard to meet as many people in the business for other projects and at the same time learning everything I can to give my novel the best chance. Two articles in the series have been published so far ‘Who is Sandra Norval?’ and ‘Killing Mary Sue’. While you’re there, check out the other articles and the forum, if you like it (and what’s not to like?!) then join, it’s growing fast and is becoming the place to interact with people who love fantasy and all it’s sub-genres including the magicians that create the books we love to read and the films and series we love to watch. Oh, not to mention the games, graphic novels, RPGs… Anyway, the tag will be Fantasy Faction.
I also plan to start writing more in the environmental field. I am now working in Environmental Management and am working on a non-fiction project ‘Trees are for Life, not just for Carbon‘ which aims to demistify biodiversity. This will be published on line as it progresses as it’s more about helping people to see how important the subject is than about my ego. (Of course if someone wants to publish it…) The tags for this will be Environment and Trees are for Life.
I will also continue with my twitter game #Fantasyfilmsoundtrack which I occasionally post to my @enterthetwixt twitter account. I have been posting many of these on Musicbrick which is a fantastic site where you can talk about any song that meant something to you so I’ll link it here and then on twitter purely as a bit of fun and a way of finding new music, I hope! The tag will be Fantasy Film Soundtrack.
I’m sure there will be many more tags as time goes on but this is just the start. I hope that this blog will be the link between the many things I have become involved with and will aim to blog at least every other Sunday.
I will post links to each blog on twitter and facebook so, friend me, follow me, interact with me!
@sandranorval, @enterthetwixt, @treesareforlife
