The global warming crisis is giving birth to No Fly Pledges, which are flying around the internet right now. This one (below) is for art but other protests have been suggested: "we won't fly for academic symposia, corporate conferences" etc.  Transition Town founder Rob Hopkins made headlines when he refused to fly around the world teaching transition, preferring instead to create videos and post them on the internet.

 

While some folks claim that without flying we'd become country bumpkins again (of course farming philosopher Wendell Berry would argue that this phrase just exposes our prejudice against rural people, country life and farmers and is a form of anti-nature bigotry) with no culture or sensitivity to other cultures, but perhaps the internet can help us with that, at least partially. Plus we now have people from almost every culture living in our towns and village to broaden our outlooks.

 

Is this kind of relocalization a good thing or will it turn us into provincial bigots?  Is staying home the new trend?  And what kind of flying is justifiable at this point in the progress of global warming? Family reunions? Teaching green subjects?

 

Can we begin to explore other alternatives like trains, ships?

 

The main idea is that we begin to question the carbon footprint of our easy-flying jaunts, even for "green events" and "eco-tourism"... at least until planes are re-engineered to fly on less toxic fuels.

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Linda

 

 

We won't fly for art : Take the Pledge.

"I will not fly for art but only if 6 other people will do the same AND
replicate this pledge."

— Marc Garrett and Ruth Catlow
http://www.pledgebank.com/wewontflyforart

Deadline to sign up by: 26th April 2009

More details:
We won't fly for art

We will not take an aeroplane for the sake of art. For the next 6 months
we will find other ways to visit and participate in exhibitions, fairs,
conferences, meetings, residencies. We will not fly for inspiration, nor
to appreciate, buy or sell art.

But only if 6 others will do the same AND replicate this pledge.

This pledge is designed for exponential growth so if you persuade
another 6 people to do the same, within a year you could be one of
millions of people changing the way the artworld works. So sign up,
create a replica pledge and share your own experiences, observations and
arguments towards reducing art flights. Post a link to it in the comment
box so others can find their way to it.

This is a public art experiment in the de-escalation of carbon-fuelled,
high altitude, high-velocity, global art careering. For six months we
choose to cover less physical distance, move more slowly between
destinations, to look futureward with more attention to the view from
the ground and the network, for ways to connect with others around the
world.

Who can sign up to this pledge? Any individual involved in the arts:
artist (in the broadest sense), curator, art administrator, art
appreciator, gallerist, art critic, art historian, art academic, art
technician, art security, art transporter etc. Whether you currently fly
for art 50 times a year or never, your engagement will change things by
making your position in the artworld visible and by offering an
alternative perspective. If you work with others you may need to
completely revise your schedules and budgets and lobby for the right not
to fly.

This is to light the blue touch paper of Gustave Metzger's Reduce Art
Flights campaign using the generative and viral capabilities of social
networks. We want to know more about the impact of air-flight on the
artworld (and beyond). We intuit that abstaining from air flight will
motivate and enable people (with more time, money, energy and attention)
to relate differently to their own local cultures and to connect more
imaginatively to other cultures.

Inspirations and Observations

Artwork- 'Reduce Art Flights' by Gustave Metzger, reviewed here
http://tinyurl.com/cnv44r

Sustainable Development- Social science on the environmental impact of
economic growth
'Why Politicians Dare Not Limit Economic Growth' by Tim Jackson
http://tinyurl.com/6784zw

Investigative Journalism - What can we do to stop climate change?
Heat (2006) by George Monbiot, summarised and reviewed here
http://tinyurl.com/devyax
Monbiot's Guardian blog http://tinyurl.com/dcew6o

Plane Stupid Campaign- 'bringing the aviation industry down to earth'
http://www.planestupid.com/