Evacuated

Sometimes things don’t always go quite as you’d expected them to. Recently, I was up in London to attend the TEDx Manhattan ‘Changing the Way We Eat’ viewing party at Impact Hub Westminster, hosted by the Sustainable Food Trust. They were providing the venue and some nibbles, and live streaming the conference, we were bringing a dish to share and some stimulating discussion. I met my friend, Becca, and her Mum, who were both joining me, and we settled down with some tea and a slice of cake as the conference began.

About an hour and a half in, we were all fully absorbed in a talk by Lance Price on how antibiotic use in food animal production can negatively affect human health, when one of the organisers came forward, stopped the stream and introduced herself. We thought she’d chosen a rather odd time to do so, until she drew our attention to the alarm ringing in the background, which none of us had even noticed. The workmen downstairs had managed to cut through a water pipe, flooding the ground floor of the building, and we all had to be evacuated!

Prime seats for the live stream

Disaster strikes! Clutching my enormous salad next to the fire engine

We all gathered outside, and were attracting quite a bit of attention from passers-by whilst waiting to see what would happen. At first, the organisers thought we might be allowed back into the building, but it soon became apparent that that wasn’t going to be the case. Luckily, staff from Chipotle, one of the sponsors of the event, turned up with 4 huge boxes of burritos which they had intended on serving to us inside, so we all tucked in as we waited. Quite a few people who were walking past thought they were there just to give out free food, so I’m not sure how many of the burritos went to their rightful homes.

Becca and her Mum, Barbara, tucking into their burritos!

It was getting colder by the minute, and the prospect of finding an alternative venue was looking increasingly bleak. Everyone was close to giving up hope, when it was announced that the Institute for Contemporary Arts, just around the corner, had agreed to give us a new home. We all piled in, they set us up with a screen and speakers in next to no time and we managed to watch the live stream well into the evening. It was a fantastic, thought-provoking event, despite the disruptions, and I take my hat off to the organisers, who did a fabulous job in difficult circumstances. I suppose it just goes to show that even the best laid plans don’t always work out! Nevertheless, through the power of networking, and the kindness of strangers, the event was salvaged, and made all the more memorable.

On Thursday, I went on my first ever (and probably last!) field trip. As part of the Geography module I’m taking this term, we visited Wytham Farm, in Oxfordshire, which focuses on developing sustainable production systems. It was great to see some of the things we’ve been discussing in lectures in practice, and to see some of the farm’s projects in action.

Making friends on the farm

It’s definitely worth finding out whether field trips are a part of your chosen degree, as they really are a fantastic way to supplement the knowledge you gain in the lecture hall (as well as just an all-around good day out!). Some subjects even run field trips abroad, to places like Paris and Berlin – you just never know where your subject will take you!

Tayler