Doing better than business as usual - 15 April 2010
Well, it looks like we have the numbers. Bathurst is lucky – or unlucky, depending on your point of view – to be blessed with a growing population. For some, that means jobs, social and cultural opportunities and the ability to participate more fully in the bounty of the twenty-first century. For others, it means we start to lose that charming country-town feel, easy parking and the sense that you can walk down the street and know many of the faces.
For developers with money to invest, we're a spot worthy of some red pins. Hence the proposed $21 million development at Kelso that will include two fast food outlets, a petrol station and space for the sale of large items for the new homes springing up all around. The development is seen as a vote of confidence in our town and its approval – by a new planning authority set up by the state government, not our local council – is considered a certainty.
This is business as usual, but will business as usual be good enough for the future? The development is a microcosm of what's happening all around the world. Fast food is convenient, petrol-driven cars are convenient, people build ever-larger homes with fewer people in them, requiring ever larger sofas to look right in massive living rooms. All of this is good for business, but it's ravaging the environment. We know that, but we keep doing it. We keep doing it because it's easy. I drive the car to Sydney, stopping off at Lithgow Maccas on the way, because the car is a lot easier than the train, and once I'm in the car, it's easier to fuel up with coffee at Maccas than one of the more charming little cafes in the mountains.
To live sustainably we need to do better than business as usual. Unfortunately, everything is set up to encourage our fast-food, car-bound lifestyles. If there was a fast, efficient train service between Bathurst and Sydney, complete with healthy food on board, would we really need a second McDonalds at Kelso?
If you're interested in discussing these issues, Bathurst Community Climate Action Network is planning to host a get-together in the near future. Stay tuned!