Are we REALLY concerned about environmental issues?

Sustainability through Resource Conservation and Recycling (SRCR '11) commenced this morning in Falmouth, with 46 delegates present, representing 16 countries. Uncanny really, as the previous two conferences in the series, held in Cape Town, each attracted 48 delegates.

But why is this not a major MEI conference, such as Flotation or Comminution, each of which is attended regularly by around 200 delegates? Almost everyone at other MEI conferences expresses interest in the sustainability conferences but relatively few of them actually make the effort to attend.

It would seem that, although everyone professes to have an interest in the environment, in reality it does not rate too highly on their agenda.

Hypocrisy surrounds environmental issues. Companies try to cut costs by developing energy efficient processes, and then jump on the green bandwagon by showing how they have worked to cut carbon emissions. Politicians raise revenue by imposing green taxes, but when it comes to the crunch basically do nothing to reduce emissions apart from a lot of talk at expensive and unproductive conferences.

Or am I just being cynical? Have I spent too long in hotels which advise me to save the planet by using my towel over and over again, rather than being honest, coming clean and telling me that it is a good way of saving them a little cash?

Obviously there are many people who care passionately about the environment, and some of these are at SRCR '11. It is because of such people that we intend to continue with this small, high quality series of events.

My report on SRCR '11 will be posted on the blog on Friday.