Or to admire the beautiful Medieval streets.
Although it doesn't do any harm to look.
No. This time we went to talk solar panels with an English guy who'd overheard me asking a balloon artist who's currently cycling to Greece with her busking, flame-throwing partner if she'd be available to entertain the kids at écovallée. (She would - but not until 2010.)
I'd taken a look at the English guy's website and seen some VERY attractive prices. Prices that cut our projected solar shower budget in half. Which is why we had to meet.
It was all going really well (apart from the trying to control Two Small Children in an increasingly busy bar), until he mentioned that his hot water cylinders were sourced in China.
Ah.
Not the best news to someone who's spent the last several years trying to persuade production departments in various advertising agencies to source their Clever Gizmos and Tricksy Plastic Crap locally. "That's all very well," they tell me. "But I can make loads more money if I have the stuff made on the other side of the world, in factories where Health and Safety or Minimum Wages are not an issue, then flown back here and..." You know the story.
"But these are really cheap," the solar guy said. "That's great, isn't it?"
"Not so great," I said. "I'm going to have journalists from The Guardian down. I'm going to be saying this is the greenest, most up-to-date, low-carbon yurt camp in Europe. Perhaps, momentarily, the world. I'm going to need to defend every aspect of the site. Cost is not the issue. We need a 100% green, ethical chain of supply."
Ah.
I've asked some friends. Now I'm asking you. If you know about any solar water and electrical panels NOT sourced in China, please tell me.
We don't need to meet. An email will do.
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