The Climate Change Hourglass

Hoody on or Hoody off? That is the question. I’m on Sandymount strand, the venue for today’s (Saturday) choreographed event – a human hourglass. It was organised to create publicity for climate change. Normally I wouldn’t go to this part of the south Dublin coastline, even during the summer, but I’m making a change for today.

On arrival at the Martello (Sandymount) I am ushered along to sign a petition and then I make my way onto the beach. An open-topped bus, kids kicking beach balls were some of the sights and everyone was having a good time. Many were busy taking pictures with their cameras. Imagine – holiday pics from Sandymount!

Copies of the Metro newspaper were distributed and everyone was corralled around for the event. Many present today are just a shade away from hippydom and I couldn’t imagine a politician getting a good reception. A Cherry Picker slowly ascends with a photographer on board. People pass by with scrawny looking dogs and a number of joggers speed along the strand, in the hope of maintaining an athletic physique no doubt. Howth can be seen glittering in the distance.

It was reported recently that beaches around the east coast were being dumped on with litter. Casting my eye around I can definitively say there’s little evidence of litter. But, remember, this is a climate change event: most here are environmentally aware. Any chance of littering this stretch of coastline and you’d be signing your own death warrant. Conscientious citizens only.

This couldn’t be compared with the Costa del Sol – not enough Irish accents in Sandymount! I would estimate a crowd of up to 200 but is it a Critical Mass? The organisers were probably hoping for a bigger turnout, not to be compared to the D-Day landings in Normandy in World War 2, which were honoured last week in France. For guys like me, today, it was the DD’s that captured the attention. Pamela Anderson eat your heart out!

After awhile I decided to move on. One of my criticisms would be that there were no stalls like you usually get at such events. No refreshments, it may have kept people at the place for longer. I cannot help thinking that this choreographed gathering was an attempt to copy Spencer Tunick’s well publicised naked installation, last year, in Dublin’s docklands. But no one was taking off their clothes today, despite the fine weather.

As I leave Sandymount, in the sunshine, I wonder what the whole point is. Will a human hourglass really help climate change? Probably not but it was still an idea worth trying out and it will help spread the word of the importance of having a cleaner environment. When I get home I get a text message on my mobile from the organisers telling me that the ‘Hourglass’ may feature on tonight’s news and sure enough RTE include a report on the evening’s bulletin.

If it were all that ineffective, today’s jolly wouldn’t get such publicity and the ‘fun’ element was present among us. Along with the good weather the tide was out and there were no horrible sewage smells to endure. But what of my Hoody? Well I did take it with me in the end, even though it was warm. Oh how I sweltered.
© Ian Callagy 2009