My father turned 70 recently and we took a trip to Cornwall to celebrate. Anyone who has visited Cornwall will recognise the beautiful surroundings across the South-Western region of the UK.
One afternoon whilst admiring the landscape, Dad randomly said,
“It’s a shame it has to be spoilt by those wind turbines stuck on the hillside, isn’t it?” sparking a friendly debate.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“They look great. Wouldn’t you rather see sleek white turbines integrated into the landscape as opposed to a huge coal-fired power plant?!”
Dad soon realised he had not considered the direct comparison. Whether it be land, sea, rivers, or lakes, I am sure we would all prefer an un-touched landscape. But very few of us would choose to live without electricity on demand for the privilege of perfect scenery. He changed his mind quickly when considering the alternative
could be a square mile of environmental destruction; a vast concrete jungle pumping carbon into the atmosphere, leaving no evidence of what was there before.
Whilst we all demand the convenience of boiling a kettle, watching the tv, and continuously charging our technological devices at will, few consider where this power comes from. The same can be said for other utility industries; considering the complex infrastructure, financial investments and technology that are required, it is a small price that we pay for clean, fresh drinking water, and a stable gas supply for our stoves and boilers.
It is easy to criticise what physically exists, but we should always reflect on what the alternative might have been, and what
would have been in the past. The utilities and infrastructure sectors are constantly evolving, rectifying past mistakes and identifying new, innovative ways to improve, whilst aiming to minimise the impact on the general public wherever possible. It is unlikely we will ever achieve perfection, and there should always be pressure for the developers and asset owners to continuously improve. Nevertheless, we should learn to recognise the complexity behind essential services and maybe stop to appreciate them in context every once and a while, in a world where the end product means so much to all of us.
If you would like to find out more about The Norman Broadbent Group and how we can help your organisation, please contact
Chris Smith for an initial confidential discussion.