Mark, we should indeed remember, remember the Fifth of November, a day of deliverance and, for centuries now, cheery celebration and, for me, childhood nostalgia. Bonfires, sausages, baked potatoes, fireworks shot with far from Von Braun accuracy from milk bottles, the maddened barking of over-excited dogs, screaming infants, the effigy of a human being in flames. Good times. However, if you are concerned Guardian reader “B” “bonfire night” raises a profoundly troubling question:
Setting light to bonfires and sending fireworks up into the sky don’t strike me as very environmentally friendly. Is there a better way to mark bonfire night?
The newspaper’s green gurus, Leo and Lucy, are glad to help out:
Probably the best thing to do – and cheapest/most fun – is to attend an organised public display instead of setting off fireworks yourself in your own backyard. Surely it’s better to contain the noise and pollution in one area than see it dispersed across a wider area? Local pets will surely thank you for it, too. (Quite why fireworks are not just restricted to organised public events has always been beyond me, given how dangerous they can be to children. Or maybe – as was fiercely debated on this site last year – fireworks should be banned altogether?)
There is, needless to say, more where that came from, and once you are finished with that, there are other vital topics to consider:
When I wrap my sandwiches in the morning, should I be using clingfilm or foil?