My Walk to Work

3:29pm Monday 30th April 2007

On Monday I decided to walk to work. My work-place, the Bulmer Foundation, is based in the heart of Bulmer’s cider plant in Hereford – my home is in Allensmore. It took an hour and a quarter – not exactly a hike but certainly more than a stroll.

As I walked along the lane leading from home to the A465 I noticed the flowers that were in bloom – yellow nettles, lady’s smock, stitchwort. I wondered how many Herefordshire school children would be able to identify these ordinary beauties – and pondered on how common knowledge and common sense is being lost.

When I reached the main road I noticed that the verges were heavily littered - cans, crisp wrappers, plastic bags, CD’s, tapes, polystyrene take-away containers and all manner of supermarket food packaging. Evidence that the NIMM (Not In My Motor) class is alive and well in Herefordshire.

The moulded plastic and cardboard pack designed to keep two apples in perfect condition stuck in my mind. I imagined the person eating the apples and chucking out the packaging – consciously caring for themselves by choosing a healthy snack, but caring nothing for the environment. Such a disconnect.

I could smell exhaust fumes. Cars whizzed by me, making me feel small and slow but at the same time I felt very much alive, walking at my own pace – at a speed which to made it possible to see detail, the detail of where I live. I discovered two footpaths, a small housing development and a small, redundant telephone exchange, which had previously gone unnoticed. I took delight in walking past the traffic queues at the Belmont Roundabout and took time to check the river level as I crossed the bridge.

I don’t know how many units of carbon dioxide I saved by not using my car. Perhaps it’s not important to count. The reason I walked to work was to slow myself down to remind myself of where I live and what it’s like to travel under ‘my own steam’.

Slow is beautiful. Try it.

Professor Shirley Ali Khan