Over the past year the BBC have been travelling the world (2.08 times to be precise) in a bright red shipping container. In a little over 12 months the 'Box' has journeyed over 50,000 miles carting various objects including cans of fish, whisky, even 4,000 sets of bathroom scales! The reason for this was maybe not so obvious a year ago when it set off from the London BBC Studios, but now after a year of hardship on the economy and lifestyle, it became a great example of documenting the situation the world is in.
One news reader refers to the act:
"This box not only brings the world to your living room - it has changed the world."
This Box has become a phenomena many people from all over Britain have been following over the past year, including children studying it at school etc. This is a great idea considering we are taught next to nothing about globalisation, sustainability and such likes at school and we are the people of the future, therefore the ones that NEED to know about these things. I have to admit I had not heard of it at all until a few weeks ago. Maybe if it was advertised more we would all be able to appreciate the important facts it's journey has proven. Or maybe I should watch the news alot more.
I could go through its journey but the intriging adventures of the battered Box are in detail on the BBC website;
The interesting findings for me however is the point of how this affects us. Practically everything we consume has travelled in one of these containers and never stop to think about where these have actually come from, it has maybe been round the world over 2x! And why would we question?
As a whole, we don't really. Skiting down the aisles of Tesco I don't usually stop and review every package to see where the product has travelled from but after seeing the BBC Box on the news the next time I did. And I was shocked. Some vegetables in Tescos had travelled thousands of miles more than others and they were cheaper! How does this make sense?! Well, I suppose it is down to who does what, and who gets what. Is it fair on anyone - the people slaving away growing spikey pineapples or the farmers here picking each individual strawberry and reaping hardly any award!? No.
We are warned all the time we need to make a difference to sustain where we live and our lives, and this is a little change that can make a huge difference. Just like the Tesco Man says;
'Every little helps!'
And now - every little does help. Even the BBC Box now being sent to Africa to become a soup shelter to help people that have been worst affected by the global recession. It's a little, but it helps.
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