On Thursday evening, the College Debate Society met to debate the motion, “This house believes that Framlingham does enough for the environment”.
The students were joined by Rhodri Griffiths, former Green Party candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. The debate preceded in an unusually peaceful manner with Rhodri outlining the benefits of micro power generation and the need for a more sustainable approach to local development in Framlingham. Amelia Schroeter, Rhodri’s debate partner, expertly demonstrated the need to do more at the college for the environment, including a reduced heating footprint.
This was countered by Dominic Weatherby’s rousing rhetoric, focusing on the need to understand the macro objectives of development and responsibility of environmental movements across the entire country, not just Framlingham. Freddie Green added to a strong argument, by citing that most initiatives related to the environment need to come from government. A range of interesting points were debated across the course of the evening, ranging from the ecological impact of the T-Rex, to whether the industrial revolution should have occurred at all.
All in the audience enjoyed the debate and a special mention must be made to Rhys Pearson-Shaul, who expertly managed the passions and arguments of both sides, to ensure a relatively harmonious debate.
