Eco-pioneers in the 1970s: how aerospace workers tried to save their jobs – and the planet

A new documentary recalls the extraordinary but largely forgotten Lucas Plan, which saw British workers attempt to make wind turbines instead of weaponsIt was 1974. A new Labour government had come to power on the promise of defence cuts. Swingeing job losses were soon to follow. Desperate workers at one Birmingham factory – Lucas Aerospace – fought to save their livelihoods, not by downing tools but by transforming from weapons-makers into one of Britain’s first eco-manufacturers, with early designs for wind turbines and hybrid cars.The extraordinary story of what became known as the “Lucas Plan” is now being told in a documentary,The Plan that Came from the Bottom Up, that screens for the first time this week at theBFI London film festival.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 14, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Rob Walker Tags: Film Documentary films UK news Science Technology Manufacturing sector Trade unions Source Type: news