Greening St. Johns

Money matters

2008-07-13T22:28:00.006+01:00

One of the matters Eco-congregation encourages churches to consider is their banking. St John's currently bank with NatWest and we've finally got round to looking into their environmental record. I recently sent the following e-mail to the green team and included something similar in the pewsheet:
As you know, we were looking into how ethical our church bank - NatWest - is. On the whole the conclusion seems its probably no worse than other high street banks. Indeed, aside from the Co-op it is the only one to give an environmental report. It is also involved in supporting Eco-schools and is working with WWF on a 'better business pack' for Defra as well as stopping using company cars. However, it has (like many others) been involved with funding Asia Paper and Pulp who are responsible for rainforest devastation in Indonesia and as part of the Royal Bank of Scotland it is involved in serious funding of fossil fuel projects.
It seems to me that pulling out is not necessarily the logical option. Rather I wonder if we could try to repair some of the damage our money has been doing with Nat West? There is a church in Settle that is trying to raise funds for the World Land Trust which is a charity specifically devoted to buying up endangered habitats, especially rainforest, to preserve it as wildlife reserves (patron David Attenborough). What do you think about suggesting we do something similar? The church's blogsite is http://rainforest-save.blogspot.com and that has a link to the World Land Trust. If we do this then I'd want to write to Nat West and let them know we're doing it too. I know that as a church we support many causes so if you think this is one too many I'm not going to be offended! But I'd like to find a way to respond positively to what our money has done.

The responses have varied - the most common is that we should indeed pull out and switch to the Co-operative bank (which many of use for our personal banking already). Another is that we should join People and Planet's Ditch Dirty Development campaign. This prompted discussion about whether it is realistic to imagine we can persuade the Royal Bank of Scotland to change its attitude to fossil fuel given the importance of fossil fuels to the Scottish economy. However, looking into the campaign I realise that my suggestion that NatWest is probably no worse than other high street banks may not be true given the extent of their responsibility for Climate Change. The third option of trying to redeem what has been done prompted suggestions that since no one had heard of the World Land Trust we should go for a better known organisation such as Greenpeace. The discussion is still continuing at present.

Newtown: a Sacred Space

2008-06-23T10:17:00.003+01:00

I forgot to mention the evening Sacred Space service on Sunday 15th which was focussed on our local community. Many of our congregation no longer live (or never have done) actually within the parish boundary. Part of the service was spent on a short walk - we had to choose between themes including youth, age, other faiths, other denominations and bridges. My family opted for 'children' and walked with six other children down to Newtown School where the large barbs over the high gates made quite an impression on us all. We took a detour on the way back because I'd never seen Sun Street community garden although often heard it mentioned. The idea was to walk back discussing what we'd seen (based on some questions provided) and when we got back we wrote down our dreams for the community on this theme. Ali has all the sheets of ideas now - we wait to see what may come of this.

On my arrival home I found a Newtown GLOBE e-mail asking for volunteers to weed at Sun Street the following Saturday - perfect timing I thought, as we were not the only group to visit, and duly forwarded the e-mail widely. Unfortunately it was raining, not knowing if the work would still happen, I wimped out of the cycle ride over to find out and I have yet to find out if anyone else was stronger.

The green woodpecker has nothing to do with the Sacred Space service. It's a tribute to our beautiful, beautiful garden visitor whom we saw knocked down by a car outside our house this morning.

Cakes and Climate change

2008-06-22T21:13:00.005+01:00

Last Sunday environmental and development issues seem to have been a theme of the children's groups. My four-year-old returned from Scramblers with a poster about Creation, inevitably with a few Thunderbirds added and I couldn't quite fathom why the space for a picture of himself had been filled with a ladybird and a dalmatian. The Exclaimers were looking at the story of Dorcas/Tabitha. Ann used Tabitha's occupation making clothes for widows as an opportunity to look at recycled clothing and what happens to clothes sent to charity shops. This included finding out how rags are rewoven into new cloth in India. Meanwhile the Pathfinders have each been given £2 to make into more money for Christian Aid. Last week Johnny was selling crockery he'd decorated. This week four of the girls were selling cakes they'd baked. Next week we get to throw wet sponges at Josh and (I think) Johnny too.

This week's notices included a last minute plea for more action to make the Climate Change Bill a really meaningful document. Christian Aid want us to e-mail Hilary Benn and ensure the government don't renege on their earlier promise to ensure companies have to report their carbon emissions. Tearfund, A Rocha and Cafod are all trying to get more MPs to sign their support for amendments that will increase the target for reducing CO2 emissions to 80% (in line with scientific advice) as well as to ensure that shipping and aviation emissions are taken into account. The bill is back in the House of Commons this week - if you're reading this in time please click on the links and take action too!

Depressingly I later received an e-mail from Richard drawing my attention to a MORI poll which shows that most Britons doubt that humans are the cause of climate change.
My husband is currently reading William Hague's biography of William Wilberforce: I had not realised that having abolished Britain's slave trade the government then set about closing down the operations of other European countries by effectively buying them off. One of the actors in the film of Wilberforce's achievement, Amazing Grace, likens the abolition of the slave trade to abolishing oil today. If such actions could be taken then . . . ?

I also received a phone call after church from Alison about tomorrow's Panorama episode exposing Primark's use of child labour (9pm BBC1). If I can persuade my e-mail account to start working I'll alert other green team members to this.

I was pleased to note that Mates, Dates and Saving the Planet appears to have been borrowed.

Books and flower meadows

2008-06-10T21:45:00.006+01:00

Every June 5th is World Environment Day. This year my children's book club (Red House Books) marked the occasion with a great selection of reduced-price environmental books for children, many of which are excellent for adults too. Consequently I bought a handful to add to the children's library. I Wonder Why There's a Hole in the Sky (for age 5+) was immediately borrowed by one family who are relatively new to the church and hadn't yet realised about our eco-congregation ambitions.

For 9 year olds and upwards we have You Can Save the Planet (some parents may blanch at some of the advice - limited toilet flushing for instance)
Especially for girls aged 10+ (and mainly because I like the title) there's Mates, Dates & Saving the Planet: a girl's guide to being green and gorgeous
For 12+ there's You Can Save the Planet: A day in the life of your carbon footprint and
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore (the excellent film of which was watched by our home group plus three younger members a couple of weeks back). I'd especially recommend both of these to adults too. (And anyone who has not yet seen the film, Richard and Rosemary or Mark and I can lend you a DVD).

I also handed out postcards about the proposed eco-town at Weston Otmoor. The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust are campaigning against this location because it threatens to destroy the beautiful wildflower meadow at Woodsides Meadow. In the last fifty years 98% of our traditional hay meadows have disappeared and this is a rare survival. The postcards are to be sent to the Minister of State for housing.

Jubilee Debt Campaign - Pick up The Pace

2008-05-12T21:52:00.004+01:00

Yesterday Chris gave the following notice:

Ten years ago many of us went to Birmingham to help form a human chain of 70,000 people around the area where the leaders of the G8 were meeting, to demand that the huge debts crippling the world’s poorest countries be cancelled.

In the last ten years, as part of the HIPC process, $88 billion of debt has been cancelled for 25 countries who have had to meet a whole series of tough conditions; but this only represents about 20% of the debt that needs to be dropped. 36 of the world’s poorest nations, suffering under a huge debt burden while millions of their people live in extreme poverty- have been left out of the HIPC process altogether.

Recently the focus at St Johns has been on Fair Trade and Saving The Planet, but as the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Jubilee Debt Campaign approaches, we have been asked to help to focus once again on getting un-payable debts cancelled for the world’s poorest people.

You can help to do this in 3 ways:
1. The easiest way is to take a postcard and send it to the International Development Secretary with your signature, saying that you want our government to lead the way once again and PICK UP THE PACE of debt cancellation.
2. Fast for a day to register your support for the 36 countries so far excluded from debt cancellation. If you can do this for one day this week you must take a slip of paper which gives the web address of the Jubilee Debt Campaign so that you can register your fast. YOU MUST REGISTER YOUR FAST
3. Join the JOURNEY TO JUSTICE event next Sunday at 2.30 p.m. at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Activities begin earlier at 12.30. Details of the event are on the Jubilee Debt Campaign website.

Interestingly, both Tom Wright and Rowan Williams in recent publications have made relevant observations: in Surprised By Hope, Wright refers in general to ‘the massive economic imbalance of the world’ and in particular Third World Debt, as ‘the Number One moral issue of our day (p228); Williams in Tokens of Trust (p128) says that the Church ‘is meant to be the place where Jesus is visibly active in the world’ and that sometimes, just sometimes, we are able to say ‘I have seen the church and it works’. Of the three examples he gave, one was the 70,000 in Birmingham.

All postcards were taken and eight copies of the website for registering a fast.

Green cones

2008-04-27T21:31:00.004+01:00

This morning Ali gave a notice regarding Reading Borough Council's special offer on green cones. For those wanting to follow this up, the link is here. A green cone is a device that breaks down all food waste (including cooked food and meat) nutritiously in the garden without attracting rats.

Much supposedly biodegradable waste in landfill sites cannot biodegrade because the sheer volume of waste restricts the flow of oxygen and consequently as the waste breaks down methane is created - a much more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Keeping waste at home also reduces the carbon emissions from transporting it. The waste in the cone simply leaches into the soil. At the time of writing the council is offering 1,500 cones at a mere £14 instead of the usual £70.

In his Scramblers group this morning my four-year-old coloured in a Noah's Ark to which he added a chimney and a pipe for recycling water. (Yesterday he had been very excited to help his dad fit a pump to transfer bathwater to a waterbutt).

About this blog

2008-03-22T21:46:00.006Z

I started this blog in November 2007 as a resource and a record of our church's journey towards becoming an eco-congregation. I hope the church members will find it useful, but I hope it is also useful to others with a concern for our environment. Please use any of the liturgy, green tips or ideas on it as you like. It would be lovely to hear back if you do. It would also be great to hear ideas and experiences from other churches.

Hope for Planet Earth

2008-03-19T21:27:00.003Z

Last Thursday evening three members of one home group went to Newbury to see 'Hope for Planet Earth'. This event was part of a national tour, exploring the science behind climate change from a Christian perspective and the impact of climate change on people and the planet. It involved experts from Tearfund, A Rocha, John Ray Inititative, the Faraday Institute and Share Jesus International exploring the relationship between science and faith and challenging myths surrounding climate change. Apparently it was very inspiring and encouraging to act more.

Green Borrowing Book

2008-03-10T11:47:00.003Z

Yesterday we institutued the St John's Green Borrowing Book. This was a suggestion made at the Green Sunday service last July. The idea is that congregation members write in items which they are willing to lend to others so that we don't all need to buy so much.
We also started a polythene recycling box. HDPE (2) and LDPE (4) can be recycled if sent to
PolyPrint Mailing Films Ltd
Unit 21a Mackintosh Road
Rackheath Estate
Rackheath
Norwich
NR13 6LJ
paper labels must be cut off and your name and address should be included in the parcel so they can return any packaging sent in error. As a general rule, if it stretches it is likely to be polythene but if it snaps when pulled it is probably cellophane or PVC and they cannot recycle it.

Coal fire power station at Kingsnorth

2008-03-02T20:22:00.003Z

Last week I received an e-mail from Greenpeace about the proposed Kingsnorth coal-fired power station. So this week I encouraged people to go to their website or that of Christian Aid to protest about it, or to sign the following letter to John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business. There was lots of support for the letter, although many rightly also raised the question of what power we should use. Many also referred to the recent news about increased air travel - a subject for next week's campaign letter?

Dear Mr Hutton
We are writing to you to express our grave concern about the possibility of a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. We know that coal is the most environmentally damaging means of generating electricity and understand that Dr Jim Hansen has warned the Prime Minister that ‘the single greatest threat to the climate comes from burning coal’.

We understand that you are hoping to use carbon capture and storage technology. However, since this is not yet commercially available, and may never be, it seems an appalling risk to take. Clearly it will not be available for the first years of the Kingsnorth plant’s emissions. In just ten years it would be responsible for greater carbon dioxide emissions than he 30 least polluting countries combined. This is morally unacceptable.

Please do not make a mockery of the forthcoming climate change bill by permitting this power station to be built. At the very least a public enquiry should be held on this matter. More effort must also be put into developing renewable energy sources.
If we do not act responsibly over our climate emissions we must expect to deal with
- The creation of 150 million environmental refugees – overwhelmingly in poor countries
- Acute water shortages for 1-3 billion people
- 30 million more people going hungry as agricultural yields go into recession across the globe
- Sea levels edging towards increases of up to 95cm by the end of the century, submerging 18% of Bangladesh.
Please stop this madness.

Christians Together on Climate Change

2008-02-22T21:43:00.008Z

Last Saturday Ali and I were helping to run a workshop on Eco-congregation for the Christians Together on Climate Change day organised at Greyfriars Church by CCOW, A Rocha, Christian Aid, The Diocese of Oxford, Operation Noah, Reading and Silchester Methodist Circuit, SAGE and Tearfund. It was an inspiring day, beginning with a panel of representatives from South Africa, Jamaica and Alaska, with shocking stories to tell. Dr Ernst Conradi of the University of the Western Cape said the issue at stake was 'moral imagination' - the need to imagine a different world is possible. I was astonished to learn that South Africa's average carbon dioxide emissions per person are the same as those of the UK - about 9.8 tonnes annually. This is because the richest South Africans emit 41 tonnes each per year. Conradi says he claims to have 60 children because each of his two uses the same resources as 30 children in Uganda. Maggie Ross, an Anglican solitary who divides her time between Alaska and Oxford has posted her comments on her own blog: http://ravenwilderness.blogspot.com. Her inspirational, passionate and controversial call was for us all to reconnect with our core silence that would lead us to want to live more simply.

A second panel was chaired by Mark Dowd of Operation Noah who asked questions of the bishop of Oxford (the Rt Revd John Pritchard) and of Dudley Coates, past Vice-President of the Methodist Conference. The bishop described the right wing Christian notion that climate change was the desirable hastening of armageddon and the rapture as 'almost the sin against the Holy Spirit, calling bad good and good bad'. Mark Dowd suggested that the threat of climate change speaks to three major issues that are threatening the Christian church in our country:
our lack of young people (who care passionately about this), the tension with Islam (whose environmentalists share our concerns) and the science v religion debate.

There were then a series of workshops to choose between - one for before lunch, another after. Over lunch most of us took the opportunity to walk round a series of displays by various interested organisations (we had helped with one for Eco-congregation) and to fill out Christian Aid postcards regarding the Climate Change Bill. Ali and I were leading one of the afternoon sessions. As part of this we set up prayer stations much like those used for the Sacred Space service back in November 2006 (see post on that). I had lost the original labels for the strings attached to pieces of clothing so made some more:

At the centre of the station a sign read:

"And wy do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these . . . " What strings are attached to the clothes we wear today

Then the following facts were attached to appropriate items of clothing:
Uzbekistan's $1 billion government-controlled cotton industry has taken so much water from the Aral sea that only 15% of it now remains and its 24 native species of fish are now extinct. Tens of thousands of children are taken out of school and forced to pick cotton during the harvest months. Some of these kids go temporarily blind due to the harsh pesticides used on the crop. If any UK shopper bought cotton items from ten different shops or market stalls, the chances are several will be of uzbekistani cotton.

In the past decade the price of clothes has plummeted due to cheap and expendable sweat shop labour in the developing world, especially following the 1999 collapse in parts of the Asian economy which made labour even cheaper.

Only 10-20% of cast offs in clothes banks make it to UK charity shops. The rest are sold off in the developing world, undercutting local textile manufacturers: in 1991 there were 140 textile manufacturers in Zambia, by 2002 there were just eight.

Conventional cotton production accounts for 25% of global pesticide use. Some pesticides contribute to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer.

20,000 litres of water are required to produce one T-shirt.

About 50% of all emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide are derived from nylon production.

I also had a couple of new facts for the Taste and See apples from different sources:

The transport of food destined for UK consumers produced 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2002, of which 10 million tonnes was emitted in the UK, almost all from road transport. Local shops are more likely to stock local and regional produce than supermarkets.

The manufacture of fixed nitrogen for fertilisers involves large-scale use of fossil fuels for extracting hydrogen and heating it with air. A quarter of all natural gas consumption in the United States is devoted to making fertilisers. The nitrogen oxide emissions accompanying the use of fertilizers are also a potent source of greenhouse gases.

Ali set up the other stations
On rubbish/recycling for which she had bits of rubbish, recycling boxes and objects made of recycled rubbish, with the words:

When the five thousand had eaten their fill Jesus invited the disciples to
“Gather up the pieces left over so that nothing is wasted.” John 6 :12

Archbishop Rowan reminded us in his New Year message that God builds to last,
He does not give up on us and start again, God doesn’t do waste.

Here is some of my rubbish, what might we do with it?
How much of this could be recycled

and do you know where that can be done in your area?

On Water - with a bowl of water with glass stones by it:

“Water will be more important than oil this century”
Boutros Boutros Ghali, former UN secretary General

Remember a favourite lake or waterfall, recall the sound and smell.

Recall what it feels like to paddle your feet or
to turn on the tap for a glass of cold water when you are thirsty.

Drop a stone gently into the water and watch the ripples.

What ripples do I make across the world? Am I careful with the water I use? How often do I stop to be thankful for the water I have such easy access to?

Pray for countries that are water- stressed, with too much or too little.

Travel - with my four-year-old's bicycle as a prop

FOOTPRINTS

What sort of mark are you leaving behind on this earth?

Are there changes to your life style that would be more gentle to this planet and that you are prepared to make…for yourself, your family, your workplace?

Draw round your foot or shoe and cut out a foot print. Write a prayer or commitment that you would like to move towards making and leave it for others to consider.

Cars account for 15% of the carbon emissions produced in this country

71% of road trips by car are <5miles
46% are under 2 miles

20% of rush hour traffic is children being driven to school.

Car parking in Britain covers and area twice the size of Birmingham.

Develop good driving techniques, where safe, accelerate gently and avoid sharp braking, this can save 25% of fuel. Driving at 40-55mph uses 30% less fuel than driving at 70mph

We had far more people than we were expecting, which meant we had to move furniture and the space for prayer was not ideal, but I think it was still helpful. I was surprised that several people said the young people at church were fed up with hearing about climate change because they do it too much at school. There were a couple of people from other would-be Eco-congregations who were able to help inspire and contribute other ideas which was great.

After the workshops Martin Salter MP received questions. He told us that a Defra survey was told that only 3% of people are prepared to do things which cost more or significantly inconvenience themselves to avoid damaging the climate. He also pointed out that our demand for cheaper consumer goods from China and Inda is what is causing them to build more coal-fired powerstations.

Fishing on the Sea of Galilee

2008-02-10T22:02:00.001Z

In Exclaimers we were looking at the calling of the first disciples and particularly at Simon Peter. We included various fishy games, discussion about following Jesus then and now, and a look at some photos of the Galilee and the church over Simon Peter's house now. We concluded by talking about fishermen today - even in Britain it is a dangerous and poorly paid job.
According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, on the coast of West Africa fishermen are starving as foreign pirate trawlers dredge up kilometres of sea-bed, only to throw back 90% of their catch dead into the seas. I showed them a can of 'sustainably fished' tuna as an example of the response we might make to this. We then discussed the plight of the fish themselves and other marine life around our own shores. I explained about the imminent Marine Bill. Following this Andy and Zach enthusiastically collared as many congregation members as they could over coffee, explaining about the need for marine reserves and asking them to sign the Wildlife Tr ust's petition on them.

Carbon Fast

2008-02-03T22:35:00.000Z

Tearfund are encouraging us all to use Lent to cut our carbon emissions with a carbon fast. Rosemary found 50 takers for Tearfund's leaflets which give one new carbon reducing idea for each day of Lent. Several congregation members are giving up meat for Lent as well. To quote from Tony Juniper's How Many Lightbulbs does it take to Change a Planet?

The World Bank concludes that the recent destruction of the Amazon rainforest has been 'basically caused' by cattle ranching. The UK is one of the biggest consumers of the beef produced there. . . In the EU 41% of all methane emissions are from agriculture, mainly from animals. To this must be added emissions of nitrous oxide (another powerful greenhouse gas) arising from the nitrogen fertilizer applied to grasslands to improve meat and milk yields from grazing animals.

Plans are now afoot to produce a vegetarian recipe book for the church to help with this. This Sunday also, Jane initiated a mini clutter sale - a table at the back of church with items she no longer needs, inviting us to take any we can use and put a donation in the refectory fund box. Whoever brings the stuff is responsible for taking the leftovers away again afterwards so we don't need to time it to coincide with a scout jumble sale.

Epiphany - journeying to Jesus

2008-01-15T21:40:00.000Z

We had an informal Worship Together service for Epiphany including the following sketch about the wise men's journey:

We’re going to eves-drop on their journey, as told by David, Josh and Zach
Three figures in cloaks (one with bike, one with scooter)
Magi 1 (the littlest): Are we nearly there yet?
Magi 2: I have no idea. We are going to be SO late – it’s embarrassing. We should have just booked those Easy Jet tickets like I said.
Magi 3: Maybe we would have been on time, but I just couldn’t face kneeling before the King of all Creation knowing he knew I’d just sent a couple of tonnes of CO2 into his upper atmosphere. I don’t think he’d appreciate me helping flood Bangladesh just to get to see him a bit quicker.
Magi 1: Well I reckon motorbikes would have been much more sensible – we’d still have been on time and little boys love motorbikes.
Magi 2: I’m not sure this one’s quite like other little boys. Anyway, you’d have had to leave me behind – I get so travel sick. (make retching noise)
Magi 3: I still think that guy in the bazaar with the magic carpets was worth listening to.
1 and 2 look at 3 in disbelief.
Magi 2: Well this isn’t getting us any closer is it? Come on, let’s keep going.
Magi leave.

We subsequently approached our confession in the light of the wise men's mistake in discussing their journey with Herod:
The wise men had assumed that they should look for a king in the big city of Jerusalem. They had expected to find wisdom in the king’s palace. They were simply acting according to the logic of the world they lived in. But their detour to Jerusalem meant that Bethlehem’s baby boys were killed.
Living our lives according to what appears to make sense in this world can similarly lead to tragedy. The impending catastrophe for our climate is an obvious example, the apparent logic of free trade which nonetheless keeps the poorest poor is another.

Towards the end of the service we discussed what we need to pack for our own spiritual journeys. In considering both aids to prayer and things that bring us closer to God more generally, it was decided that opportunities to be outside in the natural world were valued by many of us (a pair of walking shoes was duly included in the suitcase).

Christingle

2007-12-03T21:05:00.000Z

We began the Church's year this Advent Sunday with a Christingle service. As Suzanne explained the symbolism of the fruit, she observed that some of the oranges were already a bit mouldy - but then parts of our world are rather mouldy too. The four cocktail sticks for the seasons were well-loaded with fruit and sweets for the harvests we are given but my toddler had managed to consume them all before we got to light the candles above.
After the service our 'first Sunday' meal was to raise money for the Bangladesh Cyclone appeal.
Our microrecycling point for stamps, foil, batteries and printer cartridges, which we began at the Green Sunday in July, is working well.

Green Tips - past history

2007-11-18T21:41:00.005Z

Our first green tip appeared on 18 February 2007 and it was an encouragement to buy organic milk because organic dairy farms support far more wild flowers and insects and because standards of animal welfare are generally higher. Since then I've read various websites rejecting organic milk as a green option because they say more greenhouse gases are produced per pint of milk provided. Personally I'd put a priority on animal welfare and biodiversity in this case and say we have to reduce greenhouse emissions elsewhere but I know not everyone would agree. I also have concerns about the support for GM crops which is a consequence of allowing non-organic cattle to feed on GM food.

Another debatable topic turned out to be energy saving lightbulbs - one reason was that the heat of conventional bulbs was actually valuable in the winter (I'm not entirely convinced on that one) and another was concern about mercury content - I contacted Reading Borough Council to ask about recycling facilities and was told that they should simply be put in my ordinary rubbish bin or in the hazardous waste skip at the tip - this doesn't seem good enough to me.

Below is a list which I shall keep updating of green tips for the newsletter:

Rethink your breakdown cover. The major breakdown organisations all lobby for more roads. The Environmental Transport Association works to help us use cars less.

Green decorating: use organic, solvent-free paints (eg see ecospaints.com) - better for you and the planet, cleaner to use

Say it with flowers on Mothers' Day: but avoid the cut blooms that have been heavily sprayed with pesticides and flown half way round the world. A plant for the garden will last much longer and could be chosen to attract wildlife. If you can't deliver it in person check out www.tree2mydoor.com.

Wrap presents inventively to avoid wasting paper: try the large maps from out of date road atlases or attractive paper bags saved from shopping.

Avoid using peat in the garden (an area of peat bog the size of Monaco is being destroyed in Ireland every year and only 6 per cent of the UK's lowland peat bog habitat remains). When planting up deep containers with shallow-rooted plants fill up the bottom with polystyrene packing: it saves on compost and weighs less to carry.

Organic, locally grown and 'green' products are available at the True Food Co-op for less than supermarket prices. Packaging is minimal and products range from beetroot to icing sugar, bread to deodorant, and chocolate to printer paper. They have markets at different venues in Reading each evening and alternate Saturday afternoons: see leaflets at the back of church for more information.

Is all your tea fairly-traded?
Actually only 2% of the UK tea market is fairly traded. Why not make a resolution to only buy tea that is ? There is a large variety of tastes now for you to choose from. Fair trade encourages pesticide-free, sustainable farming methods

Green holidays: See www.wwoof.org for placements for Willing Workers on Organic Farms all over the world, but of course it's greenest to stay in Britain. In hotter climes, only 18% of holidaymakers turn off the air- conditioning when they go out for the day so millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted unnecessarily every year.

If we only boil as much water in the kettle as we actually need we could save enough energy to power our street lights. Putting a lid on a pan of boiling water speeds up time to boiling.

Switch to a green electricity supplier. The green tariff from ordinary suppliers is effectively meaningless because they are required by law to use some renewable sources and at present this still exceeds the demand through their green tariffs.
Good Energy source all their power from renewable power sources. Christian Aid are working with Ecotricty - a major developer of renewables who guarantee to cost the same as our regional supplier - ring 0800 0326 100 to switch to Ecotricity and if you mention Christian Aid they'll get a donation towards their climate change campaigning.

Cotton production accounts for 25% of all pesticides used over the world. Organic cotton products such as cotton wool and underpants are available in RISC's shop. Second hand clothes or bed linen are obviously a cheaper alternative to looking for organic cotton!

Energy efficient light bulbs save up to 80% on lighting costs and it is a myth that flourescent strip lights work more effectively if left on continuously

Driving at 50 mph is 25% more fuel efficient that driving at 70 mph; and although diesels are more fuel efficient they emit more nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides and particulates so Friends of the Earth prefer a petrol car with a catalytic converter.

'Have you considered buying fairly traded furniture? www.myakka.co.uk is a fairly-trading online firm which has been recommended as having a good range — dining and bedroom furniture as well as soft furnishings and smaller items - and an honest statement of their policy under the 'Fair Trade’ heading.'

The National Trust is campaigning to stop the expansion of Stansted Airport because of its threat to a medieval forest and because it will encourage more air travel - google 'Save Hatfield Forest' to find more details and their on-line petition

Co-operative Insurance offer 'eco' car insurance, offsetting some carbon emissions and investing your money ethically - see www.ecoinsurance.co.uk

Carrier bags can be re-used as packaging, scrunched up instead of polystyrene, or as bin liners.

Running a washing machine and dishwasher at 40 degrees instead of 60 will use a third less energy.

Keeping your refrigerator 1 degree warmer saves about 50 kg of greenhouse gas a year

Eating more plant based food will help the planet: producing one kilo of beef creates half a kilo of methane which is a greenhouse gas twenty times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Moreover rainforests are being destroyed to grow cattle and chicken feed. Altogether livestock herds account for 10 per cent of greenhouse gases.

Increase insulation in your roof, around windows and doors, and the water tank. Put aluminium foil behind your radiators.

Consider boycotting ExxonMobil (Esso) who are actively blocking the transition to renewable energy

Visit the Living Rainforest - not only a fascinating afternoon out but also some of your entrance fee goes to support education and conservation projects in Madagascar and Indonesia (entrance fees reduced for those arriving by public transport).

Join the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and gain free access to dozens of beautiful nature reserves in the area.

If holidaying in a hotel switch off air conditioning whenever possible(and put thermostat up), reuse towels, use resources sparingly - the average tourist uses as much water in 24 hours as a villager in the developing world uses in 100 days!

If trying to decide whether to 'carbon offset' your holiday travel, see article on the 'inconvenient truth' of this industry by Nick Davies at http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange

Save paper and save lives by buying presents from the Oxfam bookshop where they'll put in a bookplate saying why the gift is a little dog-eared

The beer-drinker's solution to climate change - see Greenpeace's video at www.email.greenpeace.org/uwagpjp_ifbgxdke.html

At Greenbelt Ann Pettifor reminded us that while we're at home changing light bulbs big business are lobbying the government for their interests: look up the latest campaigns of Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Soil Association, WWF etc - at basic level many simply involve forwarding an e-mail.

Put wet autumn leaves in a plastic bag, stab a few holes in with a fork and a year later you'll have leafmould (burning them produces a highly carcinogenic smoke).

Never put broken pyrex or drinks glasses into the glass recycling as it will contaminate the entire load and all be landfilled.

Re-use cooking oil to add life to garden furniture. If you cannot return your egg boxes (the True Food Co-op use them) they're good for the compost heap.

Reduce your junk mail by calling the Mailing Preference Service on 08457 034599, opting out of the publicly available electoral register and putting a note on your door. Unaddressed mail can apparently be stopped by writing to Consignia (the Post Office).

Recycle polythene packaging, carrier bags and wraps from magazines by cutting off any labels and posting to PolyPrint Mailing Films Ltd, Unit 21a Mackintosh Road, Rackheath Estate, Rackheath, Norwick, NR13 6LJ, 01603 721807 (polythene is stretchy unlike cellophane or PVC which will snap if stretched and cannot be recycled).

Send old postcards to Actionaid, Ernie Roberts House, 13-15 High Street, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent, BR5 3NL

Reading Freecycle is part of an international network matching people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them, keeping usable items out of landfills. Sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Reading_Freecycle/ to receive regular e-mails.

Once upon a time everyone used vinegar and newspaper to clean windows and mirrors or bicarbonate of soda for sinks etc - they're not tested on animals, they're much less harmful to the environment (and people) than most modern cleaning products, they're cheap and actually they work too!

Green Christmas shopping ideas
Plants, especially drought resistant ones
Look for energy saving gadgets, organic cotton clothes and fair trade or recycled products (eg at www.amnestyshop.org.uk, www.naturalcollection.com, www.recycledproducts.org.uk as well as the World Shop on London Road or the Traidcraft stall)
Avoid presents with lots of packaging, disposable parts like batteries or a short life span
Give gifts of experiences such as theatre, restaurant or massage tokens or membership of the National Trust
Sponsor an animal, or Send a Cow (or a toilet or doctors kit) with Send a Cow, Christian Aid's Present Aid, Oxfam Unwrapped etc or let them choose their charity with www.charityvouchers.org

Green Christmas preparations
Buy recycled wrapping paper(eg at http://shop.wwf.org.uk/store/Home.aspx)and tie it with string so both can be used again (or old cassette tape which curls nicely on scissors).
Use old cards for gift tags.
Buy a UK-grown real tree with roots and acclimatise it in a greenhouse or conservatory on its entry and exit from your home so that it will last for future years.
Choose durable and fairtrade decorations from natural materials (or hang biscuits from the tree) and soy or beeswax candles.
Try to buy food in recyclable packaging and remember Reading's Farmers Market is 1st and 3rd Saturday in the cattle market 8.30 - 12.

Support your local milkman - he can provide organic milk in reusable bottles

Save your Christmas cards and paper to re-use next year. Send unwanted gifts to charity shops (apparently hospitals and hospices sometimes appreciate them too)

If each of the UK's office workers used one less staple every day 120 tonnes of steel would be saved each year - staple-less staplers are available and paper clips or mini bulldog clips are reusable.

Be informed: read Felicity Lawrence's 'Not on the Label' - an eloquent and accessible exposé of the environmental damage and abuse of migrant workers created by supermarket demands for cheap food.

'Organic' can mean many things: the produce of a small local mixed 'non-organic' farm that limits its pesticide use (available at a farmers' market) is likely to be much 'greener' (and fresher) than heavily packaged, distantly grown products from 'organic' farmers whose
dependence upon supermarkets forces them to use the maximum of every chemical permitted under organic standards.

If every driver took one less car journey a week averaging 9 miles, this would cut carbon dioxide emissions from traffic in the UK by 13%.

If you want to send cut flowers, check out www.wigglywigglers.co.uk who despatch local, seasonal flowers instead of imported blooms.

To tie in with Tearfund's carbon fast - green tips for Lent are:

Carbon fast extra ideas 1: make sure fridge and freezer are running efficiently by regular defrosting, cleaning dust off the coils at the back (dirty coils use up to 30 per cent more energy) and filling spaces in freezer with newspaper.

Carbon fast extra ideas 2: check your heating timer - can it be on for a shorter time without you really even noticing?

Carbon fast extra ideas 3: check your washing machine manual (if you can find it!) - could you be using shorter time settings as well as lower temperatures?

Carbon fast extra ideas 4: ensure car tyres are properly inflated and drive smoothly as stopping and starting, over-revving and fast acceleration require more fuel

Carbon fast extra ideas 5: Try to by more fresh food because frozen food requires ten times more energy to produce.

Carbon fast extra ideas 6: Do less housework! Vacuum less, wash towels and sheets less often.

If you have a compost caddy that seems to need lots of washing out, line it with newspaper. Or abandon it and use a sturdy paper bag such as those organic box schemes deliver fruit in so the whole thing can be composted.

The World Shop at RISC sells much better value 'green' dishwasher powder than the tablets available in supermarkets - it also reduces the packaging involved.

Grandparents and parents of small children - borrow toys, baby equipment and musical instruments at Reading Toy Library instead of buying. Call in to any Reading library or visit www.readinglibraries.org.uk

Allowing the lawn to grow to at least 4 cm before mowing avoids brown patches and unnecessary watering

Plants like lilac, buddleia, evening primrose and honeysuckle help support the butterflies whose natural habitats are being destroyed.

Keeping a jug of cold water in the fridge means you don't need to run the tap to get it cold. Keep a jug by the tap to collect the water you run before it's hot and you can pour that on plants.

Radiators heat rooms more efficiently with aluminium foil behind them and a shelf a couple of inches above to direct heat into the room instead of up the wall.

If you turn the oven off ten minutes before the stated time, the residual heat will keep cooking the food. Only pastries, bread or a souffle really require the oven to be pre-heated.

Covering food (and ice cubes) in a fridge or freezer prevents the moisture in it condensing as ice on the appliance. Iced up walls make the appliance less efficient. Fridges don't need to be colder than 3 - 5 Celsius. Fitting a Savaplug which allows electricity through in short bursts can reduce energy consumption by 20%.

Real corks come from forests that support a huge variety of wildlife, including the endangered Iberian lynx. After use they can be fire lighters or composted.

RECYCLING - Reading Borough Council residents can put their foil, scrunched up, into their red bins (only Wokingam residents need to use the recycling here).
Drink cartons can be recycled at Palmer Park (as well as the True Food Co-op)

Watering plants first thing in the morning instead of last thing at night reduces the problem of slugs and the consequent need to put out pellets that may kill birds. Also try leaving uprooted weeds in a damp corner of the garden because the slugs should prefer the softer wilted leaves to your precious veg. Avoid beer traps which catch slug-eating beetles as well.

Rather than leaving cooked food in a saucepan on a low heat to keep warm, pile a couple of folded tea towels on top of the lid.

Suggested ways to avoid having to apply ant poison: if their entry can be found block it up or put lemon juice on it; apparently they hate talcum powder, chalk, charcoal dust and cayenne pepper so they can be diverted with barriers of these.

Kettles are more efficient when descaled (boiling two cups of white vinegar diluted in a little water should do the job), and only boiling as much as you need is more efficient too. Vinegar can also be used one part to three parts olive oil for making furniture polish.

More environmentally friendly cleaning methods for troublesome stains (I've not checked these out): rub white chalk into oil stains before washing; remove tea, coffee, chocolate and blood with one part borax to eight parts water; tackle grass stains with glycerine.

David and Goliath and the McLibel 2

2007-11-18T21:28:00.000Z

Great Exclaimers session this morning - I'd been slightly dreading it as we'd planned to put all the children from 4 to 11 in together but it was one of those days that just worked really well. After Mark had played the part of David and recounted his story in a dramatic monologue, I talked briefly about God's propensity to choose the weakest to do God's work and all the younger brothers were particularly pleased about this. Then the younger children made sheep and did colouring etc while I talked with the older ones about modern day Davids. They were so animated and fascinated it just felt great - we began with Rosa Parkes, Martin Luther King and Gandhi, and then moved on to my friend Jim who worked for Greenpeace (considering the pros and cons of GM) and finally the McLibel 2 'How come McDonalds weren't closed down after the judge said all that?' Ashley asked indignantly!

LOAF meal and Ethical Investments talk

2007-11-16T21:23:00.000Z

On 4 November we arranged a LOAF meal to raise funds for Christian Ecology Link and A Rocha. We were hoping an autumn meal would make provision of local food especially easy - perhaps we'll aim for a greater challenge next year. We printed off Christian Ecology Link's LOAF 'tablemats' for each table:
Locally Produced
Organically Grown
Animal Friendly
Fairly Traded

The service happened to be led by our mission partners from Nepal so it was a good time for thinking about global responsibilities. We were able to show A Rocha's 45 second video so people knew where their money would be going. Our meal consisted of fairtrade organic rice from the True Food Co-op with a variety of vegetarian toppings (mushroom stroganoff, veg curry, chilli, roast veg and something beautiful with coconut in that didn't seem to have a name). The ingredients for these came mostly from the True Food Co-op or the Farmers' Market . The latter fortunately took place just the day before - it was lovely bumping into each other there, adding to the friendly atmosphere the market always has. Many people brought puddings made with apples and pears from their own gardens to which we added the richest, most gorgeous Jersey cream and yoghurt from the Farmers' Market. While eating we were able to watch the Pathfinders' fabulous Christian Aid video on climate change.

Before people sat down to eat, Geoff gave a presentation about ethical investment - this took longer than we'd expected due to the animated audience participation. Below is a list of the websites he suggested to help us find out more.

www.ethical-company-organisation.org Good Shopping Guide website
www.gooshing.org The research website referred to in the Good Shopping Guide, good for lots of info
www.ethicalconsumer.co.uk Website for bi-monthly magazine
www.eiris.org Ethical Investment Research Institute – lots of background info and facts
www.uksif.org UK Social Investment Forum – good source of info and fund data
www.ethicalinvestment.org.uk Ethical Investment Association
www.moneyfacts.co.uk/ethical Fund data website with ethical sector for easy finding of information
www.socialfunds.com Useful website for background info and news on Socially Responsible Investments, but it is a US site
www.unbiased.co.uk Find an Independent Financial Adviser (remember to tick the “Ethical” box to narrow down your search).
www.jupiteronline.co.uk/PI/OurProducts/SRIGreen/ - Very useful section on the Jupiter website dedicated to Socially Responsible Investments issues and funds

WATCH THIS - Pathfinders' fabulous Christian Aid video "Climate Change, Jelly Babies and the Human Shrub"

2007-11-16T21:12:00.000Z

Emma writes
the pathfinders went to a Christian aid weekend in the middle of October. the weekend was based on climate change and the problem of global warming. we were told we had to make a music video/mini film to show our views on the climate change debate. we made it about superheroes and saving the planet but ended it by being everyday heroes and talking about what we can do ourselves to cut the carbon. as well as making our film there were other workshops going on like drumming and a drama one. the weekend was a lot of fun and we learnt quite a bit about the climate.

Harvest time

2007-11-16T21:05:00.001Z

St John's congregation includes a number of priests whose ministry is based elsewhere, including the chaplain of Queen Anne's School in Caversham. Consequently I was asked to give a talk for their harvest service this year. The chapel was wonderfully decorated so that even the tins had been arranged in colour-co-ordinated pyramids and fruits were balanced everywhere. I added a few conkers to my lectern before beginning:

5th October 2007 – Queen Anne’s School, Harvest service

My driveway is littered with conkers, spiky cases split open, gorgeous chestnut skins shining and rather a lot of squished creamy pulp where the car has driven over them. Conkers are one of the great emblems of autumn, abundant and gleaming. They aren’t particularly useful – not like blackberries or elderberries or all the cultivated harvests we celebrate, or even the scarlet hips and haws that the birds are stocking up on for winter – indeed, conkers are mildly toxic, but they are beautiful, they make life feel richer – conkers are a reminder that God’s creations do not have to be obviously useful to be valuable and treasured.

But the horse chestnut trees along my road have been looking sick all summer - leaf miner beetles which used die off in the winter are weakening the trees. Our conkers are falling victim to climate change.

Of course they’re not the only ones. Let me tell you about Risolat Muradova. She is 18 years old and a member of Tajikistan’s national basketball team. This summer she came over to the UK to start Christian Aid’s 1,000 mile Cut the Carbon march. The march ended in London last Tuesday when they petitioned the government to commit British businesses and government to a radical reduction in our carbon emissions. Risolat made the journey here from Tajikistan because she can see the devastation climate change is already causing – so many poor harvests are driving the farmers of Tajikistan to abandon their homes and become builders in Russia. Ironically the average inhabitant of Tajikistan only produces just over half a tonne of carbon each year, whereas here in Britain we produce about 10 tonnes. Risolat’s fellow marcher, Mohammed Adow comes from Kenya – his neighbours only produce one fifth of a tonne of carbon each, but droughts are destroying their land – it’s not uncommon for women and girls to have to walk 30km in a day to find water – that’s like having to walk from here to Wokingham and back for water - it always is the women and girls who are hit hardest in such crises.

And yet, my latest post from Friends of the Earth began – ‘climate change could life better for you’. The need to act on climate change could be the catalyst we need to build a cleaner, fairer future with stronger local communities and a healthier relationship with the land. What I’d like you to take away this evening is a conviction that we can do this – that God has given us all that we need, and that we are the Noahs of this day with an ark to build.

On some levels the Christian response to the climate crisis must be the same as that of any person with a conscience. Christ called us to love our neighbour, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked; to do all we can for those girls walking 30km a day to fetch water.

But there’s more to it than that – the God who made us and loves us takes delight in this whole planet. There’s a great passage in the otherwise rather depressing book of Job where God demands
‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? . . .
‘Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail? . . .
‘From whose womb did the ice come forth and who has given birth to the hoar-frost of heaven? . . .
‘Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? . . .
‘Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend the night at your crib?’

Here God reveals a passionate continuing involvement in Creation, a care even for the mountain goats giving birth. If we can see our efforts to look after our planet as working alongside God’s continual creating it becomes a good deal more hopeful, even joyful, sharing in this task.

That’s why I chose the first reading this evening from Proverbs – God’s Wisdom speaking of her childhood participating joyfully and playfully in God’s act of creation. We don’t tend to think of God as a child very often, but God is all ages of man and woman. Wisdom tells us that she was ‘At play everywhere on this earth, delighting to be with the children of men’. ‘Delighting to be with the children of men’– this is so important.

So often in environmentalism humans seem to be simply the bad guys – inevitably destructive, by our very nature at odds with the needs of the rest of the planet.

Yet Christianity’s most famous ‘green hero’, St Francis, had a rather different take on it. He wrote that
‘We bless the earth with each step we take.
And the firmament too needs our touch’

Passages like that in Proverbs or even the Genesis Creation story had convinced St Francis that human beings were designed to be good for the Earth, to work in a positive relationship with life on Earth. And we know we can be – just look up into the skies above Caversham or along the road to Oxford – and almost invariably you will find somewhere en route a beautiful bird of prey with russet red feathers and a distinctive forked tail – it’s the red kite – once extinct in England, but now flourishing thanks to human effort.

A few months ago a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door and asked me what worried me – I told them climate change and they said ‘Ah yes, it is such a great problem that we cannot possibly do anything about it, we must just trust in God to sort it out’. I was so surprised I couldn’t think of a response at the time. I wish I’d remembered the story of Joseph and Pharoah – you know how Joseph was the favourite younger son, sold to passing camel traders by his jealous brothers so he ended up in Egypt interpreting the Pharoah’s mysterious dream about skinny cows eating healthy cows. God had sent the dream to warn Pharoah that after seven years of good harvests there would be seven years of famine – forewarned with this knowledge Joseph and Pharoah carefully looked after Egypt’s harvests and saved enough to feed the people through the famine. If Pharoah had just said ‘Oh dear, we’ll have a famine, never mind I’m sure God will sort it out’ the people would have starved. Today we’ve got scientific predictions instead of dreams, but the situation is the same, we know what we’ve got to do and we can do it.

On a smaller scale we have done it before – when I was at school the environmental crisis of the day was the hole in the ozone layer – this was a thinning of the ozone in the earth’s atmosphere caused by gases used in fridges and aerosols that was likely to give us all skin cancer. Environmental campaigning led to political action to stop the use of these gases. Scientists say the hole is now in the process of mending as a consequence of these actions.

It is easy to imagine as individuals that we cannot achieve much – so I take heart from one of my great heroes – Anita Roddick, who died last month. She started the Body Shop simply because she needed a way to earn money for herself and her daughters while her husband cleared off for two years to ride a horse from Buenos Aires to New York. But her passion for the environment and for social justice shaped a new way of doing business that has influenced so many high street shops. Of course while Anita Roddick was the visionary her family and all those who worked for the Body Shop were what made it happen. We don’t all have to be the visionaries at the front, indeed it won’t work at all if we all try to be that – it’s the working together that achieves most.

That’s why development agencies like Christian Aid are trying to get us all on board with their Cut the Carbon campaign. Thousands of people are petitioning the government to commit to drastic reductions in carbon dioxide emissions – Anita Roddick added her name to Friends of the Earth’s part of the campaign just two months before she died. Jude Law, James Blunt, Thom Yorke and Darcy Bussel are among other famous figures you’ll find talking about it on Friends of the Earth’s website. If you would like to join them, you can pick up one of the Christian Aid postcards at the back of chapel and fill it out – we can post them off together.

Achieving change at a political level is part of building the ark. The other is how we live our own lives – did you know that a tonne of your carbon emissions is a result of the manufacture and care of your clothes? Buying fewer clothes and buying them second hand or organic makes a big difference – yes I did say organic – manufacturing pesticides produces extra greenhouse gases and a quarter of all the pesticides in the world are used in cotton growing. Making sure washing temperatures are as low as possible helps too. Buying organic food and food that hasn’t travelled miles is another basic step. Farmers’ markets and farm shops are a beautiful way to shop. One of the biggest but easiest changes you can make is to get your family to switch to a green energy supplier like Ecotricity – the ones with that magnificent windmill near junction 11 of the M4 – check Christian Aid’s website to see how you can get Ecotricity to give Christian Aid a donation when you sign up. Another biggie is cutting down on your meat and dairy foods because cattle emit an awful lot of greenhouse gases, not to mention the vast destruction of precious, precious rainforests for their grazing - and for growing chicken feed.

Once upon a time harvest festivals were primarily a time to pray for our farmers and their care of the land. Now they need our prayers more than ever. But also we know we all have a responsibility to care for this beautiful, precious, fragile earth and its inhabitants, our neighbours. We have been told just as clearly as Noah was – if we join Risolat from Tajikistan and the thousands of others campaigning and changing their lifestyles – we can build that ark with God.