Action 92: Take time for a walk and take time to pay attention to what’s around. In Richmond Park this morning I saw both parasol mushrooms and hare bells – and afterwards learnt the difference between common puff balls and earth balls – the latter are poisonous.
The dangers of the climate crisis are real, but we can all be part of the solution. The single most important thing we can do is to reduce our carbon footprint to net zero.
Today’s activity is about things go down. In this case a marble – but hopefully it will also be your carbon footprint too!
For this activity you will need a cereal packet, some thin card – eg another food packet – a stapler, scissors and glue. To finish you will need a flat board such as a cork table mat or chopping board, and some tape.
Cut the thin card (mine is a cake packet) into three strips that are a little longer than the width of the cereal packet and about 6cm wide. This you bend into box-shaped gutter. The side of my packet comes ready folded into this shape.
Fold and staple the flaps at one end of the gutter.
At the other cut a gap in the base of the gutter and then fold and staple the end flaps.
Once all three gutters have been made, glue these to the side of the cereal packet. Angle the gutters so that they slope downhill with the gap/ hole at the lower end.
It may help if you unstick the bottom of the cereal packet so that you can lay it flat.
Cut out triangles of plain paper to fill the gaps between the gutters. On these you draw some pictures or write a message – as I chose to do. Glue these onto the cereal packet.
To make the marble run stable, we are going to fix it to a flat board – I used an old chopping board. If you haven’t already, unstick the bottom flaps of the cereal packet and spread them out. Place the cereal packet on the board and tape the flaps down. Now your marble run should be stable. If it still a bit wobbly put a packet of sugar or a tin of baked beans inside the cereal packet to weigh it down.
Have fun!
Action 91: can you challenge yourself to a plant-based November? With squashes and pumpkins and mushrooms and brassicas very much in season, lots of delicate and hearty meals await you. Try out a hole range of different plant-based proteins – fava beans, pinto beans, cannelloni beans, Puy lentils, Carlin peas, blue peas, black badger peas, tofu, walnuts, almonds …. I am sure you can have a different one each day!
22nd October 2021
Green Finance
There is very little in this world that doesn’t somewhere along the line involve money – or as we might more politely phrase it, finance. Our response to the climate crisis is no exception. For whilst there are things we can do that don’t cost a single penny – like walking instead of taking the car, or turning down the thermostat, or not eating meat – there are many more things we need to do that do cost. We need to bring to a halt extraction of oil, coal and gas and instead create jobs and industries around renewable energy, heat pumps, electrical vehicles and charging points. We need to invest in public transport and reduce considerable the aviation industry – and we need to invest in retraining and creating green jobs. We need to shift the emphasis of agriculture from animal to arable farming. We need to restore and expand the rewilding of land and seas so they can become larger, more effective carbon sinks. We need to insulate our homes, offices, public buildings – even places of worship. We need improve provision for floods, droughts, wild fires, storms, heat waves and cold snaps, so that people, properties and ecosystems are protected. The list goes on and so does the need for finance.
However much these measures may cost, we must keep in mind what would be the cost of doing nothing: ie the cost of even more infrastructure to cope with ever increasing temperatures, and extreme weather conditions; the cost of relocating homes, businesses and whole communities as sea levels rise; the rising cost of food as all important pollinating and pest destroying insects are lost; the rising cost of food and water as water shortages rise; the loss of life from extreme weather events and the rising number of excess deaths from heat waves and cold snaps; the growing need to relocate whole communities as rising temperatures make large areas of land uninhabitable.
And on the other hand we should keep in mind all the positive spin offs from investing in a greener world: better health as people walk and cycle more, eat less meat and dairy products, enjoy more green spaces that enhance mental well being, live in warmer, dryer homes, breathe less polluted air.
So what is happening about finance to tackle the climate crisis? Here are some examples and policy statements for the global to the individual level.
*UN Climate Finance: ‘The Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement call for financial assistance from Parties with more financial resources to those that are less endowed and more vulnerable. This recognises that the contribution of countries to climate change and their capacity to prevent it and cope with its consequences vary enormously.’
‘According to October 2019 data from the World Bank , the world will need to make significant investment in infrastructure over the next 15 years –around US$90 trillion by 2030. But it can recoup those investments. Transitioning to a green economy, it found, can unlock new economic opportunities and jobs. An investment of US$1, on average, yields US$4 in benefits.
‘In addition to reducing emissions, making infrastructure more resilient avoids costly repairs and minimises the wide-ranging consequences of natural disasters on the livelihoods and well-being of people, particularly the most vulnerable, as well as on businesses and economies. And a shift to low-carbon, resilient economies could create over 65 million net new jobs globally out to 2030.
‘Reaching net zero requires making good on the $100 billion annual climate finance commitment’ – at the time of writing it is hoped that developed nations will make good on their promise to supply this funding. https://unfccc.int/topics/climate-finance/the-big-picture/introduction-to-climate-finance
* World Economic Forum: Green finance is blossoming. Globally, the green bond market could be worth $2.36 trillion by 2023. It is regarded as a way of meeting the needs of environmentalism and capitalism simultaneously – but what is green finance and how does it work? Typical projects that fall under the green finance umbrella include:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/what-is-green-finance/
* The Bank of England: ‘Climate change affects our planet, our economy and our financial system. As such, climate change is relevant to the Bank of England’s central mission to promote the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.’
* All banks are likely to offer customers finances for green projects subject to their normal risks assessment. However some banks – green/ ethical banks – make finance such projects the main stay of their work and at the same time consciously choose not to invest in projects that are harmful to the environment. For example Triodos Bank claims to be ‘one of the most sustainable banks in the world. We make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change.’
Good with Money notes that: ‘channelling money into companies and initiatives that solve big global problems may be a win-win scenario. For instance, well-run businesses fighting climate change are benefitting from public and private commitments to clean infrastructure. Some are even starting to outperform their badly-managed, polluting rivals, which means bigger profits for investors to put towards meaningful long-term goals.’ https://good-with-money.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-Good-Guide-to-First-Time-Investing-FINAL.pdf
*Pension providers, insurance companies, mortgage providers, investment and savings companies, all invest money for the benefit of their customers. As consumers we can ask whether these funds are invested so as to benefit the environment or whether they are investing in companies that are damaging the environment, such as those in the fossil fuel industries.
Make My Money Matter says: ‘Your pension is powerful. There’s £2.6 trillion in UK pensions – and that’s your money. But it’s being invested on your behalf, without your say. That means your hard-earned savings are likely driving deforestation and funding fossil fuels. As a result, your money has a carbon footprint – just like you.We’ve looked at how big that footprint is, and the answer is pretty scary. The carbon footprint of the average pension is 26 tonnes…’ https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/21x/
* Personal spending: we, as consumers, can be seen as investors. When we choose what to spend our money on, we are expressing our preference, our support for that product or service, that market or industry. Whether we are buying petrol or a bus ticket, whether we are buying an air ticket or train ticket, whether we are buying locally grown apples or imported grapes, dairy milk or oat milk, we are influencing the way money will be invested and its impact on our environment.
Action 90: Share this flyer with friends and neighbours. Invite them to join the climate March on Saturday 6th November, 12.00 noon – and in London walking from the Bank of England to Trafalgar Square. https://www.campaigncc.org/sites/data/files/sites/data/files/Docs/cop26_london_flyer_back.jpeg
Action 89: Make a yellow canary to sen to your MP reminding them and us of the critical state of our world. https://craftivist-collective.com/blog/2021/08/canarycraftivists/
Listen; attune your ears – what do you hear?
The excited chatter of children,
and the chatter of jackdaws,
wind rustling the leaves,
and feet tapping the road.
Or the drone of cars – too much!
Or the whine of planes – too many!
Look; focus your vision – what do you see?
a lacework of branches against the sky,
and curvaceous clouds,
tawny shades of fallen leaves,
and the tight curl of a snail shell.
Or traffic crawling bumper to bumper – too much
Or discarded tatters of plastic – too many!
Stretch; bare your skin – what do you feel?
The warm caress of the sun,
the chilly nip of the breeze,
the prickle of grass,
the textured bark of a tree
Or the rasp of exhaust in your throat – too much!
Or the scratch of particulates in your eyes – too many!
Sniff; breathe deeply – what do you smell?
The aroma of fresh coffee,
and the zest of orange juice,
the fragrance of the last rose,
and the warmth of ground spices.
Or the reek of petrol – too much!
Or the sting of pesticides – too many!
Savour; let it linger on your tongue – what do you taste?
The fresh acidity of an apple,
and the earthy satisfaction of bread,
the squashy sweetness of banana,
and the melting delight of chocolate.
Or the fake sweetness of green wash – too much!
Or the gall of climate injustice- too many !
Merciful God,
bring us to our senses.
Help us rebuild a world
of right experiences.
Amen.
Action 88: you can also re-purpose prunings to create a dead hedge. A dead hedge is of benefit to small birds and animals as a place of shelter and safety. Use some strong sticks pushed into the soil vertically to hold the hedge in place: place them in two rows as wide as your hedge will be. Fill the space in between with branches, prunings etc (bend and fold long flimsy cuttings) laying them horizontally. Bend some of these to hold others in place. You can include sticks with leaves on. Over time the mass of dead plants will rot down, but in the interim they will provide a habitat for small creatures, beetles, insects etc.
Action 87: Re-use garden prunings. If you are cutting back long bendy shoots, such as from wisteria or vines, bend them into U-shapes and use them to create basket shaped supports for next years floppy plants or the ones that will spill over onto the path.
The Green Tau 
