Living Sustainably; Protecting the Earth; Loving God
Author: Judith Russenberger
Environmentalist and theologian, with husband and three grown up children plus one cat, living in London SW14.
I enjoy running and drinking coffee - ideally with a friend or a book.
Autumn is as colourful as spring: lime, auburn, puce, burgundy, russet, amber, carmine, copper, gold, ochre, chestnut, saffron, coral.
The world around us is full of curious, beautiful and amazing things. As small children our curiosity and our amazement knew no bounds. Every day would produce novelties- things to see, things to chew or eat, things to grab and hold, things to poke and explore.
As we have grow older we have often lost that sense of wonder. Things that were new have become mundane. In the rush to be busy, small things flop below the radar. Decorum dictates that we shouldn’t prod or lick things and, unless we’re wine tasters, swirling stuff around our mouth and spitting are frowned upon. Stopping suddenly just to look is discouraged – it interrupts the flow of traffic. Daily routines take over.
And our love for the world wains and falters.
The season of creation-tide runs from 1st September till 4th October, the Feast of St Francis. Let’s fall in love again with creation.
Action 59: Turn sheets edge to centre. When sheets become worn and thin in the middle, cut them in half length ways. Hem the raw edges and then stitch together the two outer edges. The outer edges of the sheet will have plenty of life left in them.
Still waters run deep. Ponds, deep and not so deep, are niche habitats for a whole variety of plants, insects, amphibians, and fish. But looking into the water it is the world above that we see again in a near perfect reflection. It is as if the pond chooses to hide its inner life.
The world around us is full of curious, beautiful and amazing things. As small children our curiosity and our amazement knew no bounds. Every day would produce novelties- things to see, things to chew or eat, things to grab and hold, things to poke and explore.
As we have grow older we have often lost that sense of wonder. Things that were new have become mundane. In the rush to be busy, small things flop below the radar. Decorum dictates that we shouldn’t prod or lick things and, unless we’re wine tasters, swirling stuff around our mouth and spitting are frowned upon. Stopping suddenly just to look is discouraged – it interrupts the flow of traffic. Daily routines take over.
And our love for the world wains and falters.
The season of creation-tide runs from 1st September till 4th October, the Feast of St Francis. Let’s fall in love again with creation.
Action 58: Sponsor a seed bank. Climate change and the destruction of natural habitats is threatening many plant species with extinction. Seed banks, such as the one at Kew, collect and safeguard seeds from as many plants as possible to ensure that they are not lost forever.
Third Sunday of creationtide: Deuteronomy 8. 7-18, Matthew 6.25–33
Reflection
The writer of Deuteronomy describes a landscape that is rich, verdant and bountiful. A land so well stocked with natural resources that the people will not have to worry about living fulfilled, sustainable lives. Surely nothing could threaten such a well endowed life style?
Yet the writer gives them three warnings.
Don’t forget God by failing to keep God’s commandments. It is only by sticking to those commands, those ways of living, that the people will be able to maintain their relationship with God.
Don’t forget that when you lived in a place of scarcity- ie the wilderness – it was only through God’s intervention that you had enough to eat and drink.
Don’t credit yourselves with your success. It is not because of your efforts that you now love lives of riches and comfort. It comes from God’s doing.
We, like the Israelites, have been blessed with a beautiful world with vast resources sufficient to meet our needs. Certainly I am sure that has been God’s intention in creating this world with its wonderful interconnected ecosystems. But somewhere, somehow we have strayed from the path, from the right way of doing things. We have failed to keep God’s commandments.
Every year since 1987 scientists have calculated how much of the world’s resources we are consuming and the amount by which the earth can renew those resources, and setting one against the other they have determined the date each year at which we are consuming more than the earth can replenish. If the earth was bank account, this would be the day at which we would go into the red. In 1987 Earth Overshoot Day was 23rd October. Since then Earth Overshoot Day has occurred earlier and earlier. This year it was 29th July!
It is hard to comprehend that in little more than half a year we have consumed a full year’s worth of the resources that the earth can generate. It is patently not sustainable. Can it be reversed if we limited our consumption? The answer is certainly yes if we have the will, or if we are forced by circumstances. In 2020, the year of the pandemic, the date did recede – by a good three weeks to 22nd August.
The passage from Matthew’s gospel asks us if life is more than food and clothes? I wonder what life means for you?
I wonder what life means for a family dependent on food aid in Afghanistan? I wonder what life means for a family in the UK who is relying on the £20 top up to Universal Credit?I wonder what it means for the person forced to use a food bank?
The United Nations tells us that the world produces more than enough food to feed the its population, but poverty and other barriers to access leave many people unable to afford or obtain food. Problems with markets forces and distribution networks means that food rots in the field or is otherwise wasted, without reaching the consumer. There are real problems about poverty and equality and over consumption that arise from our current unsustainable lifestyles, political policies and business practices. Sadly even the birds are loosing out. Habitat loss and climate change are both conspiring to limit food and places to nest for many bird species.
Four times in today’s gospel Jesus says, Do not worry! Worrying does not help. It will neither add an hour to your life nor a inch to your height (translations vary). Instead says Jesus, Strive for the kingdom of God. If we live according to God’s ways, if we can bring God’s rules into play, if we can establish heaven on earth, then will everyone have food and clothes and all the necessities of life. The we will fairly share the earth’s resources, not plundering them but sustaining them.
Let’s spend some time this week considering what we eat, the clothes we wear, the resources we use. Are they sustainable, do they prejudice the access of others to their fair share? Does our lifestyle meet God’s injunction that we should tend and care for the earth? Does it meet God’s injunction that we should love our neighbour as ourself? Does it meet the command that we should with all our being love God?
A mouse so small! But look at its whiskers, they are at least as wide as its body. Mouse eyes are designed to maximise distance vision which means things close up are blurred. It is their whiskers (all twenty four) which, through neurone receptors in the brain, tell them where things are immediately around their heads. Researchers at Berkeley University draw the analogy with the way we will use the touch of our fingers to locate what’s on the bedside table in the dark.
The world around us is full of curious, beautiful and amazing things. As small children our curiosity and our amazement knew no bounds. Every day would produce novelties- things to see, things to chew or eat, things to grab and hold, things to poke and explore.
As we have grow older we have often lost that sense of wonder. Things that were new have become mundane. In the rush to be busy, small things flop below the radar. Decorum dictates that we shouldn’t prod or lick things and, unless we’re wine tasters, swirling stuff around our mouth and spitting are frowned upon. Stopping suddenly just to look is discouraged – it interrupts the flow of traffic. Daily routines take over.
And our love for the world wains and falters.
The season of creation-tide runs from 1st September till 4th October, the Feast of St Francis. Let’s fall in love again with creation.
Action 57: Second Hand September is a good reminder to us not to hoard things we don’t need or don’t use. These can be given a new lease of life in someone else’s home – so why not have a autumn clear out and feel less cluttered?
Over the last few weeks Green Tau has looked at various aspects of our
The Carbon Trust has a carbon footprint labelling scheme which it is hoped will grow in popularity
individual/ household carbon footprint and how we might reduce it as part of the overall global target of achieving net zero by 2050.
The things we buy all have their own carbon footprint, whether that’s a pair of socks or a new car or a newspaper. The carbon footprint of things includes growing or producing the raw materials, be that iron, cotton, timber etc. Then there is the processing of those materials – turning iron into steel, spinning the cotton into yarn, timber into paper. And a further series of processes will transform those elements into the final product. Then there is the carbon footprint involved in transportation between the various stages of production and onwards to the warehouse and shop.
It is a complex chain with lots of variables which may explain why it is hard, as consumers, to establish the carbon footprint of most consumer goods. But here are a few:-
A newspaper 0.3 – 0.8kg CO2
A pair of poly cotton pants (underwear) 0.6kg CO2
A paperback book 1 kg CO2
A cotton T shirt 2-3 kg CO2
A pair of trainers 10-15 kg CO2
A pair of jeans 20 kg CO2
A smart phone 55 kg CO2
A lap top 119 kg CO2
A land rover 35 tonnes CO2
Can we reduce our carbon footprint when buying things? Yes.
We can do some research and find out which products might have a lower carbon footprint. For example organic cotton has a lower footprint than non organic cotton because it doesn’t use pesticides and fertilisers. Polyester items have double the carbon footprint of cotton ones, but some polyester fabrics are made from recycled plastic which is better than that made from oil. Synthetic fabrics such as viscose and rayon are made from cellulose – eg from wood or bamboo – but require a high chemical input which adds to their carbon footprint. Tencel on the other hand uses a process with a much smaller footprint.
We can consider the life span of the product. A lap top that only lasts 2 years is less environmentally friendly than one with a lifespan of 10 years as the initial carbon cost is spread over 10 rather than 2 years. We might at this point also consider how easily the product can be repaired. Some laptops are more readily repairable. Maybe the product is something we can repair ourselves such as darning a pair of socks or replacing a zip on a pair of trousers.
We can consider the running costs involved with the product. How much energy will it take to recharge different smart phones? How much energy will different flat screen TVs use? What about buying a hand powered alternative such as hand turned coffee grinder or a manual whisk?
We might consider whether the product has an after life – ie can we pass on to someone else when we have finished with it? Books we have read can be passed onto a friend and donated to a charity shop. The same is true of clothes. Children’s clothes can be passed onto a younger sibling, or you might hold a ‘swishing event’ with friends.
We should also consider how the product will be recycled at the end of its life. Some clothes manufacturers and retailers will take back old clothes and recycle them. This is easier when the fabric is from a single rather than a blend of materials. Newspaper and books can ultimately be recycled with other paper products. Electrical goods are currently less readily recycled.
Alternatively we could borrow, rent or buy second hand. Equally we should consider whether we need the thing anyway! If we are to achieve net zero as a world, I am sure it means we will have to consume less, repairing and reusing what we do have.
Bright winter sun on frozen water on a frozen river. Isn’t it amazing that there can be both sun – the source of all warmth and light – and ice, a frozen lattice work of water molecules, that only forms when temperatures drop below 0C. Movement goes into suspension, holding what was previously fluid into a solid whole until the sun’s warmth eventually releases its bonds. For now the ice glints and glows as it reflects the sun’s heat away from its surface.
The world around us is full of curious, beautiful and amazing things. As small children our curiosity and our amazement knew no bounds. Every day would produce novelties- things to see, things to chew or eat, things to grab and hold, things to poke and explore.
As we have grow older we have often lost that sense of wonder. Things that were new have become mundane. In the rush to be busy, small things flop below the radar. Decorum dictates that we shouldn’t prod or lick things and, unless we’re wine tasters, swirling stuff around our mouth and spitting are frowned upon. Stopping suddenly just to look is discouraged – it interrupts the flow of traffic. Daily routines take over.
And our love for the world wains and falters.
The season of creation-tide runs from 1st September till 4th October, the Feast of St Francis. Let’s fall in love again with creation.
Action 56: Autumn brings in new fruits and vegetables that are much to be enjoyed – different varieties of squash, apples and quinces and pears, cobnuts, sweet corn …. Why not have a vegan fortnight and see how many different dishes you can make?
Pumpkin Risotto
Dice one small onion and a couple of garlic cloves. Fry gently in a little rape seed oil.
Add 250g arborio rice and stir well. Allow the rice to gently brown before adding a little hot water and stir well.
Once the water has been absorbed, add a little more and stir. Add ground pepper and some yeast flakes for extra flavour. You might also like to add a little rosemary or thyme.
Dice half a small pumpkin, or squash, and add to the rice. Continue to stir and add water until the rice is nice and plump.
Finally add a knob of vegan butter and some chopped walnuts and serve.
The Green Tau 