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.

Counting on … day 208

6th November 2024

As well as refillable water bottles and reusable cups, there are shops and providers (eg milk delivery services) where you can get packaging free refills for laundry and washing liquids, sugar, raisins and other groceries, and for edible liquids such as olive oil, wine and vinegar. You can even get refills of peanut butter! (I have yet to find a refill source for yeast extract). 

Our local refill shops include Apple and Bees, Culver and Nelson (both in East Sheen) and The Source in Richmond. Refill shops are often small independent outlets or small chains. It is worth checking on the web to see what is available in your area.

Counting on … day 207

5th November 2024

Food packaging also includes plastic bottles used for water and other liquids. Buying water in single-use bottles can easily be avoided by using a refillable water bottle – it’s also much cheaper! Similarly single-use coffee/ tea cups can be avoided by carrying a keep cup.

NB In the UK we consume more than 2.5 billion litres of bottled water per year and throw away over 7.7 billion plastic water bottles!

And we get through  2.5 billion single use coffee cups each year. Each cup – typically made of paper with a thin plastic layer – has a carbon footprint of 60.9g and that is before it leaves the cafe. Only 1 in 400 will be recycled with the remainder ending up in landfill, further adding to their carbon foot print.

Further reading – 

https://plasticfree.org.uk/get-involved/individuals/
https://greentau.org/tag/keep-cups/

Counting on… day 206

4th November 2024

In addition to the LOAF principles, we can also think about the packaging our food comes in. 

Plastic can sometimes be recycled but not only does recycling consumes energy, waste such as plastic cannot be recycled endlessly – the recycled plastic becomes increasingly degraded – but more worrying is the amount of plastic that escapes into the environment. Micro plastic particles can now be found everywhere across the globe – on mountain peaks, ocean troughs, in the stomachs of fish and even in our own blood.   

It is worth seeking out plastic-free purchases whether you’re buying fruit and vegetables, meats, bread and pastries etc, whether in shops or cafes.

Further reading – https://greentau.org/2024/05/07/counting-on-day-101-2/

Green Tau Issue 97

3rd November 2024

Is the National Trust Walking the Talk?

The National Trust is the UK’s largest conservation and environmental protection charity with between 6 and 7 million members and is custodian of just under 260,000 hectares of land. One of its two overarching strategic priorities is its ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2030. It has already met its target of creating and restoring 25,000 ha of new wildlife habitats and is working towards 50% of Trust land being nature friendly, by 2025. It also aims to plant 20 million trees by 2030.(1)

Recognising the scale of  the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and that neither of these recognises boundaries in terms of either cause or effect, the National Trust collaborates with other bodies such as the RSPB and WWF. This trio has produced the  The People’s Plan for Nature and the Save our Wild Isles campaign. The National Trust has joined many more groups in supporting events such as the Restore Nature Now March and the March for Clean Water.

Surely the National Trust can be said to be walking the talk? 

And yes in so many ways they are, but to quote the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, we must do ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’ if we are to avert the worst of the climate and biodiversity crises. 

So what about banking? Over recent years many organisations and individuals have looked at their financial arrangements and divested from fossil fuels – whether that is selling shares directly linked to oil and gas production or withdrawing from pension and investment funds that are reliant on returns generated through the production of fossil fuels. In 2019 the National Trust announced its decision to divest from fossil fuels to safeguard the long term future of the environment. 

So what about banking?

Banks are essential to the ongoing production of fossil fuels. Their banking services enable companies, such as Shell and BP, to remain operational and able to continue to develop new oil and gas fields. The annual fossil fuel finance report for 2024, ‘Banking on Climate Chaos’,(2) shows that  Barclays is still the eighth largest funder of fossil fuels globally and, once again, holds the number one slot in Europe. In 2023 Barclays supplied the fossil fuel industry with $24 billion. 

Clearly who you bank with has an environmental impact element! For individuals several organisations exist – such as Make My Money Matter, Switch It Green and JustMoney (3) –  to enable people to review their banking arrangements and to switch to a more environmentally friendly alternative. Other organisations such as Mothertree (4) offer the same service for both individuals, organisations and businesses. Most notably this past year both Christian Aid and Oxfam (organisations with complex banking needs) have dropped Barclays as their bank. 

Yet Barclays is the National Trust’s bank. 

Not surprisingly, there has been growing pressure on the National Trust to switch to a more environmentally friendly bank. Continuing to bank with Barclays does dint the National Trust’s credibility as a leading conservation and environmental protection charity.

Christian Climate Action has been actively campaigning on this issue for the last three years, attending the National Trust’s AGMs, writing to and talking with people inside the Trust’s organisation. 

In July Christian Climate Action, along with other organisations, organised a week of action, targeting National Trust properties with banners and placards, banking-themed picnics, fancy dress, questionnaires, scoreboards, and an online petition calling on the Trust to ‘Drop Barclays’.(5) (Later we learnt that the staff and volunteers were pleasantly surprised at the engaging and friendly approach of the actions having previously experienced more aggressive tactics from other campaign groups).

This year’s National Trust’s AGM was held in Newcastle. A group of us from Christian Climate Action organised a pilgrimage -well equipped with flags, pennants and banners (and flapjack) – that set off from The Sill and walked along Hadrian’s  Wall and via the Tyne Valley to Newcastle. On the way we happy band of pilgrims stopped off at National Trust sites – Housesteads Roman Fort, Cherryburn (Thomas Bewick’s birthplace) and the one room dwelling that had been Stephenson’s birthplace.

Up bright and early on the day of the AGM, the CCA pilgrims were joined by other climate activists standing outside the Civic Centre handing out leaflets about the Drop Barclays campaign – and about the equally important Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill campaign. (6) NT staff greeted us with smiles and a genuine interest in what we were doing. 

Those who were members with tickets to go into the AGM, were able to have many face to face conversations with Trustees, Council members and members of the executive team, and to talk with them openly on issues related to the climate, environment and biodiversity loss. Altogether there were some 400 National Trust members attending in person, there were a further 3000 who took part on line – and when it came to questions and comments during the AGM, each contingent was able to participate equally. I was surprised that more people didn’t take part. I asked a question in the first Q and A session and thought that I would then have to sit on my hands thereafter to give space to others. But there was no rush of hands so I was able to make a further two comments in subsequent discussions. 

There were only two points of contention. One concerned the system of Quick Votes – an issue which had been the basis of an unsuccessful resolution the previous year which was felt by a vocal minority to be undemocratic. The Quick Vote is an option where members chose to follow the position of the Trustees. It is a system used by many organisations with a large membership. It is only an option and members can mix and match the way they vote on the different issues.  It does not stifle debate: anyone can still join in the debate regardless of which voting method they have chosen. As the use of the Quick Vote was not a resolution this year (the same topic can not be brought back until three years has elapsed) there was no vote on the matter.

The other issue that produced contentious debate was that of plant based foods. Some members asserted that the proposal forced them to eat food which was not of their choosing, whilst – as  the resolution itself highlighted – felt that instead the proposal gave everyone choices about what they ate. Others were concerned about the impact on the Trust’s tenant farmers. The National Trust aims to use local produce and produce from their farms as much as possible – much of the flour used in their cafes comes from wheat grown on the Trust’s Wimpole Estate. 

In all three member’s resolutions were proposed, discussed and voted on. One called for an increase of plant based foods in the National Trust’s cafes (from the current 40% to 50%). Another called for the strengthening of the National Trust’s response to climate and ecological emergency, and the third called for the National Trust to give its formal support to the Climate and Nature Bill. All three resolutions were passed with significant majorities – voting included votes cast before the AGM and those cast on the day whether in person or online. Whilst the Trustees are not obliged to adhere to the resolutions, they clearly show the Trustees what topics matter most to the Trust’s members.  

I came away from the AGM feeling physically and emotionally drained. I felt taking part had been both important and, as it happened, highly productive. I felt that the pilgrimage had been a good preparation – walking along companions, walking through some of the wonderful landscapes and habitats that we wish to protect and enhance, meeting and sharing with local people, grappling with and overcoming tiredness, and creating the headspace to think clearly and prayerfully. 

Our conversations with the National Trust will continue as we both applaud the many good things they do and  press them to Drop Barclays.

  1. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/annual-reports

(2) https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/ This report was a joint effort among Rainforest Action Network (RAN), BankTrack, Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Oil Change International (OCI), Reclaim Finance, the Sierra Club, and Urgewald. The finance data was co-researched with significant contributions from Profundo.

(3) https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/; https://www.switchit.green/; https://justmoney.org.uk/the-big-bank-switch/

(4) https://www.mymothertree.com/

(5) https://christianclimateaction.org/2024/06/08/week-of-action-urging-national-trust-to-drop-barclays/

(6) https://www.zerohour.uk/

Wisdom learned from creation

2nd November 2024

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of her hands. Psalm 19:1

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A reading – Psalm 119: 4-6, 18-19,27- How to live: 

You, O Lord, have charged that we should diligently keep your commandments. 

O that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes.

Then should I not be put to shame, because I have regard for all your commandments.

Open my eyes, that I may see the wonders of your law.

I am a stranger upon earth; hide not your commandments from me.

Make me understand the way of your commandments, and so shall I meditate on your wondrous works. 

If  the idea of obeying commandments sounds too authoritarian, too black and white, think of God’s commandments as the instruction manual for the world, the user’s guide, best practices for living – or even as an expanded set of the rules of nature.

A further reading, Isaiah 55: 6-9:

As the rain and the snow come down from above, and return not again but water the earth,

‘Bringing forth life and giving growth, seed for sowing and bread to eat,

‘So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to me fruitless,

‘But it will accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the task I gave it.’


For the sun and moon 

that mete out the seasons,

and measure out the days and weeks:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For chlorophyll and photosynthesis, 

for leaves and phytoplankton,

that turn sunlight into energy: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For H2O in all its forms,

for evaporation and precipitation that waters the earth 

and quickens life.

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For the air we breathe, 

a fluctuating mix of gases 

whose balance must be conserved for life to bloom:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For rocks and mountains,  

erosion and sedimentation, 

that lays out a rich blanket of soil: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For DNA building blocks 

that see life adapt and evolve, 

reminders of our network of kinship:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For flora and fauna that twist and twine, 

building habitats and 

grounding ecosystems:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

As ‘Johnny-come-lately’ to this world,

Lord grant us the humility to learn from what is already here, 

to look with awe and wonder at what is happily established, 

to treat with respect ecosystems built up over millennia, 

to study and understand the laws of nature, 

to observe and respond to the natural cycles that maintain life,

to cooperate with others 

and with sensitivity to share this space where all can be at home.

Amen.

The Grace

Counting on … day 204

31st October 2024

Other ways of eating more sustainably include eating food that is locally -or even home – produced and eating what is in season. Shorter supply chains reduce the chances of food becoming damaged/ lost, whilst by being fresher,  ensures greater retention of nutrients. Locally produced food also strengthens the local economy and community. 

As well as eating what’s in season, we can also preserve any seasonal excesses. Surplus fruits can be made into jam,  and fruit and vegetables into chutneys and pickles. Surplus produce can also be dried, frozen or bottled. 

Preserving tips – https://greentau.org/2021/08/23/preserving-fruit-and-vegetables/

Counting on … day 203

30th October 2024

Whilst the Ethical Consumer’s report ‘Closing the Gap 2024’ shows that meat and dairy consumption is declining in the UK, food waste is not. 

Typically food loss is food that is grown and processed but not eaten – ie food that does not even pass from the farm or factory to the  retailer or consumer. Food waste is food that has reached the retailer or consumer but is them not eaten. This could be food that has not been sold by the retailer because it has become damaged or because more has been ordered than has been bought. 30% of food waste is attributable to the retailers, but 70% of food waste derives from households. 

This can include those parts of the food we typically do not eat such as banana and onion skins, apple cores etc but the majority is food we buy and chose not eat. The most frequently wasted foods include bread, milk, potatoes and chicken. (1) We can reduce this waste by not buying nor cooking more than we will eat, eating up leftovers, and by storing food more carefully. 

For  tips about reducing food waste – 

Eco Tips
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/10-ways-to-cut-your-food-waste
https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
  1. https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/report/uk-household-food-waste-tracking-survey-2022-behaviours-attitudes-and-awareness

For more information on what is food loss and food waste – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550920314202

Counting on … day 202

29th October 2024

About 34% of all our greenhouse gas emissions are food related so looking at what we eat and making changes can be – cumulatively – a very effective way of addressing the climate crisis.(1)

80% of agricultural land is used for feeding and grazing livestock, yet produces only 17% of global calories.(2) Reducing the meat and dairy products we eat, not only reduces the emissions linked directly to the livestock, but also frees up land that could be used to grow plant based foods for humans, and frees up land that could be rewilded to boost both biodiversity and natural carbon capture. 

The Ethical Consumer’s report ‘Closing the Gap 2024’ records that this change in diet in the UK has already started, so let’s carry on and boost this trend even more!

Tips for swopping to a plant based diet – https://greentau.org/2021/10/12/eco-tips-11/

  1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00225-9
  2. https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture

Further reading https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-tweaking-your-diet-can-help-save-planet

Green Tau: issue 96

Walking the Talk

28th October 2024

A few weeks ago, whilst I and others were holding our weekly Earth Vigil outside Parliament, a passerby stopped to quiz us. In transpired that he was not interested in the wellbeing of the environment and rather wanted to justify his position by proving that we were hypocrites. His line was that we could not be taken seriously in calling for a rescinding of the Rosebank licence whilst possessing shoes, clothes, rucksacks etc made from plastics – ie oil. He would not listen to our response that we were constrained by a world that is still heavily embedded in using oil even as it transitions away from oil, such that there is not always a readily available non plastic alternative.

But what really incensed me was that I do try and do everything I can to live ecologically. I wear second hand clothes, darn my socks, patch my rucksack and my trainers, shop at a refill shop, avoid buying anything in a plastic wrapper, don’t fly, eat a vegan diet that includes wonky and unwanted fruit and vegetables, and beans and pulses grown in the UK. 

I do do all I can to walk the talk! 

And it’s not easy especially when you feel your are a minority of one. When we are away from our normal locality – and especially so when on holiday in Switzerland – it feels as if everyone else is saying, why are you so awkward?  What difference can it make whether or not you eat a little cheese, eat a cake made with butter, an icecream made with milk? Will eating a croissant make any difference to the world? When I stay with family and they make a special dish just for me, I feel I awkward and think I must seem so very pedantic.

Or when others are discussing their past and future holidays, a quick (and let’s agree in the present tax regime, cheap) flight to Italy/ Turkey/Spain, or a leisurely holiday exploring Japan, Korea and Malaysia, or a winter trip to sunny Oz. Am I grouch or a kill joy because I won’t fly? And this is where I do feel guilty: am I being selfish, as I know my husband would love for us to travel the world?

So why is it important to tread this lonely path? 

Firstly because unless someone starts, no one will ever start. I maybe the first not to fly amongst our friends but hopefully I won’t be the last.

Secondly because the more people take these steps the easier it will be for other to follow. If I always ask for a vegan cake when I’m buying a coffee, then hopefully in a few years time, vegan cakes will be the norm on cafes. Plant based milks are pretty much standard nowadays! 

Thirdly because the more people are seen to be travelling by train not plane, or eating humous not cheese, or carrying a keep cup rather than using a single use throw away variety , the more normalised such behaviour becomes.

Fourth as such patterns of behaviour become normalised – even popular – so businesses and governments will change their thinking. 

Fifthly because eventually the world could change for the better! 

However I am not hopeful that any of this will happen fast enough to prevent the huge catastrophe that the climate crisis is brewing. And that makes it a very hard path to tread. I am making life awkward for myself and my husband and my friends and family with only a very small chance that it will make life better for them.  But equally I know that not trying would be even more hurtful.