Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
24th April 2025
Domestic animals also encompasses life stock – cows, sheep, pigs, hens etc. When we see prepared dairy produce or meat on sale in shops or restaurants, it is easy to forget or ignore the welfare of the animal that has provided this food. Ethical Consumer regularly produces research on this topic so that we as consumers can make informed choices.
23rd April 2025
Today is St George’s Day. Amongst other things, this saint is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers being a group of saints venerated for the benefit of their prayers vis a vis different diseases. St George is one who protects the health of domestic animals.
Pets in particular can be very important in giving us joy and companionship and a sense of purpose. They can also teach us about the importance of trust and not overthinking! Our relationship with our pets should be reciprocal, giving and receiving – and we both in our lifestyles should be mindful of our relationships with the rest of creation. Neither we nor our pets should be indiscriminate or thoughtless as users of the Earth’s resources.
22nd April 2025
Today is Earth Day.
Earth Day was first observed in 1970. The Earth Day organisation aims to “broaden, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.” Each year has its own theme; this year’s is entitled “Our Power, Our Planet” and is a call to expand renewable energy so as to triple clean electricity by 2030.
The Earth Day organisation has a fact sheet and a petition:-
“We call on global leaders to commit to:
This will pave the way to:
The transition to renewable energy is about creating a future where everyone can thrive. Let’s use the power of the Earth Day network and our global movement to demand urgent action from governments, businesses, and communities around the world.
This petition will be presented to the United Nation’s leadership and delegates at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 30 (COP 30) in November 2025.”
Petition:- https://action.earthday.org/our-power-our-planet-renewable-energy-petition
17th April 2025
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Ps 96: 11-12
The world – God’s unique creation – should be a prompt for praise and celebration. Where we see shortcomings, let us acknowledge our failings, seek forgiveness and reconciliation, and once again rejoice in God’s glory.
16th April 2025
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20
St Paul reminds us that God’s wisdom is writ clear and large in the world that God has created. It is to our detriment if we overlook that so-visible source of truth.
15th April 2025
“Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.” Psalm 84:3
Having a safe home, a place where we belong, can be a source of contentment. Successful ecosystems are those where each species has its own niche. If we live in a society where not everyone has a place to cal home, a place to belong, then we should be questioning how successful our society can claim to be. Nature deserves a safe home, and people deserve a safe home – and the two are not incompatible.
14th April 2025
But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being. Job 12:7-9
There can be no greater wisdom than understanding the world in which we live, and there is much we can learn from our fellow brethren who live along side us. Sometimes it surprises us to see how contented – how lacking in worry – our companions are! I was reminded of this yesterday when watching a pair of otters frolicking in the sun at the London Wetland Centre.
11th April 2025
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverb 6:6-8
Here perhaps is an invitation to consider the very many different ways in which communities can organise their affairs. Autocracies, monopolies and patriarchies are not the only options. Cooperative and democratic alternatives offer more to all participants in terms of equality and justice. Indeed the prophets tell us that God does envisage radical change.
“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them”. Isaiah 11:6
10th April 2025
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22: 1-2
The RHS reminds us that plants – and frequently their leaves – are important for the medicinal properties. “Many familiar garden plants were first grown for their healing properties rather than their appearance, and many common herbs were valued as much for medicinal uses as they were in the kitchen.” (1)
Whilst the Lancet notes “Human health has been inextricably linked to the use of herbal medicines for millennia, making natural medicinal resources one of the oldest contributions of nature to human wellbeing. Human health has been inextricably linked to the use of herbal medicines for millennia, making natural medicinal resources one of the oldest contributions of nature to human wellbeing.1,2 However, increasing global change in the anthropocene is jeopardising the future of these contributions to societies…Bioactive compounds produced by plants and their endophytes are integral parts of ecosystems, participating in fundamental ecological processes and contributing essential health benefits to populations globally. The current lack of transdisciplinary frameworks for evaluating medicinal biodiversity as a central component of planetary health hinders the ability to sustainably manage that biodiversity and fully benefit from its potential contributions to human societies.”
(2)
The natural world is very much there for the promotion of health and wellbeing in so many different ways – and we humans need to be more caring and appreciative of all that it is there for our mutual benefit.
(2) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00317-5/fulltext
9th April 2025
“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” Luke 12:24
Anxiety and especially being anxious about things we can’t influence, feels increasingly common in our busy technological world. We often over-analyse, over-complicate our lives and become more and more stressed. Yet acknowledging that we are as much a part of nature as the birds – and as beloved by God – can give us a calmer, more balanced take on life. If we can let go of more of our worries and accept that God has created a natural world which can more than satisfy our needs, then we will find greater happiness.
“Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety.” (1)
The Green Tau 