20th January 2023
Cut food waste! A third of all the world’s food goes to waste and adding up the waste of resources in producing and transporting food that ultimately goes to waste plus the carbon footprint the food that then goes onto rot, accounts for about 8% of global emissions.
Here in the UK households throw away 4.5 million tonnes of edible food every year.
For more information –
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200224-how-cutting-your-food-waste-can-help-the-climate
19th January 2023
Eating seasonally avoids the need to import blueberries from Peru, grapes from South Africa, green beans from Kenya, avocados from Mexico -and such items usually come by air. Eating seasonally allows us to support local growers of produce and to enjoy a greater variety of fruit and vegetables. Seasonal produce is often only available for a short time span which is why it may not be stocked by supermarkets who favour the simplicity of produce that is available all year round. Eating seasonally means we can look forward to certain delights – Seville oranges in January Jerusalem artichokes in late winter, forced rhubarb (also late winter), watercress in the spring, asparagus in June, discovery apples in July, cob nuts in the autumn and so on.
Eating seasonally helps improve biodiversity and encourages the growing of heritage crops.
18th January 2023
In September Oxfam runs a Second Hand September campaign, but you don’t have to wait till then to check out your local charity shops. January is often when people are having a clear out or passing on unwanted gifts. You may find just the things you were looking for – it will stop something going to landfill, support and worthy cause, and give you lots of pleasure!
As a follow on you might like to sign Transform Trade’s (previously known as Traidcraft) calling for a fashion watchdog to ensure better accountability in the fashion trade.
17th January 2023
Clothes and the fashion industry contributes about 10% of all global carbon emissions. These stem from the production of synthetic materials as well as the large footprint of growing cotton; shipping and manufacturing; and the trend towards fast fashion. People buy more clothes than ever but wear them less often. Barely worn clothes plus a large number of unworn clothes (those that have overnight become unfashionable) end up in landfill. With cheaply made clothes, replacement is cheaper than repair. As clothes are often made from a mixture of different material types, recycling is not straightforward and can be expensive.
But change can and is happening. Buying clothes that are made to last, maintaining and repairing clothes, rewearing or swopping clothes, buying from vintage and second hand sources, altering and adapting clothes to new circumstance, all helps to reduce the carbon – and environmental- footprint of what we wear.
I still wear a skirt that was my mother’s, a kilt which was second hand when I had it as a child, and my wedding dress (for dances not weddings!)
For more information –
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211105-how-carbon-might-go-out-of-fashion https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/
16th January 2023
The things we use around our homes, particularly appliances and electrical equipment, all come with a carbon footprint both in their manufacture and in their use. When we buy new ones we can get information as to how energy efficient they are in use. We can information from the Ethical Consumer, Which guides etc as to how ethically they have been made ( for example the sourcing of raw materials, pay and working conditions of employees etc), and about the longevity and repairability of the item. The longer lived an item is the better use it makes of resources. When considering energy use of items, we may opt for a manual rather than an electric version – eg a hand worked coffee grinder, a hand whisk etc.
For further thoughts – https://greentau.org/2021/09/10/the-green-tau-issue-16/
15th January 2023
Reflection (readings below)
The Gospel story today is full of drama. Be amazed! Be in awe! This is an epiphany moment – the breaking of the true nature and identity of Jesus. In this moment earth and heaven are in perfect communion. Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is openly declared to be the Chosen One, the very unique and beloved Son of God.
This is the chosen servant imagined in the words of Isaiah. This Chosen One would be as a covenant to the peoples, through whom salvation will be accomplished. Isaiah and the other prophets were all clear in their messages that salvation required justice. Salvation would be achieved through that justice that brings healing for sick, sight to the blind, release for prisoners and those trapped in darkness.
I think that we and the churches too easily forget the importance of seeking justice – perhaps because we can’t quite imagine how we can do this. Looking around our world there seems to be so much injustice. We only have to open our newspapers or turn on the television, to know that even in our own relatively affluent country, there are people who cannot afford to both eat and heat their homes; that there are people in employment who have to rely on food banks – and that includes nurses and teaching staff. We might have to read a little further and we would discover people who can either find an NHS dentist nor afford private treatment, farmers who cannot make a profit growing the food we eat, or people locked up 23 hours of the day because the prison system cannot afford sufficient staff.
How indeed can we bring about justice in these situations? We can – as many churches do – support food banks. We can – as many of us do – donate winter fuel allowances to help run warm hubs. But justice needs more – system change. Change that will build in rather than exclude justice. Change that will equality and fairness the touch stone. Change that will always protect the vulnerable.
No one says that such change is easy to bring about. It can take time and perseverance – something Isaiah clearly recognised. It will involve the transformation of the many systems that control our economic and social lives. Such change happens when opinions change, when tipping points are reached. The change often begins at the grass root level, and then grows. As Christians and church communities, we can call out and highlight injustice where we see it. We write to our bishops and our MPs and ask for change. We can be fact finders and information spreaders, ensuring that the truth about injustices and the need for justice becomes widespread. We can become campaigners and activists! We can, as St Paul, says be preachers of the Gospel – empowering the good news of justice that underpins salvation and following the example of Jesus, God’s Chosen One. This is an awesome calling!
Isaiah 42:1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.
9 And in the temple of the Lord *
all are crying, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Acts 10:34-43
Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ–he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
14th January 2023
How we get from A to B has a significant impact on our carbon footprint. This chart shows the relative carbon footprint of different modes of transport.
For further details see their full report – https://ourworldindata.org/travel-carbon-footprint
Additional thoughts – https://greentau.org/2021/08/21/green-tau-issue-13/
13th January 2023
As we switch from being a fossil fuel society to renewable energy supplier, both we domestically and commercial energy suppliers will increasingly be producing and/ or using green electricity. You can already become part of this change – and thus be active in reducing your carbon footprint – by switching to a green energy supplier. Ethical Consumer recommends Ecotricity, Good Energy and Green Energy UK as the most sustainable green energy suppliers.
12th January 2023
Over recent months many of us have seen the cost of heating our homes increase. Reducing the carbon footprint of heating our homes wins on two fronts – financial and climate.
Having installed solar panels, cavity wall and loft insulation, and double glazing, and by dint of wearing more layers and showering less, we are continuing to reduced our gas consumption and energy bills.
Whilst not everyone agrees with their tactics, most now see the wisdom of Insulate Britain’s call that the Government should ensure the proper insulation of the UK’s housing stock. This is also relevant during heat waves when better insulated buildings remain cooler longer.
Further information https://greentau.org/2021/09/03/green-tau-issue-15/
6th January 2023
Reducing food waste House of Lords As part of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, the UK Government has committed to halving the UK’s per capita food waste by 2030. In 2018, the UK produced around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste, a 15% reduction from 2007. About two thirds of food waste is that thrown away by households which fell from 8 million tonnes in 2007 to 6.6 million tonnes in 2018 – ie in 2018 we were throwing away 18% of our food. This fell to an all time low in the lockdown in 2020 when we threw away just 13% of what we bought.
Since then figures suggest we are less careful with food waste but hopefully if we have done it once we can do it.
The Green Tau 