environment – Page 3 – The Green Tau

Counting on … day 146

12th August 2024

The so called ‘Glorious Twelfth’ marks the start of the shooting season for grouse. Over the next few months some 700,000 red grouse will be shot on moors across the UK. These birds, whilst they remain wild, are husbanded by the owners of the grouse moors using methods that involve burning heather and shooting predators and competitors such as foxes, crows and magpies, and birds of prey. The burning of the moorland heather is intended to maximise the new shoots which the grouse feed on, but at the same time it damages the underlying peat and reduces biodiversity, killing insects and small mammals, and by inhibiting the growth of a wider range of native plants.

Grouse-moors are an artificial construct and do not equate with maintaining a ‘natural’ environment.

“Grouse are charming, sensitive birds who can survive as far north as the Arctic circle and are devoted parents to their chicks. They deserve better than being killed in cold blood for someone’s twisted idea of entertainment.” https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/grouse-shooting/

Counting on … day 136

29th July 2024

Today is the start of Christian Climate Action’s week of action urging the National Trust to switch away from its current bank, Barclays, because Barclays is Europe’s biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe. “We love the National Trust – not Barclays”

There is an online petition you can sign and you can reader a longer article here – https://greentau.org/2024/07/29/green-tau-issue-91/

Green Tau: issue 91

An even greener National Trust?

29th July 2024

Over the last few weeks I have made a grand tour of England and Wales, visiting iconic National Trust sites. Ours is still a green and pleasant land, from St Michael’s Mount in the south west to Newcastle’s Souter Lighthouse in the northeast; from Windermere in the northwest to Box Hill in the south east, from Worms Head on the Gower Peninsula in the west to Kinder Scout in the middle. It is green and pleasant because people care passionately about the environment!

This is not to say that there isn’t room for improvement – uniform green fields full of grazing sheep may in reality be products of monoculture, and placid waters may mask life-damaging pollutants.

One of the greatest threats to our green and pleasant land is climate change. Rocketing temperatures in the oceans are fuelling a wet and windy summer here and across Northern Europe. Flooding and tree damage, poor harvests and dwindling numbers of butterflies is one of the many consequences. Late autumns and early springs upset the breeding patterns of birds, and the flowering cycles of plants. Intermittent heat waves stress many plants and animals, and increase the risk of wild fires.

And yes, generally, people do care and do want a sustainable, green, accessible, biodiverse rich environment in which to live. The National Trust is one of the bigger organisations that is making that a reality. And we know we must do all we can to limit the output of carbon dioxide to keep climate change in check. And again the National Trust is addressing this specific issue with a target of net zero by 2030.

We know we need fossil fuel companies to cut back their output and transition to renewables. We know we need pension funds, insurers and banks to use their financial power to press for faster change.

So why then does the National Trust – the nation’s largest conservation charity – still bank with Barclays, the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe?

This week there is a week of action, coordinated by Christian Climate Action, which aims to press the National Trust to go that one more step, to become that bit greener, by switching from Barclays to a bank that is fully aligned with the National Trust’s environmental credentials.

The actions at various National Trust sites across the country with banners and placards – possibly even with visits by Peter Rabbit -will be peaceful and friendly, inviting people to learn more about banking with Barclays is an issue and inviting them to sign a petition asking the National Trust to drop Barclays – something which other charities, such as Oxfam and Christian Aid, have already done.

Counting on … day 123

11th July 2024

It is easy to see how plant and animal/ fish resources can be regenerated. But what about metals?

The iron ore that is mined from the earth was typically formed millions of years ago – the exception being where recent volcanic eruptions release iron-containing magma. So rather than talking about regenerating metals, we should talk about recycling metals.

Do we recycle as much – indeed all – the metal we discard?

The FT reports “The UK produces 10mn-11mn tonnes of scrap steel each year of which less than 3mn is recycled. The rest is exported as there is not enough demand from domestic steelmakers.” https://www.ft.com/content/1e273a6d-2683-419c-9567-91281df3c648 However as the UK switches from coal burning blast furnaces to green electric furnaces, which smelt 100% recycled steel, that demand will grow.

What about newer metals such as lithium, which we have only recently begun to exploit? Even if we did recycle all that we discard, growing demand for lithium still means more raw ore will be mined. Can this be sustained – and sustained in a way that does it exploit people nor damage their land and ecosystems?

“Q. How can I recycle my lithium-ion batteries?

You can take your used batteries to designated collection points such as local authorities, civic amenity sites, retailers, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling sites that hold an ABTO license.” https://www.cellcycle.co.uk/a-guide-to-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-in-the-uk/

Counting on … day 120

8th July 2024

We’re now in Plastic Free July – https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

Cutting back on our use of plastic and our failure to prevent waste plastic from entering our food, water and other ecosystems is important. Last year I wrote “The United Nations Environment Programme is calling on all countries to reduce their plastic consumption by 80% by 2040. Plastics are problem items because they are made from oil and thus come with an inbuilt unsustainable carbon footprint, and because much of the plastic is not recycled and instead causes pollution – especially in marine areas”

Sadly we now live in a culture where buying things wrapped in plastic – sandwiches and strawberries, biros and note books – is the norm. One item that stands out is water. We live in a country where tap water is drinkable and, to all intents and purposes, free yet shops and cafes are stacked out with bottles (plastic ) of water. 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.

We need to change this culture of buying bottled water – using a refillable water bottle would save money, protect the environment, and make a stand against the market economy that wants to make everything into a retail opportunity .

Further reading: https://greentau.org/tag/plastic/

Trinity Sunday

26th May 2024

Reflection with readings below

Rublev’s icon of the Holy Trinity is perhaps one of the most iconic images of the Trinity. The three figures – visitors who arrived at Abraham’s tent by the oaks of Mamre – represent the three persons of the Trinity. Each is individual but related and all form a circle about the chalice at the centre of the table. The colours of their robes and the positioning of their hands and faces suggests the different characteristics they bring to their united existence and how their patterns of behaviour interrelate.

(There are plenty of web sites that explore the theology of this icon – eg https://sacredheartpullman.org/documents/2017/8/Trinityicon.pdf)

At the time the icon was painted, the Holy Trinity was understood as being the embodiment of unity of spirit, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility.

The interrelated and interdependent and mutually enhancing character of the Holy Trinity is also to be found in the natural world that is the Trinity’s creation. All parts of creation are interrelated and interdependent and when working together, enhance the whole.

For example when the weather warms in the spring, butterfly eggs hatch into caterpillars, which grow fat on new green plant shoots. At the same time butterflies that have hibernated overwinter, wake and begin a new round of egg laying. The superfluity of caterpillars provides food for newly hatched blue tit chicks, ensuring the next generation. Feeding caterpillars to the young chicks additionally prevents the complete loss of the new spring plant growth! Birds, insects, plants and the seasonal changes in temperature and rainfall work in harmony for the thriving of the ecosystem. This beautiful dance reflects the nature of our trinitarian God.

We humans are as dependent on the smooth progress of this dance as any other creature. Without insects to pollinate crops, we would have a severely restricted diet – no fruit, no peas and beans, courgettes or tomatoes. Without the right amounts of sun and rain in due season, we face hunger as crops sown will not flourish and indeed may fail altogether – something we are seeing in the UK this year cereal crops.

Yet we humans are deliberately damaging our environment. We are pouring pollution into the seas and water ways. We are spraying crops with insecticides that wantonly kill of all manner of creatures – birds as well as insects. We are burning carbon fuels and releasing more and mo greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, warming the atmosphere at a disastrous rate. We are taking the goodness out of the soil reducing its fertility. We’re cutting down forests and replacing natural biodiversity with monocultures of crops and livestock, exacerbating the loss of ground water and nutrients and accelerating climate change.

We fail to see ourselves as part of creation. We are not living in harmony with all our brothers and sisters of creation – and that means we are not living in harmony with the will of God.

We have sinned and fallen short. We need to cry out to God, who is both our parent and the parent of all creation, asking for healing and mercy. We need to ask forgiveness of all our brothers and sisters in creation and be willing to likewise offer forgiveness to all who have harmed our shared life. We need to hang onto the truth that Jesus came not to condemn but to save the world. And like Isaiah, we must be ready to speak the truth and to act in accordance with the will and desire of the Trinity, following their example of living in unity of spirit, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility.

This is not just an airy-fairy spiritual dream for our hour in church. It is a real demand and challenge that comes from God and which can find a genuine response in practical action. Here in the UK we are facing a general election. We can enquire of our candidates what their policies are vis a vis the environment, the climate, and human-made pollution. We can ask for a commitment that we see laws and policies being implemented that will ensure an economic system that respects and works in harmony with creation. Green Christian has put together a package of ideas, questions and templates in response to the general election. The Zero Hour website has details and plans for a Climate and Nature Bill addressing these issues about the care of the environment, and practical resources to help communities in every constituency engage with prospective candidates so that this Bill can become a reality in the next Parliament.

Ascribe to the divine Trinity the glory due their Name; worship their divine nature in the beauty of holiness.

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

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.

Romans 8:12-17

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ– if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

John 3:1-17

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Green Tau: Issue 89

Profit, cost and loss

10th May 2024

Maximising profits seems to be the name of the game, the chief goal of businesses, educational establishments, public services, governments etc. But what are profits and are they intrinsically good?

What is profit?

A profit is an advantage or benefit, or more specifically a financial gain. The word’s meaning comes from the Latin ‘profectus’ meaning growth, advance, increase, success or progress. From this there comes the idea that to profit is to benefit.

In business terms profit may be understood as:-

Gross profit = revenue from selling a product or service less costs of materials used in producing it.

Operating profit = gross profits less operating costs such as of labour, machinery, depreciation, rent and utilities.

Net profit = operating profit less all other costs such as taxes and interest payments.

Who benefits from the profit?

The business owner who can simply pocket the lot.
The business owner as a return on his/ her investment – possibly a risky investment.
The business if the owner reinvests the profit in the business. Such investment could upgrade the business’s resources, infrastructure, and/or workforce, and so improve productivity.
The shareholders if the profit is shared as a dividend.
The employees if the profit is shared as a bonus.
The country may benefit if tax is paid on the profit.

The company and its shareholders may also benefit in other ways. Increasing profits can increase the value of the company’s shares which benefits the share holders (if they choose to sell) and increase the value of the company. The latter can benefit the company if the owner wished to sell or, conversely, protect the company if the owner wished to avoid being bought out. It can also benefit the company by making it easier for it to obtain finance for its operations. Maintaining and indeed improving profits also safeguards the jobs of the senior members of staff.

But are higher profits always better?

Increased profits may not be better for the consumers who may be contributing to these profits through paying higher prices. Last summer UK supermarkets were accused of ‘greed-flation’ as they reported significant profits whilst food price increases peaked at nearly 20%.

Increased profits may not be better for employees who may face redundancies and pay cuts in order to maintain profits. Labour costs are often the first things a business tries to reduce to improve profitability.

Increased profits may not be better for the environment, if more damaging processes and trading practices are used to reduce costs and increase profits. Some companies transfer operations to other countries where there are lower environmental protection standards – or where there is cheaper labour and/ or lower welfare requirements.

Increased profits may not be better for the environment if they also increase pollution. Increasing oil production leads to more flaring and more oil leaks damaging the environment. Increasing profits through sales of more takeaway meals, increases the use of single use plastic and the pollution it causes.

Increased profits may not be better for the environment if the increase comes from the increased production of a product that is intrinsically damaging – whether that is carbon producing fossil fuels, or muck and methane producing cattle/ chickens etc.

All the above will also have adverse effects on the local community either though increased local unemployment or through increased pollution. Local communities can also be affected if the increase in profits arises from increases in production leading to increases in delivery traffic.

If the increase in profits only, or disproportionately, benefits those on high incomes, that can increase environmental damage as those on high incomes tend to have lifestyles with a higher carbon and environmental footprint. It can increase social inequalities that undermine social cohesion and wellbeing. It can create inequalities in power, resulting in the community/ society/ economy being shaped to suit those with most money – further disadvantaging the low paid and unemployed.

The increase in profits may not benefit the host country if the company can arrange its affairs so that its tax is paid elsewhere – probably at a lower rate.

Do markets prevent excess profits?

According to pure economic theory the movement of the market will prevent excess profits being made. For if a business makes more profits than expected, other companies will enter the market and such competition will continue until profits return to the normal level. In reality markets are not perfect. It can be hard for new or small firms to enter especially of the start up costs are large – eg in the oil industry, in supermarket chains etc.

It maybe that a company holds an effective monopoly – rivals to ‘X’ cannot offer their customers the same audience base. Ditto for an online market trying to compete with Amazon.

Information is not perfect. Many consumers may not know that Starbucks does not pay a fair proportion of taxes in the UK, that Shell is not paying for the safe dismantling of its disused oil pipelines, allowing them to leak toxic chemicals into the North Sea, or that their supermarket chicken has come from a factory farm that is polluting the River Wye. If customers knew these facts would they be as willing for pay for the products that generate profits for multi national companies? Sadly it maybe that many customers have a low income that prevents them making other choices.

Does profit have to be the over riding priority?

No, other business models exist.

Charities and not for profit businesses operate in the basis that the prime objective is to pursue the mission of the organisation, and if profits arise, they are to be used to support that. eg The National Trust, the Big Issue, The Peabody Housing Association.
Social enterprises which aim to promote, encourage, and make social change. Any profits are reinvested in the enterprise. eg Belu who sell bottled water who donate their profit to Water Aid. Clean For Good is a London based cleaning company that promotes fair and ethical employment of cleaning staff; profits are shared between reinvested, cleaning staff and shareholders (charitable bodies such as the Parish of St Andrew’s in the Wardrobe, CMS, and the Centre for Theology & Community.
Cooperatives are companies owned and controlled by its members so as to meet their shared needs. eg Suma is a workers’ cooperative – its business is owned and run by its employees who then share equally in the profits. Energy 4 All helps develop community owned renewable energy projects. Members receive a fair return on their investment from the sale of green electricity but at a level that is capped so that the balance of the profits can support the community fund enabling more such projects.
Mutuals are companies which are owned by their customers, who share in the profits. eg Scottish Friendly which is a finance services provider whose profits are reinvested in the business. NFU Mutual which is an insurance company for the farming industry. It has 900,000 members and any profits made are shared between them.
Impact businesses have two ‘bottom lines’, one being profitably and the other a dedicated issue that could be social, environmental etc. eg Octopus Energy aims both to be profitable and to make the renewable energy transition faster and cheaper for its customers. Hey Girls sells period products using a buy-one-give-one model to end period poverty and improve period health.
B-corps are impact businesses that have been certified by B Lab – a world wide certification body – as meeting specific target levels vis a vis their social impact. eg The Guardian is a B Corp with a commitment to using its profits to support carbon neutral policies, reporting on climate change and, for example, not accepting advertising from fossil fuel extractors. OddBox takes fruit and vegetables that would otherwise go for waste – because they are too many or too few in number, the wrong shape or otherwise unwanted by retailers – and sells them via a veg box scheme.
Credit Unions are community-based financial organisations where profits are used to support local initiatives or are repaid to members. Members may have to qualify by living in a certain area or working within a certain industry or for a specific employer. Members are often encouraged to save money with the Credit Union before applying for a loan.
Community share schemes allow people to invest in a local scheme via ‘withdrawable shares’ – these cannot be sold, traded or transferred, and whilst the share holder may receive interest on their investment, no dividend is paid. All members have an equal vote in shaping the policy of the company. Members can withdraw their share – but only if the company has the funds to buy them back. Community share schemes are used for to support nurseries, pubs, local transport schemes and preserved railways etc.

There are many ways of running businesses that benefit society in ways other than purely financial. These are the truly ‘profitable’ businesses!

Counting on … day 104

10th May 2024

Having said that we try to minimise waste, should what we recycle be seen as recycled waste? Flour and oats both come in large paper sacks. The sacks are single use which arguable might seem wasteful but they can be recycled. They are good for collecting all the other paper that goes out for recycling. Margerine comes in plastic tubs – again single use but recyclable.

One reason that our dustbin fills slowly is because we can recycle much of the ‘waste’ that comes into the house. We recycle paper and card, aluminium foil, tins, glass and standard plastics via the Council’s kerb side collection. We take soft plastics to the Coop for recycling, toothpaste tubes to Boots, medical blister packs to Superdrug. There is a recycling bin for small electrical goods at the library and for batteries at Robert Dyas.

Recycling is good and worth doing but it comes with its own consumption of resources and production of emissions. And we know that in reality many things that are labelled as recyclable are not recycled – often because they are not put into the appropriate recycling bin. Greater thought needs to be given by designers and producers to reduce what needs to be recycled and how often.

The aim becomes not consuming more than you need to consume, buying less and ensuring the best and most efficient use of what we do consume.

Counting on … day 101

7th May 2024

Plastic is such an invasive pollutant. A few years ago we kept a tally over a week of how much plastic was coming into the house and then worked out whether there were ways of avoiding such plastic in the future. Sometimes the solution was simple – not putting fruit in a plastic bag at the supermarket. Sometimes it needed a little more research – finding a toilet paper that didn’t come wrapped in plastic (we now buy recycled paper toilet roll from Naked Sprout, a B Corp, which comes in a cardboard box).

More importantly the solution was a change in attitude – don’t buy it if it’s wrapped in plastic whether it’s a cake in the cafe or a pen in the stationers. And of habit – taking a keep cup or refillable water bottle when out and about.

We’re not plastic totally free – my husband enjoys sliced supermarket bread and even vegan butter and margarine come in plastic packaging. During the Big Plastic Count we totalled 6 pieces of plastic.

Counting on … day 100

6th May 2024

We are lucky enough to have a good sized garden. Not being successful growers of vegetables, we have chosen to make the garden more of a wildlife haven. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers – other than home made compost. Nor do we use peat. This approach also means we aren’t buying things that come in plastic bottles, bags or containers.

Over the years we have planted a number of fruit trees – apple, plum, pear, cherry, fig – as well as having raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, currant and gooseberry bushes and a grape vine. In between the fruit grows a mix of herbs, self seeding salads and green leaf crops, bulbs, and wild flowers. Other flower beds are a mix of roses, herbs, and perennial plants, whilst the lawns remain uncut for most of the year. I have tried to transform these into meadows by transplanting into the grass suitable plants such as buttercups, plantain, ox eye daisies and sorrel etc. The garden also has a pond with flags, buttercups and pond weed, and is home to small pond creatures including dragon fly larvae. Usually there is frogspawn but none this year, which is disappointing.

We replenish a number of bird feeders daily and have a bee hotel and a dead hedge all to encourage more wildlife.