Tag: Sustainability

Counting on … Lent 27

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. 

  1. https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/resources/wellbeing/the-healing-power-of-plants

(2) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00317-5/fulltext

Prayers with Psalm 104

15th April 2025

The Lord God took and placed the human in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded Adam, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’ Genesis 2: 15-17

A reading: Psalm 104:1-24 from The Message 
O my soul, bless God!

God, my God, how great you are!

beautifully, gloriously robed,

Dressed up in sunshine,

and all heaven stretched out for your tent.

You built your palace on the ocean deeps,

made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.

You commandeered winds as messengers,

appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.

You set earth on a firm foundation

so that nothing can shake it, ever.

You blanketed earth with ocean,

covered the mountains with deep waters;

Then you roared and the water ran away—

your thunder crash put it to flight.

Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out

in the places you assigned them.

You set boundaries between earth and sea;

never again will earth be flooded.

You started the springs and rivers,

sent them flowing among the hills.

All the wild animals now drink their fill,

wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,

ravens make their voices heard.

You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;

earth is supplied with plenty of water.

You make grass grow for the livestock,

hay for the animals that plow the ground.

Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,

wine to make people happy,

Their faces glowing with health,

a people well-fed and hearty.

God’s trees are well-watered—

the Lebanon cedars he planted.

Birds build their nests in those trees;

look—the stork at home in the treetop.

Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;

badgers burrow among the rocks.

The moon keeps track of the seasons,

the sun is in charge of each day.

When it’s dark and night takes over,

all the forest creatures come out.

The young lions roar for their prey,

clamouring to God for their supper.

When the sun comes up, they vanish,

lazily stretched out in their dens.

Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,

busy at their jobs until evening.

What a wildly wonderful world, God!

You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,

made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.

Response:
Lord God, where did we go astray?

How have we managed to destroy so many habitats, 

kill off so many species, 

poison the air we breathe and the waters we drink?

How is it that we even endanger the lives of our fellow human beings?

Why have we ignored the warning signs that our greed was costing the earth?


Lord God, have mercy on us.

Grant us time to repent and repair.

Open our eyes and ears to receive your wisdom.

Speed our hearts and minds to do your will, 

to restore justice and harmony.

Empower our hands and feet to revitalise our care for the earth.

Renew our commitment to care for all you give us.

Amen. 

Counting on … Lent 18

28th  March 2025 

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarrelling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” Exodus 13: 5-9

When too many people – or rather if the activities of the people are consuming too many resources – it is good to come to an amicable arrangement whereby the available resources can be shared. In the natural world some plants build this in to their growth patterns. Apple trees through their root systems and their  mycorrhizal fungi prevent new apple seedlings from growing too close less they both compete over the same nutrients. Other trees benefit from the work of magpies and squirrels which plant seeds at a fair distance away from the parent tree.

Counting on … Lent 16

26th  March 2025

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it? For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: “Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.”’ The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over until morning.’ But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them.

Exodus 16: 4, 14-20

Taking only what is sufficient for our needs is the best way of ensuring we don’t damage the future supply of food and resources necessary for daily life. Most of the world’s problems are a result of our over consumption and over polluting of the environment.

Counting on … Lent 6

12th March 2025

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that Adam should be alone; I will make them a helper as their partner.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what they would call them; and whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” Genesis 2: 18,19

Soil degradation is a global problem, resulting largely from intensive farming practices whereby the soil is denuded of essential organic matter. Degraded soils do not support healthy plants – be that wild plants or crops. They does not absorb water leading both to floods and droughts. Humans have caused this degradation of the soil in part because they have not cared for those helpers that live in the soil – such as earthworms. The use of pesticides and herbicides as well as excessive tillage of the soil depleted worm and other soil tending populations. 

We sons and daughters of Adam need a greater understanding of our fellow God-given helpers and a better commitment to care for them.

https://www.soilassociation.org/causes-campaigns/save-our-soil/meet-the-unsung-heroes-looking-after-our-soil/why-are-worms-important/
Worming our way towards healthier soils

Counting on … day 44

3rd March 2025

Most new technology seeks to reduce the effort needed to complete a task. This can mean automation or semi automation, and often leads to a reduction in job opportunities. Sometimes we might as a society wish to reflect on this: would it be better to have more manual jobs and less unemployment?  Would it be better to have hand made bread rather than factory made bread? And if so would we be prepared to pay more for our bread? (Interestingly we have in recent years been willing to pay more for hand-made cups of coffee.)

Would it be better to sweep roads with brooms rather than with motorised road sweeping vehicles? Might this be cheaper as it would not require electricity to recharge the vehicle? 

Would it be cheaper than the contribution made through taxes for unemployment benefit?

(Returning to coffee – are taxes being used to pay benefits to those on low pay eg baristas)

Counting on … day 43

28th February 2025

Many products that are made and sold are designed to replace manual power with electrical power, whilst at the same time health advice is that we should increase our physical activity to maintain our health. From experience I know that using a washing machine is very much easier and less time consuming that washing by hand – and ensures a quicker drying time – so I would always prefer to have washing machine. But are there some activities that we could as easily and as beneficially perform manually? A broom to sweep the path? A dustpan and brush to sweep the stairs? Secateurs to clip the bush? A ballon whisk for batters?

Hand power is satisfying and gives me a greater sense of independence and control.

Counting on … day 39

25th February 2025

Improving technology can make things we use more efficient. However this doesn’t always lead to a reduction in our use of energy and resources. Flatscreen TVs are more energy efficient than the bulky cathode ray TVs, but rather than taking advantage of the energy/ resource saving offering by flatscreen TVs we now buy bigger and bigger TVs so loosing the benefit of what we could have saved! 

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/shopping-guide/televisions

Counting on … day 38

24th February 2025

Recently I read an article promoting Low Tech as a better means to achieving a sustainable global economy. The logic would be that whilst electric cars are a better alternative to petrol cars because they produce less greenhouse gas emissions, bicycles for short journeys and trains for longer journeys would be more sustainable in terms of resources used and pollution created. And as a plus, encouraging active travel would benefit people’s health and reduce medical costs.

https://theconversation.com/low-technology-why-sustainability-doesnt-have-to-depend-on-high-tech-solutions-176611?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=bylinecopy_url_button

Counting on … day 31

13th February 2025

Waterfalls are dramatic natural features because of their power and beauty. The power of falling water is utilised by water wheels and hydro power plants. Its power is replicated by power showers and power hoses – but in those situations we may want to think whether the amount of energy and water used is reasonable in a world where we are already overusing limited resources.

That said, another way of saving water and energy is to shower less often. Most of us don’t need to shower every day – we can wash bits of ourselves as necessary in a basin and still smell clean and fresh. 

How Much Energy Does a Shower Use?