The Green Tau

Counting on … day 106

14th May 2024

Repairing and mending things is another way in which we reduce the need to recycle and replace things. I darn socks and jumpers, patch worn pants and trousers, restitch seems and hems, cut worn sheets and resew them edges to the middle, patch old towels or reform them as hand towels, etc. One of the local repair cafes was able to repair a broken electric kettle, whilst glue, and self hardening putty have been used to mend broken China, worn recharging cables, pan lid handles etc.

Shoes get reheeled or resoled at the cobblers. We mend bike punctures, replace brake blocks etc.

Counting on … day 105

13th May 2024

We buy many things second hand – clothes, books and jigsaws – via our local charity shops. Buying second hand/ pre-loved is a good way of making best use of limited resources and cuts out recycling costs. (I could put my unwanted books in the paper recycling and buy new books printed on recycled paper but the better option is to use the loop offered by the charity shops to swop books with others. The same can be true for clothes etc). Charity/ second hand shops have also turned up surprises. When needing a new pan, one the exact right size turned up in Oxfam!

We also use second hand sources such as Music Magpie, eBay etc to buy mobile phones, a coffee kettle etc. Second hand/ pre-loved is a good way of making better use of valuable resources without damaging the environment.

Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost

12th May 2024

Reflection with readings below

At this stage of the Easter season it can feel as if some of the steam has gone from the lectionary. The readings lack exhilaration! The drama of the resurrection stories seems to have drifted into the past. Can we yet capture the frizzon of Easter – the surprise and amazement and energy? Or is this a Sunday to pause between the mystery and joy of Easter and the power and energy of Pentecost?

In the episode from Acts, Matthias is chosen to be the named twelfth apostle to take on the ministry of the era of the resurrection. Last week I suggested we might see this ministry as being achieving victory over ‘worldliness’, the bringing in of the kingdom of God on earth. So whilst Matthias was a named apostle tasked with this mission, I think we are all chosen and tasked with this ministry. The writer of the letter of John tells that we have the testimony of God in our hearts. And the writer of John’s gospel tells us that we have been sanctified by God to act according to the truth of God as revealed to us by Jesus.

How does this help us respond to the world? To the war and violence, the prejudice and persecution, sickness and the underfunded health system, poverty and the unequal distribution of resources, greed and apathy and the destruction of the natural environment, short-termism and the failure of leadership? AND to the beauty of creation, of acts of kindness and generosity, of miracles of healing, of moments of joy and humour, and the love shown to us by people and creatures alike?

Firstly we know that the things of harmfulness are not in accordance with God’s kingdom, God’s law or rule. The Magnificat; the manifesto given by Jesus, using the words of Isaiah, in the synagogue; Jesus’s declaration of the two most important commandments – to love God wholeheartedly and to love our neighbour as ourself: all these tell us this. AND we know that the things of joy are witnesses to the presence of God’s kingdom. Many of the psalms give us words that magnify this joy.

Second we have been told by Jesus to take our concerns to God in prayer. Such prayer helps us express and understand, or at least cope with, our own feelings. And I believe it does release a power that can effect change. Prayer can also witness to others the concerns we feel and so increase the capacity for change. I also believe that sharing with God the things that make us joyful, strengthens our faith and the scope of others to see the presence of God’s kingdom on earth.

Third, we have been told by Jesus that words are not enough but must be followed through by actions – remember the parable of the two sons, the parable of the sheep and goats, etc – and by his own examples, Jesus has shown us that we should do all we can to right wrongs, to bring healing to situations, and to respond to people in need with compassion and empathy. And we should do all we can to cherish the beauty of the world, and things of joy. Jesus repeatedly used the natural,world to teach his followers, turned brief encounters into lasting friendships, and made meals into parties.

Fourth, we have the examples of Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts, of John the Baptist, and of Jesus himself, of speaking truth to power – whether that is to religious leaders or business leaders or to financiers or to those in government.

Thinking practically, two examples: first, the fighting and the suffering in Gaza. We can pray. We can include Gaza in our church intercessions. We can join groups/ services that have a part focus on Gaza – and we may find that through these we gain in understanding of the issues. Keeping abreast of the news will also help us make our prayers more meaningful. We can make sure we are aware of all the different issues involved, the different people on all sides, and how they are being affected.

We can give practical support – at this distance through donations to charities operating in the area.

We can boycott businesses that are supporting the apartheid regime in Israel and follow that up with letters to the companies.

We can sign petitions calling for justice.

We can write to our MPs, and the Secretary of State for foreign policy, asking for a cease fire, asking for increased humanitarian aid, asking for an end of arms sales to the region. We can ask for matters to be referred to the International Court of Human Rights.

Second, No Mow May. It may seem like a small thing but this annual invitation to let our lawns grow unrestrained gives us the chance to see and rejoice in flowers and seed heads, insects and birds, that we would otherwise miss – and thus the incentive to pray. It encourages to see understand better the interconnectedness of God’s world and our part in it – and thus to be more caring, to be more concerned to live in harmony with the ways of God’s kingdom. And it gives us the opportunity to talk with others about such things, to share the joys and the opportunities of God’s kingdom. I am already surprised by how many people I have overheard talking about No Mow May this year!

If we can do these things in response to both the grief and the joy we see in the world, then we can make a difference, we can carry out that ministry that is bringing in the kingdom of God. And maybe we will be able to find moments when we feel the frisson on the risen Jesus or the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit or the deep calm of God?

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus– for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us– one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Psalm 1

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

1 John 5:9-13

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 17:6-19

Jesus prayed for his disciples, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

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 103

9th May 2024

One of the main ways we minimise waste is through using refill services. Our milk, including oat milk, is delivered to the door in refilled glass bottles. Apple and Bees – a local health food shop – has a refill service for laundry and washing up liquids – whilst from The Source store in Richmond we buy most of our groceries – sugar, dried fruit, grains, yeast flakes, salt and spices, as well as items such as nut butters (ground/ processed direct into your jar) olive oil, tahini and tamari – all into the refillable jars/ bottles and bags that we bring from home. And our local cafe and coffee roastery has a refill service for coffee beans. This means that there is very little that we need to buy that comes with additional packaging – typically items such as vegan butter and margerine, tin tomatoes, tofu, miso and yeast extract.

Counting on … day 102

8th May 2024

Waste free and plastic free are closely linked as waste free includes plastic free but goes a step further exploring how we can reduce the unnecessary use – ie waste – of resources. Why do sandwiches/ cakes etc come in both a paper bag and a paper carrier bag? Why do toothpaste tubes comes in a cardboard box? Why do we reuse glass milk bottles but not glass wine bottles?

Looking for waste free options is another way in which we go about shopping and we can see the outcome in the frequency with which we put out our dustbin – maybe once or twice a year.

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.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

5th May 2024

Reflection – readings follow on below

Psalm 98 extols the victory of God that will extend to the ends of the earth, and which will be celebrated with joy by not just the people but by all creation – plants and animals, and hills and rivers. It is prophetic, encouraging us to look forward and to work towards that future age of glory. And in the fullness of time that victory will be won: God’s kingdom will reign supreme over the whole earth.

If Christ’s resurrection shows his victory over death, then surely the challenge and the hope now is for Christ’s victory over the world! Here I am using the world to describe that rule, that way of life, in which humans are destructive of the environment, are destructive of the wellbeing of their brethren, are greedy and selfish, and who repel all that is good and loving and of God. To achieve victory over the world will be to establish God’s kingdom, God’s rule firmly and for ever on the earth. This victory will produce peace and wellbeing, justice and compassion for all. It will remove war fare and aggression, persecution and oppression. It will end exploitation and build up the common good.

This endeavour – the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth – is one that is ongoing, that is ceaselessly being pursued by Christ through the power of the Holy Sprit. It is an endeavour which Christ shares with us, inviting us to be alongside him. As the gospel of John reminds us, Jesus has appointed us to go forth and bear fruit. We are to establish – plant – God’s commandments and love throughout all the earth. These commands will achieve victory if we adhere to them and share them, ‘for whatever is born of God conquers the world’.

This is not to say that the task will be easy. We see in the gospel stories how Jesus’s disciples – even when they were living alongside him – found his example hard to follow. But we are commanded, and must strive, to love our siblings for that is how we love God. So often however – our ego, our self confidence, our self assurance, gets in the way. We doubt that others will behave in like manner towards us leaving us exposed to suffering and loss and ridicule. We fear giving too much love – and too much of what we own – to our siblings for fear they will not reciprocate.

Is that why we come to church, we we form communities, so that we can support and encourage and reassure each other of the importance and the power of loving our siblings? Maybe we need to remind ourselves and renew our acceptance, of the gift of the Holy Spirit? Jesus does not leave us alone to undertake this endeavour of establishing God’s kingdom on earth. He is with us all the way -just sometimes we look away or ignore him.

Be bold, be full of love.

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptising these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Psalm 98

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, *
for he has done marvellous things.

2 With his right hand and his holy arm *
has he won for himself the victory.

3 The Lord has made known his victory; *
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

5 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

6 Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.

7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.

9 Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
when he comes to judge the earth.

10 In righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.

1 John 5:1-6

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”