Today sees the start of Plastic Free July. The aim is to encourage us to look at our lives and how we use plastic so that we can reduce the use and throw away. Plastic is a fantastic material but we often treat it as a material that we can use once and throw away without worrying about where it came from, where it goes to or the impact it has on the environment.
Why not visit the Plastic Free July website, sign up and see what a difference you can make?
Posted in Environment, Plastic
It is that time again when we sadly say farewell to students who have finished their studies here in Leeds and are moving onto pastures new. Over the time that they have lived here they have accumulated “stuff” that just won’t fit in Mum’s car, that is no longer needed or is just too embarrassing to take home!
Would you want to take this home to your parents?
In the past, much of this would have ended up in the bin but over the last few years Leeds University Union Leave Leeds Tidy have worked in partnership with Rainbow Junktion / All Hallows’ and other groups to try and prevent perfectly good “stuff” being binned. And so, this week, the Rainbow Junktion Community Free Shop is open again on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 11am to 3pm. Everything is free but you are welcome to come and have a drink or bite to eat at Rainbow Junktion Cafe on a Pay As You Feel basis – and with all those wonderful free finds you should be feeling pretty good!
Posted in Cafe, Community, Environment
This Thursday is Clean Air Day. Leeds is one of the worst cities in the country for air pollution and it severely affects our health and the health of the natural environment around us. We can do our part in reducing air pollution. Clean Air Leeds has a web page suggesting ways that we can all help in reducing air pollution and making Leeds a more beautiful place to live.
Why not have a look and see what you can do?
Posted in Community, Environment
Press release from Green Christians 9 June 2019
Aiming to reach net-zero carbon emissions after 2025 is ‘complicit in violence’, warns Green Christian.
The charity finds the deadline of 2045 promoted by the Climate Coalition for the Mass Lobby of Parliament on 26 June 2019 ‘troubling’. Green Christian argues that in continuing to feed climate breakdown for so long the UK would cross a ‘moral threshold’ and hold future generations to ransom. They call for courageous political leadership at a time when public demand for action on the crisis is surging.
In its statement published today, Green Christian say that the disruption to the UK of aiming for net zero by 2025 will pale beside the violence to poorer nations and today’s children which is implicit in delaying it to 2045, let alone 2050. The charity says the UK has ‘no right to slough off this responsibility, and the vicious consequences of doing so, on those who have no voice and no power’.
In May 2019 the independent Climate Change Committee advised the government that it was ‘feasible’ that the UK could stop its contribution to global warming by 2050. The Climate Coalition, which is led by larger charities and civil society organisations, has shown that it can be done by 2045. The Coalitionencourages the public to lobby MPs to enshrine this deadline in law, to be brought forward ‘if the science demands swifter action’.
Green Christian argues that it is political choice, rather than scientific evidence, that determines what is ‘feasible’. Since the actions of Extinction Rebellion over the Easter period this year, there has been an upsurge in public concern on climate change, and a declaration of ‘environment and climate emergency ’ in Parliament*(See note 2). The charity argues that the mandate exists for immediate, focused, co-ordinated and equitable action across society, on a scale last mobilised in World War II.
Chair of Green Christian, Paul Bodenham, said, ‘Scientists have been warning about global warming since the 1980s. Now it’s too late to avoid making sacrificial, disruptive choices. A 2045 deadline for net-zero, let alone 2050, should trouble everyone’s conscience. With every year we continue adding carbon to the atmosphere, more lives will be lost and the risk grows of catastrophic breakdown.
‘If the UK is serious about international leadership we must acknowledge the debt our country owes to poorer nations and to the young and unborn. The profound insecurity they now face is mainly due to the privilege, power and indifference of today’s industrialised societies, of which the UK has the longest history of all’.
In its guidance for the Mass Lobby Green Christian advises its members to ensure MPs understand the risks of the Paris Agreement failing to limit warming to 1.5C, and ask the government to ‘identify national pathways to achieve net-zero emissions in 2025’.
Ends
Notes:
Posted in Climate Change, Environment
All Hallows’ now has it’s second “insect hotel” kindly made and donated to us by Purple Patch Arts with help from Hyde Park Source. We are looking forward to hosting lots of new bees and bugs!
Posted in Community Garden, Environment
The West Yorkshire Local Government Pension Fund (WYPF) is fuelling the climate crisis by investing over £900 million in fossil fuel companies.
All Hallows’ Church has committed to ending its own investment in fossil fuel companies and is calling on the WYPF to do the same.
You can add your voice to the Fossil Free West Yorkshire campaign by asking your councillors to support it. Find your councillors’ contact details using https://www.writetothem.com/ – then simply use the sample text below to send them an email. Personalise your message by starting with a few lines about why climate action is important to you.
Want to take more action? Visit the Fossil Free West Yorkshire Campaign website. Or read more about the global fossil fuel divestment movement here.
Template email to councillors about fossil fuel divestment
Dear Cllr ………………
As a constituent, I want to express my concern about our council’s investments. Leeds councils, through the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, is investing over £900 million in fossil fuel and fracking companies. These investments are driving climate change and air pollution and putting our future in danger.
My church has committed to ending all investment in fossil fuels and are congregation are very anxious for the West Yorkshire Pension Fund to do likewise. We made a short 4 minute film about why ending fossil fuel investment is important to us; you can watch it at https://bit.ly/divestAH.
As my councillor, I’m asking you to support efforts to stop the West Yorkshire Pension Fund investing in fossil fuel companies. You can do this by signing the Fossil Free West Yorkshire Pledge at https://fossilfreewypf.wordpress.com/take-action/fossil-free-pledge-forpolitician-and-political-candidates/.
To prevent catastrophic climate change, fossil fuel companies would have to keep over 80% of proven gas, oil and coal reserves in the ground. Despite this, they continue to explore for even more fossil fuel reserves. Climate change aside, ending fossil fuel investment is important to protect our pensions from financial losses. Fossil fuel investments will soon drop in value as the low carbon transition gathers pace. They are already dragging down investment returns so it makes no sense to remain invested in this risky industry. There are better alternatives available. This briefing document for councillors discusses the case for fossil fuel divestment in more detail.
I really hope you can support much needed climate action by signing the pledge linked above. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Posted in Climate Change, divest, Environment
Today we announced that All Hallows is ending all it’s investment in fossil fuels.
Here is a video explaining how it happened:
And here is our press release:
Posted in Climate Change, divest, Environment
This Sunday British Summer Time begins and the clocks spring forward meaning that you get an hour less in bed and, if you don’t remember, you might be an hour late for church!
It is also the time when we are invited to celebrate Earth Hour from 8:30pm on Saturday evening. Millions of people around the world will be switching their lights and other electrical appliances off for an hour and using the time to celebrate our planet and it’s huge variety of life. It is a chance to reflect on the impact we have on our fellow inhabitants and how we might change so that we walk more lightly on Planet Earth.
You can find more about Earth Hour at https://www.earthhour.org and do let us know what you get up to in your Earth Hour celebration!
Posted in Environment
Yesterday pupils and students from All Hallows joined the Leeds Youth Strike 4 Climate protest in the centre of Leeds. Catherine, Charlie and I went along to support them. I estimated at least 2000 young people from babies through to university students plus some slightly older folk like me! The protest was very well organised and peaceful, the young people had been very creative with their banners – there were some very amusing but pointed messages – and they were in fine voice. I thought their message was very clear – we, the older generation who run this world have really screwed the climate up, threatening their future and something needs to be done about it NOW! It’s a shame that the news media weren’t listening properly, so much of their reporting seemed to be about pupils missing lessons, whether it was safe for them to be out protesting or that they were protesting about air pollution in Leeds.
Just to clarify, the students are demanding the following:
Posted in Climate Change, Environment
Our climate is changing, and we are changing it. We confess our carbon footprints, our failure to consider the consequences of our actions, our slowness to react. We are sorry for all the times we knew the right thing to do, but chose convenience.
Your earth is exploited, and we are complicit in its exploitation. Species are lost, soil erodes, fish stocks decline, resources dwindle. We confess that many of us have taken too much, and not considered the needs of future generations.
We have become consumers. We have turned a blind eye to greed. We confess our hunger for more, and our failure to appreciate what we already have. We live in a time of unparalleled luxury, and we are sorry that we have not been more grateful.
The poor are left behind, even in this age of plenty. Human rights are pushed aside for profit. Wealth accumulates for the rich while the poorest still do not have what they need. We confess our apathy to injustice, and our haste in judging others.
This is not who you made us to be. We have not been good caretakers of your garden Earth. We have not loved our neighbours. Forgive us, creator God.
Forgive us. Renew us. Inspire us.
And in your strength, God, we declare:
We thank you for your kindness and your mercy. We look to your promise of restoration, and we move forward. Give us the strength to speak and to act – not out of guilt or duty, for we are forgiven and we are loved. Instead, we speak and act out of joy:
Posted in Climate Change, Environment, Lent, Prayer, Reflection
