Quakers in Birmingham, Coventry, Warwick, the Black Country, Walsall, & Sutton Coldfield

Speaking Truth to Power

Quakers have in the past done effective work in influencing major national and global issues by speaking out at critical times. We have an opportunity to join with other faith groups to make a statement on climate change ahead of the Copenhagen summit conference on that crucial topic and I hope we see this as a duty we are strongly led to fulfil.

Climate change impacts on all our historic concerns since, if the global family of humankind fails to act, millions of people will be displaced by sea level rise, drought and loss of biodiversity, causing poverty, starvation, conflict and death. If we carry on as we are then we face mass extinction, whereas if we act with energy and imagination we can substantially mitigate these dire effects and maybe create a better and happier world of simpler and more equal lifestyles.

This is a huge challenge, but one that I feel sure we are called to embrace and which the spirit of love calls us to face up to. I trust that Yearly Meeting devotes sufficient time to develop the statement that will encourage both ourselves and others to respond to these leadings.

Note: Themed options at Yearly Meeting will include Being the Change as Communities (LWP) and Sustainable Energy Security (QCEA). The Living Witness Project will also have its usual special interest group and a stall. This will be a chance for Friends to find out more and take positive steps toward action on
this most urgent of issues.

Cotteridge Living Witness Group

Sustainability — Where do we start?

Why not start by planning a visit from your meeting to the EcoCentre? Opening
times are currently Thursday 4-6.30 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 1 pm. If you wish to visit at another time, ring the centre and ask it you when arrange this (0121 448 0119). I (or another volunteer) should be able to show you around and answer questions even when our paid staff have other commitments.

Gather a group of interested and concerned Ffriends from within your meeting (or join with other meetings to do this). You might want to consider this to be your Living Witness Group (it will remind you that national resources are available) but any name will do. Have a look at the “Starting a sustainability group in your Quaker meeting” document on the Living Witness web site (www.livingwitness.org.uk). It is full of very good, sound advice on starting groups—more than I’ve room for here. If you don’t have web access, ask a Ffriend who does to print the leaflet out for you.

After reading this leaflet, decide your priorities. You may want to start by looking at the carbon footprint of your meeting and how it can be improved. You may feel that this is a distraction and you want to find ways of looking at the sustainability of your own lives. One way to do this is to form an “EcoCell”, a group of people willing who meet regularly once a fortnight or once a month for about six sessions to consider together how they use (and can save) energy in their lives. EcoCells are organised by Pete Redford, a Scarborough Friend (see www.christian-ecology.org.uk).

Another (more costly) option is the EcoTeam (see www.globalactionplan.org.uk).
One feature of an EcoCell or EcoTeam is that all members commit to recording their gas and electric usage (and how much waste they are putting out) before every meeting and then compare the results. When I joined my first EcoTeam I, like others in the group, wondered how useful these readings were in reflecting the changes I subsequently made to my life style. After all, the weather and season play a large role in determining our energy usage! Accordingly I searched for web sites where I could find data on past weather — www.weatheronline.co.uk and uk.weather.com both have hidden in their depths histories of Birmingham’s daily temperatures. I also remembered that I had records of most of our energy usage over the 30 years we have lived in our present house. I graphed these and attempted to remember the life style changes that would account for ups and downs on my line graphs.

I started doing this two and a half years ago, thinking we could make no further substantive changes in our energy usage. I found, however, that a growing awareness of energy use, couple with a growing understanding of how we use it, has meant that we have continued to reduce usage with very little impact on our lives (apart from a great sense of satisfaction).

As well as being motivated to reduce my energy use, I needed the knowledge of how to do it. Using the Living Witness Group Your Contribution to Climate Change leaflet, I could understand the other areas in my life (e.g., food, travel, shopping) where I was using energy and could start to address them. Attending national Living Witness link group gatherings has enabled me to share knowledge and enthusiasm with others. Many of LWG meetings are held in or near Birmingham because of its central location. My only regret is that I have been the only Central England Quaker attending and Cotteridge Meeting has been the only Central England Area Meeting local meeting to have a Living Witness Group. More would be so very welcome!

Harriet Martin, Cotteridge Living Witness Group