Volunteering with Kos Solidarity

This months blog post comes from Rachael Swancott Boon who shares this moving account of being led to and volunteering with Kos Solidarity. 

When you are within the Quaker community you are not alone, there is, for want of a better word, an army at your back ready with political activism, shared enthusiasm, big ideas and the strength and will to implement them. My name is Rachael Swancott Boon, I am a Quaker from Chorley meeting in Pendle Area Meeting where I have worshipped my whole life.

I have just spent a stint volunteering on the Greek island of Kos with a local refugee aid organisation there – Kos Solidarity. I was in Kos town in November as well and have found both my trips to be greatly enriching both spiritually and in many other ways, my Greek and my Arabic for example are coming on a treat!

I, like most people became aware of the sheer size of the refugee crisis with the news story about the bodies of Aylan and Galip Kurdi washing up on a Turkish beach. I read an article about how a group of artists had painted images of Aylan, some had depicted him with angel wings, others surrounded by people but the one that stayed with me was a depiction of him in a bed, seemingly asleep, the picture was titled ‘how the story should have ended.’  Aylan and Galip were travelling to Kos. I googled variations on ‘ways to help refugees’ and I typed various key words into the Facebook search bar, which led me to many organisations all of whom advised eager volunteers to sign up with an organisation and not to turn up anywhere unannounced. I then waited for, essentially, some sort of sign. About a week later ‘Kos Solidarity’ posted a request for volunteers on their facebook page, I emailed them and 2 weeks later I was on a plane.

Opening myself up to all these channels of information, regularly checking the  news and social media meant that I had a better understanding of what was needed ‘on the ground’ and could make an educated decision about where my skill sets would be most useful. I knew that I wanted to help because I am able physically and had the time. On the surface of it this felt like a ‘no brainer’ When you look a little deeper, I wanted to help because I have been raised a Quaker and have a strong sense of what I feel is the right thing to do but also I have a strong sense of when I am being pulled or led to do something. I wouldn’t have been moved to do so much research and act so quickly if it wasn’t a leading, and all the pieces wouldn’t have fallen in to place so simply for my travels if others hadn’t recognised that leading within me. Both my trips have been funded predominantly by Quakers, the first time by supporting meetings and individuals and the second time by Ffriends donating to my crowd funding page.

The arrivals in Kos while I was there were sometimes none and sometimes 300 + and they will only increase as the weather gets warmer. The crossing with the right weather and equipment is not a perilous one, one of the reasons it is the chosen route is the relative kindness of the sea. However the death toll continues to rise on a weekly basis. There are few things as stressful as driving up and down a stretch of beach trying to find a wrecked boat that may have survivors. However something that I have seen surprise and confuse new volunteers regularly is the fact that new arrivals are often not obviously traumatised and do not respond well to saccharine sympathy!  It turns out that these refugees are people and respond to a stressful situation in their own individual ways.

Our tragedies and traumas do not define us, the mark us yes, but define us? No.

Tragedy does not strip us of our autonomy, individuality or normality. Shelter, food, sex and sleep are not our basic needs. Familiarity and comfort are basic; anger, music, make up and games are basic.

To help someone mid high stress is an acquired skill, it requires a practiced art.

Try not an approach of saviour

 ‘you poor wretched thing, reach for my hand and be healed for I have that of god in me’.

Try instead

“Would you like a biscuit?”

“Have you heard this song?”

“Here, you can use my hairbrush.”

“Have a cigarette, here...”

 “Would you like to help me sort these clothes?”

And sometimes

“That’s really shit, I’m sorry that happened to you.”

It’s easy to think of refugees as one body and in quite simple terms, 'those poor refugees' or 'those bloody refugees' but actually and of course unsurprisingly, they are just people, some of them are lovely, some are cynical, some beat their wives, some are gay, some are wheeler dealers, some are doctors, some are Muslim, some are Christian and they aren't all grateful but when they are it is lovely. You let them take a selfie with you, you try to make them laugh and you remember their names. People are people, it is what it is.

There is no doubt I will be back here in Kos to continue helping with the good work this wonderful organisation does however I can’t help but feel that there is always more and bigger things to be done. Whether it’s in the news or not this problem isn't going away and with added pressure on Greece to close their borders and the mounting negative attitude to refugees of any sort in Europe I think it’s only going to get bigger. It’s easy to feel small and useless these days but my experience is testament to the fact that even the smallest group of organised people can make a difference! I would encourage anyone who is feeling led to make a small difference, to put their faith in to action, to tell others about what you want to do and to go and do it.

Faith, Power and Peace

Friends - a short holiday from the more traditional theme of this blog as I wanted to share my experiences from some courses related to peace, non violence and militarism.

Last May Diana Francis gave the Swarthmore Lecture, an annual lecture given at the national yearly meeting of Quakers in Britain. She gave it on the theme, Faith, Power and Peace. You can listen to her lecture here.

I sat and listened, and for me it was an experience that I am struggling to find ways to describe – it felt like I was alone in a room and Diana was talking directly to me, I remember it finishing and suddenly becoming aware of this room filled to the edges with Friends.

I feel very blessed to have been able to support Diana Francis and Steve Whiting from Turning the Tide as they put together 3 courses for Woodbrooke building on the themes for the lecture.

• ·         Violence, Non Violence and the Power to Transform
• ·         From Militarisation to Peace
• ·         Speaking up Speaking Out.

There are quite a few upsides to my job, but these three courses and the experience of watching Diana and Steve work together was one I feel very lucky to have had.

Three courses gave us the opportunity to look at the themes in some depth, and to build close relationships among participants; we had some attend all three courses and some attend one or two.

I learnt a lot over these weekends, not just about what we mean by peace and the dynamics of peace and power but I learnt about myself and I learnt about groups and how they work.

One participant commented the preparation for these courses was the lifetime witness of these Friends. This was so evident to me, they shared some of their life and their ministry in peace making with us over these courses. We do have an excellent opportunity at Woodbrooke for Friends to share a little of their passion and love with us and I am full of gratitude.

What will I take away from these courses? What did I learn?

I learnt about the importance of process; of setting ground rules and following them, of managing expectations but allowing for flexibility and to be surprised by something.

I learnt that to look at peace ‘out there’ I must look at peace inside of me; to acknowledge the way I am, the culture I have grown up in, the power dynamics I am used to.

It was a reminder of how little I know about current situations aside from what I hear from mainstream media, and acknowledging this is only one part of the picture.

I kept on coming back to the need to unpick the dominant narrative and to tackling the persistent untruths.

But perhaps the most important message I could take was that these issues I care about, militarism, climate change, economic justice – it’s not enough for me to say I care about them, I need to do something about it. My response won’t be the same as yours, we will all find our own way to speak and act in response to these issues but these experiences of coming together to share, to learn, to listen and to find ways of acting are precious. 

These courses have reawakened my mind to the rising tide of militarism in our society, perhaps for a world that is preparing for a world in which resources are scarce and we feel we need to defend or fight for access. If as Friends, our experience leads us to an understanding that each ‘is unique, precious, a child of God’ then we need to do something.

The next event Woodbrooke is holding on Militarisation is in February 2016 – looking at Militarisation in our schools, in the media and in our community. If you would like to join us, details are here. 

My part in the pilgrimage to Paris.

Reflections

'Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.' 
George Fox 1656

This passage from George Fox is one of my favorites in Quaker Faith and Practice.

To walk cheerfully answering that of God in everyone. Well last week I set off with 44 other pilgrims from St Martin in the Field towards Paris. I had planned and prepared to walk for a few days. The first day was through London and into Surrey. We set off after a service and it felt like a celebration.

We passed the Houses of Parliament, crossed the river, and a mile or so down the road were cheered by staff from the Christian Aid offices. Another mile on and perhaps the most touching part of the day was hearing singing as we walked down the road, as we approached, students from a primary school were on the road singing us on our way and playing instruments. They walked down the road with us to their local church where we gathered on the street for a second service.

Walking through London was incredible, one minute you are passing Big Ben, then through estates, parks, past students and commuters on their way home. Some commented, this is modern pilgrimage. It's not about a nice walk in the countryside, this is life - its business parks as well as fields. There is no hiding, you walk through it all.

On the way we stopped at churches for lunch, afternoon break and then for sleep and this was a pattern to be repeated. So many offered so much time and hospitality and it all added to the community and sense of pilgrimage.

As we walked through London, I thought about something I had written in my first blog, that this was an organised pilgrimage because any walk could be a pilgrimage. I now feel that any walk can be but not every walk is, there is something about walking with others for a shared purpose. It is something else.

We woke up the following morning to the news of the attacks in Paris, suddenly Paris wasn't just the final destination or the the location of the climate change talks. Everything changed. It was a rainy day, and one of the longest walks. We set off after short prayers and after expressing sadness and shock, there wasn't much else anyone could say. We were informed that a decision would be made in the next few days about what would happen and how far we would go in terms of the pilgrimage. It was a head down and walk kind of a day.

I am home now, earlier than anticipated because on day 1 I managed to not notice a blister and it had popped before I knew it, I struggled to put my shoe on day 2 and so with tears welling behind my eyes said I had to withdraw. I could sense all those feelings that bubble up inside me, and inside I called myself a failure and then felt guilty for thinking that on such a day.

One of my personal challenges is to think less negatively about myself and not compare my efforts with others. I must do what love requires of me, and in this case love required me to walk and walk I did. Sometimes what love requires of us isn't what we can do or what we want to do, its what we have to do.

The experience will stay with me, although I feel inadequate to find words. A few lasting memories will be the sense of community, the feelings of embodying my witness, a talk on the Pope's Encyclical Laudato Si on the second evening and the sense of comfort and discomfort of following one of those nudges from God.

My plan now is to give my foot some time to heal and then to continue and to do a walk every day of the pilgrimage to be with the group in heart and spirit.

Climate Change connects us all, affects us all. Those meeting at the UN talks need strength and encouragement to make the decisions the world needs and so whatever you do, I urge you to do something. I shall continue to walk, to attend local events and talks and to pray.

My last morning I awoke early, I have never seen a cross appear as if out of nowhere,  but this morning I saw a cross as light came through the drawn curtains. A cross with an extra line as if forming an arrow pointing in.

An arrow pointing inward towards Jesus, maybe it was just early in the morning but this felt like a clear sign. Keep listening, keep doing. The world needs both the comtemplatives and the prophetics amongst us.

To follow the pilgrims, search #pilgrimage2paris on twitter, and here for you tube videos from Operation Noah. 

Thanks to everyone for your love support and encouragement. 

Packing and Preparing

I have started to pack as we depart on Friday.

We have been sent a kit list which I have gone through, it doesn't all relate to me, as I won't be going through to Paris so I don't need to pack my passport. I have taken note of the need for waterproofs!

I am not sure if I feel ready, but perhaps that is just the way it goes. Are we ever fully prepared for anything? I have continued with my walking and swimming and I have looked for other kinds of resources to keep me going.

On the Peoples Pilgrimage website I have found some prayers and spiritual statements which I plan on taking with me.

One is from Thich Nhat Hanh

Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth.
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
We have caused a lot of damage to the Earth.
Now it is time for us to take good care of her.
We bring peace and calm to the surface of the Earth and share the lesson of love. 
We walk in the spirit.

And so as the butterflys in my stomach heighten I shall depend on these kind of resources, and knowing that there will be people thinking of us all.

I am looking forward to meeting others, to trying something new and to being one small part in the massive preparations ahead of the talks in Paris.

If you would like to hear updates as we walk, I shall endeavour to tweet from @maudward on twitter . I shall also be on instagram under the same name. Otherwise I will write something here on my return.

Please not that...

If you are at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre ahead of and during the Climate Talks in Paris you can write a message of support and encouragement to those meeting and we will send those messages on.

Under 3 weeks to go – Pilgrimage 2 Paris

Last week was what you might call a bad week, I have a condition which can result in fatigue and pain, and last week it reminded me of what it is capable of. I was out for the count, my legs wouldn’t work, my brain was fuzzy, and the slightest movement was riddled with pain, like I said it was a bad week.

Suffice to say I did not do much walking, other than from my bed to the sofa and back to the bed again. Days like that are tough, they are tough physically and they are tough mentally.  I began to doubt if participating in the organised pilgrimage to Paris was the right decision, those doubts stay with me, although I have since got back out there and done a few shorter walks to get myself back in the game.

Yesterday I was speaking to a dear friend, one of those people who just turn up on the exact day you need them and say the words you need to hear. She spoke of going on a pilgrimage recently, one of the many as a part of The People's Pilgrimage. She spoke about the nature of a walk with purpose and the joy she experienced as some joined their pilgrimage for the 2 days they walked and others who joined for a few minutes or a few hours and how that natural ebb and flow to her was as natural as the ebb and flow of our world.  She helped me realise that all I need to do is walk, for however long I am able and so I will. 

I will walk, and I will walk as long as I can.

One of the things I could do last week was peruse the internet looking for bits and pieces to get me in the mood. I read about Friends of the Earth organising trains and accommodation for those going to Paris, I saw articles on the BBC about the negotiations, I caught up on plans for a march in London during the talks and I was drawn to for the love of website where they are asking people to upload an image of what matters to you.

'If you love it, share it' 'Climate Change threatens the things you love about the world. But if you give your heart to speak up for them, you will help to make a difference' fortheloveof.org.uk

And so during the talks in Paris, we shall have hearts here at Woodbrooke for you to fill in and write a message, we can then uploads images of these to their website. You can also upload your images directly. Let us send a message of strength to be courageous to make the decisions and commitments we need for the future of people and planet.

And so, back to practice practice practice.

Pilgrimage to Paris - preparations begin.

I have not written anything for a long time. I apologise. This will be the first of a few posts ahead of the UN Climate Talks in Paris. 

In under a month I am going to be walking my first pilgrimage, or perhaps I should say organised pilgrimage.

I have to say that having gone to a talk a few years ago on pilgrimage where it was suggested every walk was a pilgrimage and I haven’t yet thought that one through.

It’s called Pilgrimage 2 Paris, and the pilgrimage will end up in Paris ahead of the UN Climate Talks. I am only going to take part in the UK bit, from London to Newhaven.  

It has been organised by The Church of England, Christian Aid, CAFOD and Tearfund. It will begin on 13^th November and complete on the 27^th November ahead of the talks.

I applied having heard about it during an ecumenical service on a mass lobby of parliament on climate justice and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Call it a nudge from a God if you like, I felt pushed by something to go on the website and apply.

I spoke with one of the organisers and we talked through some details, including that it would be approximately 12-15 miles a day. At this, I paused a little. It’s been a few years since I have done a walk of this length so I took a few days to think and to walk and see how it felt. I managed 10 miles and I was exhausted but I survived so I called back and said yes, I’ll give it a go.  

So I have been getting ready, taking the longer route to work, walking around the area, popping out in my lunch break to walk around the block and heading out at the weekends for longer walks with my husband.  It occurred to me on a walk this morning, how essential the preparation is, not just in terms of fitness and stamina but also preparing my mind and spirit.

This pilgrimage is about the UN talks in Paris, but nothing is ever just one thing. This past year I have experienced some lows and whilst I work out how if ever I can admit to the vulnerability and sadness I have experienced, I am able to put one foot in front of the other and walk.  And whilst I am walking I am letting my mind wander, from the very personal to the international.

And so it’s doing a few things for me, walking is helping me process some of my ‘stuff’. I am discovering there is a whole largely undiscovered neighbourhood on my doorstep as I veer away from my usual routes and take a different path. And I am embracing the opportunity to respond to my concerns about climate justice in a different way. I’ve been to talks, I’ve read, watched and shared. I’ve protested and prayed and I’ve organised. Now I am walking.

Here are a couple of photos, taken out and about.

However you choose to respond to climate change, I urge you to do something whether it’s to attend or organise a talk, to educate yourself, to be a part of a vigil, to listen and support those who are very involved, to make changes in your lives and the way you run your homes, by talking to your MP. It is the issue of the time and it connects to everything. Ignoring it will not make it go away.

So please stay posted, I will add updates as I prepare and then during the pilgrimage I will do my best to keep you in touch with how we are doing.  

Global Day of Action

This Sunday, the 21st September 2014, people are coming together from across the world to demonstrate their commitment to climate justice. A Global Day of Action. 

A Day of Action because two days following, Heads of State will be meeting for a summit on the Climate. 

I wanted to write 'yet another summit' but being cynical about it, won't change anything or make me feel any better. Perhaps it was a good time to read this article calling for people to get to the march in New York. 

I am not going to go to New York, nor am I going to London. I shall be joining those in Birmingham. 

On the PeoplesClimate website, I liked the following

'We know that no single meeting or summit will “solve climate change” and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit. We want this moment to be about us – the people who are standing up in our communities, to organise, to build power, to confront the power of fossil fuels, and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.'

I used to go on marches and actions a lot more than I do now. For health reasons recently I have not felt as confident but I am getting my confidence back. These marches or days of action changed me more than anything. They inspired me to keep going, to work together with others. I remember a vigil outside parliament during the vote on Trident and I had such an array of emotions; peace, powerful, powerlessness, frustration and hope among what I am sure were many more. At the end of the vigil I felt alive and refreshed, invigorated to do more. 

There is something about bearing witness in the place witness needs to be born. This Sunday, for me, that is in Birmingham. For you, that might be in London, or where you live? Perhaps you will engage online with others that way. 

In my mind, every day is a global action for day, we can change the world everyday through our interaction with others, through our choices and actions. Having said that I don't think it hurts to be a part of a global day of solidarity, to come together and to do something that says, here we are, bearing witness to our commitment to climate justice. That making changes in our own lives is vital but that being a part of a movement demanding systemic change is as vital. 

There are lots of websites that you can look at for more information about Sunday, here are a few

Quakers in Britain

Operation Noah

Friends of the Earth

Peoples Climate

Greenpeace

Peace One Day

Avaaz

There is a shared statement from Quaker groups - Facing the Challenge of Climate Change

There's more to a label than size and make - or is there?

Last week, I met Edwina at the event - Transforming Ourselves, Transforming the System - here she showed me her article on sustainability and the fashion industry. What follows, is a short introduction and then her article. 

I am a student of textiles at Norwich University of Arts and a Member of Bury St Edmunds Meeting. My work combines tradition with new technology, natural dyes with digital print, hand stitch with resist and foil. Sustainability is an important aspect of my practice and my inspiration is often the forest that surrounds my home. The dyes are extracted from the plants and trees and my drawings are developed into designs for digital print technology. The Kimono is proving to be a good context for my work and while respecting its history I have developed a range of designs which are intended for use as screens or hangings but can always be worn and enjoyed. My research for this degree investigated the ethical practice and sustainability of the Fashion Industry and part of the research was to write an article for Quakers about the importance of understanding what lies behind the label.

Edwina Hughes

THERE’S MORE TO A LABEL THAN SIZE AND MAKE – OR IS THERE?

The Clerk’s notes on the Canterbury Commitment asks individual Friends ‘to keep informed about the work being done locally, centrally and throughout the Quaker world and to educate themselves’  (Religious Society of Friends 2011)  ) about our commitment to conserve the earth’s resources and be responsible for one another. We have used the Sustainability Toolkit to learn, to evaluate and to take action so that our buildings, energy consumption, water usage, travel, product consumption and waste are low carbon and sustainable. There is practical information for the investment and use of our money but there are many everyday purchases where we do not have the information to make the best choice for the Earth. Clothing constitutes a regular purchase for many people. In most cases the label provides the main information but shows the brand, the size and possibly country of origin but little else. By being informed the label CAN tell us more!

Garment labels became the focus of the world’s attention after the Rana Plaza fire as they provided indisputable truth about the brands who were using this factory

The tragedy has forced apparel retailers and brands to take a closer look at how, and where, their products are made. There were discussions about making the label more informative but little action. The Ethical trading Initiative (ETI) were involved and this organisation aims to ensure that all products for the UK market meet international standards for ethical practice. Members include M&S, Monsoon, River Island and John Lewis and the full list of members can be accessed on their web site ww.ethicaltrade.org/about-eti/our-members. The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) set up in 2006 works in the same way but targets the fashion industry and provides a ‘Global Platform for a Sustainable Fashion Toolkit’ (Ethical fashion Forum 2012)  offering its members an in-depth evaluation of best practice to achieve sustainable fashion. The attention of the media often results in consumer pressure for ethical change.

Sustainability is an aspect of the fashion industry targeted by the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) and there are 10 principals that members have to adhere to achieve full membership. WFTO does provide the customer with a search engine to access the list of members who have a ‘commitment to eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development’ (World Fair Trade Organisation 2013). The FAIRTRADE Mark is known for its guarantee of sustainability which means that clothing with this label (see fig 8) is made with 100% cotton grown and produced where ethical and sustainable development are the central focus of trade. Their research shows that in 2011 ‘7 in 10 UK households purchased a product carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark’ (Fair Trade Foundation 2012) and since the UK launch in 2005 the sale of garments rose to 20 million in 2011. This seems to indicate a growing awareness by the public of the importance of sustainability and there is a growing trend to make the Fair Trade label available on the High Street.

Fig 8 Fair Trade label

The People Tree label have developed their brand and have taken the ideals of the FAIRTRADE Mark a step further for the customer by developing the first supply chain for organic cotton from farm to final retail product. They have been working with Fair trade farmers to provide a ‘new kind of sustainable fashion’ (People Tree 2001) where the customer is guaranteed that all aspects of the garment have been produced sustainably not just the cotton. Recent initiatives have led to designers becoming involved resulting in People Tree labelled clothing being available in the High Street stores of Laura Ashley and the Oxford Street branch of Topshop. For the customer understanding the brand policy behind the product is crucial to recognising labels which offer sustainable clothing.

The results of the questionnaire (Appendix 2) into clothing showed that the most used purchase mode across all groups is the High Street stores. A majority of Quakers chose Marks & Spencer as their first choice. But High Street stores do not always offer background information about their garments as I found out when I visited some of the more popular shops. In Debenhams, Gap and River Island the staff did not know if their garments had been made ethically or anything about their policy on sustainability. In fact it was only the staff in Topshop who were able to show me their organic range, their Made in the UK range (see Fig 9) and were informative about their policy for ethical standards. This first hand approach takes time but there are other ways to discover retailers’ credibility.

Fig 9. Topshop Made in UK label

Organisations who evaluate the trading of retailers and make that information available to the customer can be found online. My research has enabled me to use these web sites and identify those large retailers who are working towards a supply chain where ethical practice is inherent and sustainability traceable from seed to product. Smaller traders who have these ideals inherent in their business often rely on an online trading. Many of them are listed on the web site of Style with Heart.  ‘While there are many companies on the high street working hard to catch up with the green and ethical agenda, the companies you will find listed here were created with strong values from their inception’ (Style with Heart 2014). One of the most impressive brands on the list, who opened their first shop in 2013, is Rapanui in Sandown, Isle of Wight. All their leisure clothing and products are 100% traceable in other words the customer can access detailed information from seed to manufacture to shop and the labels (see Fig 10) they use grade the garment from organic, ethical and sustainable through seven levels. But it does prove that online information is vital for informed shopping.

Fig 10 Rapanui label with grades

Labour behind the Label (LbL) is the most active organisation to address the level of ethical practice in the fashion industry. Their Annual Report Let’s Clean Up Fashion (Label behind the Label 2013) produced since 2006 looks at and identifies retailers who are working to improve ethical practice in their supply chains. They name brands such as Debenhams who declined to give any information, retailers George at Asda, Clarks, Debenhams, John Lewis, Laura Ashley and Sainsbury’s who ‘had not provided concrete information about any plans to address the living wage issue’ (Label behind the Label 2011) and Next, Monsoon and Marks & Spencer for their projects which do address working conditions in their supply chains. The report also recognise the improvements made by the retailer but overall they state that progress with all retailers has been slow. This Report is an interesting source of information for the customer who wants to know more about the ethical concerns of the High Street fashion retailers.

The lack of information available to the customer on most labels in the fashion industry must be addressed if we want to continue our quest to conserve the earth’s resources and be responsible for one another. At Made in a Free World they believe that ‘changing the world takes everyone … individuals, groups, and businesses working together to disrupt slavery and make freedom go viral; … to get slavery out of our system’ (Made in a Free World 2011). Ethical practice and sustainability is embedded in our Testimonies and continually referred to in Quaker Faith and Practice so buying from the fashion industry needs our attention. If the label does not help us to achieve this then the onus is on the individual to take action by educating ourselves, by making a choice where we shop and by understanding that there is more to a label than brand, size and make.

           

UK Floods: This changes everything

This post comes from Tim Gee - a link to his regular blog is at the bottom of this post. 

UK Floods: This changes everything. 

This changes everything. Or at least it should. Perhaps it should have done long before, when the hurricane hit Haiti, or when a report revealed 400,000 people a year dying due to climate change, or even when the first major UK campaign on climate change kicked off back in 1989. But we don’t live in the world as it should be. If we did, the floods wouldn't be happening in the way they are, and our climate would be stabilising.

Nestled behind the temporary safety of the Thames Barrier, my house didn't flood last week. But reading the reports of the countryside underwater, my heart sank, turning to anger at the pictures of politicians in wellington boots, trying their best to look concerned in the midst of the problem they collectively failed to solve and contributed to creating. 

They say that when you drown your life flashes before your eyes. It may well be true, because even reading about the floods made 15 years of climate activism flash before mine. From the first inklings of environmental consciousness on the residents’ march against the second runway at Manchester Airport to the present fight against fracking. Every struggle has been about facing down different ills – noise, harm to nature, local pollution. But sitting above them all is the recognition that more dirty infrastructure leads to more climate change, which in turn leads to the kinds of extreme weather events we're beginning to see now. 

Of course, the pedants can argue that it's difficult to prove that this flood here was because of that pollution there. But that fact remains that the scientists have consistently warned that more climate change will lead to more extreme weather. It's a message we'll need to repeat again and again.

As the memories keep flooding back, most of all I'm taken back to a conversation with a stranger on a bus in Copenhagen on the final day of the 2009 climate talks there. My arm in a sling - having been beaten by a police officer the previous day – the stranger asked what we would do if the politicians failed to stop climate change and the effects got worse. It wasn't a question I'd considered before. I responded that we'd work for justice with the worst affected communities, to stop the effects from hitting them so hard, and keep working to stop the process of climate change intensifying. With the news this month - and especially the many unreported tragedies outside of the wealthy South East - it feels as though that time may now be up on us.

Like me, my grandfather was a lifetime activist, although his work was principally for peace. But when the world descended into war, he didn't just step aside. As many other Quakers did, he joined the Friends Ambulance Unit, committing to practical tending of casualties on the ground. Some pacifists were critical, calling it a process of clearing up the mess rather than tackling the causes, and even seeing it as counterproductive, as it involved liaising with various armies. But the experience served to strengthen - rather than water down – his pacifist convictions, and the project was a factor in the Quakers being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a few years later. Many commentators have called our current crisis a world war moment. If it is, then those of us skeptical of authoritarian solutions need to ask what a transformative response should be.

And that's why this changes everything, not for the media and politicians who will continue to focus on the concerns of the rich, but for us. It is clear that the onset of climate change even further demonstrates need for a radically different form of politics and economics, but it also suggests the need for us – the activists – to ask ourselves some difficult questions about how we get there: 

Some of us have learned how to work with our communities against site-based dirty infrastructure, but how do we work differently when the effects are dispersed? Some of us have learned how to block roads, but do we know how to unblock drains? Some of us have suffered at the hands of the police, but can we reach an understanding with the emergency services so that the maximum number of people can be helped? And reflecting on the emotional distress that most people encounter in the context of site-battles, how can we prepare ourselves inwardly – even spiritually - for situations still more intense? And perhaps most importantly of all, how can we work with people affected by extreme weather to stand against the process of climate change which is magnifying the scale of the weather events in the first place? 

These and more are questions we'll need to answer as a movement in the coming days and weeks. No doubt the weather will drop from the headlines at some point, but if the scientists are right - as they seem to have been so far – the climate has already begun to change. Perhaps it is time for us to do so too.

--
I blog here 

Divestment Campaign

Last week I was at Birmingham University for the Fossil Free Tour - put together by 350.org, People and Planet and Operation Noah. The Fossil Free Tour is travelling the world spreading the word to divest from fossil free companies.

I went for a few reasons,

- I went because of the recent decision by Quakers in Britain to divest from fossil fuels.

- I went because to be honest, I hadn't been to an event of this kind for a while and I wanted to hear more about the campaign and to see who else was there.

- I went because I wanted to be inspired.

Bill Mckibben was the draw, the headline speaker, the inspiration. He spoke about the international campaign to divest from fossil fuels. He spoke about 'doing the math'. That the share prices of fossil fuel companies are based on fuel that should never, can never be allowed to be extracted. To extract this fuel goes against even the most conservative of estimates.

Bill Mckibben's words describe it far more eloquently.

'The divestment campaign is based on the belief that if we are to stay below 2°C of warming, we cannot emit more than 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the future. Fossil fuel companies have more than five times that amount in coal, oil and gas reserves.'
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/bill-mckibben-fossil-fuel-divestment-campaign-climate

A short trailer has been produced which can be seen here  Bill Mckibben - Do the Math

What we need, Bill Mckibben said, was Energy Companies - not Fossil Fuel companies. And to this end we must divest, take away their financial and political power. As a Quaker I could feel the saying 'Speak Truth to Power' singing through my veins. He spoke about those who have already taken this step and as he mentioned Quakers in Britain - it felt to me like we were beginning to live up to our commitment to become a low carbon sustainable community. Bill McKibben said Quakers in Britain 'had put their money where their mouths are' I hope others will divest and that this campaign continues to build momentum.

He showed a number of images during the presentation, these are the two that have stayed with me. These photos are from the 350 flickr photostream.

350.org (Join the Dots)

This first picture from Haiti was one that Bill McKibben made special mention to. The words on the paper say 'Your actions affect me'  He repeated these words 'Your actions affect me'.

I can only hope that these words come true for the Divestment campaign. I hope our actions affect the Fossil Fuel companies.

We must remember this is not the first time divestment has been used, and we were reminded of these examples on the night. From groups who have divested to make a difference, and they did!

350.org (Join the Dots)

This second image is the one I can't stop thinking about, and its because just as it came on screen, Bill Mckibben said something like, 'you'd have thought they have other things on their minds'. I think that statement could be true for everyone. I am lucky in my personal circumstances however I still manage to fill my mind with all sorts of worries and thoughts but the dangers of climate change are ever present, I am constantly thinking about the future of our planet and of humanity. This campaign provides a focus, an opportunity for an effective international campaign. We must all take responsibility for our own lives and actions - but we must also speak truth to power. This is one way to do just that!

Quakers to disinvest from fossil fuels

It has been a while since I posted, I apologise. This post is to let everyone know about the recent commitment Quakers made to disinvest from fossil fuels.

Below is a copy of the press release, this can also be found on the Quakers in Britain website. Within the text is a link to the Quaker briefing 'Ending fossil fuel dependency'.

News Release8 October 2013

Quakers to disinvest from fossil fuels

Quakers in Britain today (8 October) took steps to disinvest from companies engaged in extracting fossil fuels. The decision was taken by their Investment Committee, under responsibilities devolved by the Trustees.Quakers say that investing in companies which are engaged in fossil fuel extraction is incompatible with their commitment made in 2011 to become a sustainable low-carbon community. Since then they have been speaking out to create pressure in the UK for an energy system and economy that does not rely on fossil fuels.The decision follows the publication of a Quaker briefing Ending fossil fuel dependency [new window].Quakers have been praised by the environmental campaign group, Operation Noah, for being the first Christian denomination to divest from fossil fuel extraction. Operation Noah’s recent report, Bright Now, says “For the sake of humanity’s survival, we cannot afford to invest in fossil fuels any longer.”The move is backed by overwhelming support from Quakers all round the country who attended Quakers’ Meeting for Sufferings (their representative decision-making body) at the weekend. That meeting heard that Britain Yearly Meeting, as the body of Quakers is formally known, currently has about £21 million invested in the stock market, including in Statoil and BG Group. As at 30 September this year BG Group represents 2.73 percent of the portfolio by value, while Statoil accounted for 1.12 percent. Trustees, who oversee this investment, are to review their entire investment policy.The minute of the meeting recording their wish to disinvest said: “We want to invest in renewable energy and energy-saving schemes. Action we will take as individuals, as meetings and as Britain Yearly Meeting Trustees should aim to minimise damage and strengthen our advocacy position.“We have expressed our difficulties, especially since we all depend in many ways on fossil fuels, but we need to make positive steps towards the change we want to see,” the minute concluded.Local Quaker Meetings are being encouraged to engage in these issues, especially during Ethical Investment Week [13 to 19 October].

Ends

Notes to editors

• Quakers are known formally as the Religious Society of Friends.

• Around 23,000 people attend nearly 475 Quaker meetings in Britain. Their commitment to equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth challenges them to seek positive social and legislative change.

• Read more on Quaker work to end fossil fuel dependency on www.quaker.org.uk/speak-out

Resilience - our resilience and that of our community

Personal Resilience

Sometimes you see people click, the conversation flows, they are animated and engaged, their faces smile. Human interaction, when it is positive fills me with joy, people are happy and I am seeing before me glimmers of the grace of God.

But it’s not always good, sometimes, often, interaction is negative – people get hurt, or worse. In the past I wanted to face this straight on, I determinedly set out to prove how much good there was in the world, for every negative experience I would aim to build more friendships, more dialogue, more campaigns, and more petitions against injustice.

I feel like human interaction is at the core of all, if we valued the human, would we live in a way that was detrimental to others, would we drive gas guzzling vehicles knowing that it was creating a world where millions would suffer the adverse effects of climate change, would we continue to eat foods that were high carbon, out of season, food that had travelled across the world, food that was handpicked because it looked the right colour or the right shape whilst food with so called imperfections are discarded.

These days I feel like I am walking a tightrope, sometimes I want to close my door as it gives me the illusion of feeling safe. The reality is I don’t feel safe, I won’t feel safe unless I fight for the world I want to live in. This week, that world includes one where legal aid isn’t cut, where we save the artic, where people don’t incite racial hatred, where the richer don’t get richer and the poorer don’t get poorer.

I need to be a part of the positive human interaction because I need to be filled with at least a few glimmers of the grace of God.

Community Resilience

At work, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, where I am the Faith in Action Tutor, we have been talking about resilience, how resilient do we feel? Are we a part of resilient communities? I think my answer to this question, would have to begin with the consideration of whether or not I belong to a community and if I do – which ones and how involved I am in each.

If you feel a part of a community, I believe you can feel empowered to do all sorts of things, perhaps we feel a little braver, more adventurous, willing to take risks knowing that we are not acting alone. Perhaps we feel we can achieve change when working together. If I consider taking action on Climate Change, I might feel like my actions have no impact – but if I consider my actions along with others in my communities and those taking action on Climate Change then suddenly my impact becomes part of a bigger picture.

If we don’t feel a part of a community, or that the community does not feel resilient to hold us – then what? Do we become isolated? Detached? Are we less likely to take action as we don’t feel supported by one another?

However working within community is a challenge in itself, communities aren’t places where we all think the same and would be led to the same action. There is always a need to communicate with one another, to be clear in our own convictions without drowning out the ideas of others.

This is only the very beginning of this conversation.  Resilience is going to be a theme for some of our Woodbrooke courses in 2014 (in particular), if you are interested – please get in touch. The brochure for 2014 will be available late autumn. 

Low Carbon and Minute 36

This is the final guest blog from John Gray, in a series exploring British Quakers’ “Minute 36” commitment to become a low carbon sustainable community www.quaker.org.uk/creating- just-and-sustainable-world. 
Previous postings addressed Community, and Sustainable; this third article takes a look at Low carbon. John attends Friargate Quaker meeting in York.


Carbon matters because of our addiction to finite fossil fuels, and because of the significant influence of greenhouse gases on climate change. Going low carbon tackles these two related issues: a low carbon economy and behaviours increase energy security and help to mitigate the effects of climate change.

There’s no measurable number in “Low”, so the emphasis at this early stage in the Minute 36 or Canterbury Commitment must first be lower carbon: let’s make a start on what we can do, without worrying too much about exactly how we need to reduce by.

Back in the heady days of December 2009, at the time of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, there were still hopes of holding the increase in global average temperature below 2 °C or 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. That now looks increasingly unlikely: see, for example, http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v3/n1/full/nclimate1783.html

I remember in 2010 waking up one morning and thinking, We’re not going to make that 2 ⁰C limit. That realisation wasn’t a place of inward despair, but rather it felt like an acceptance of an unwelcome but real truth: from now on I would view a rise above 2 ⁰C as part of the context within which we are now living - with all its desperately serious consequences. As the journal article referenced above coldly notes: “We find that current emission trends continue to track scenarios that lead to the highest temperature increases.”

It’s important to keep hold of hope. This Vaclav Havel quote keeps me going:

" I understand [hope] above all as a state of mind, not a state of the world … Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed."

Or try Paul Hawken’s Commencement Address to the University of Portland Class of 2009:

“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.”

In the face of the probability of a 2 ⁰C rise, and given increasing globalisation and its climate consequences, it’s no wonder people wonder why they should bother taking action.

But there are many logical as well as spiritual justifications, and here are a few:

If we learn how to live lower carbon lifestyles at an individual level, then that makes action more likely and more possible within families, and within our local communities (such as neighbourhoods or our Quaker meetings), and then in the organisations we support or work in, in wider societies, in governments, and in countries. It’s like a ladder: if we don’t take the step of acting individually, the other steps are far less likely to happen.

Continuing the step image: to imagine a world without weapons, what would be the penultimate step we'd have to take before we achieved that world? And what would be the step before that?, and before that?, back to where we stand today. Similarly, if we imagine a truly self-sufficient world, we are not able now to leap straight to it, but we can imagine the step of individual action as being an important part of reaching it – and as that is achieved, like stepping stones, the next step becomes possible to reach.

There’s a parallel from the earliest Friends’ internal debates about slave-holding and slave-trading. Two key arguments were the Golden Rule (do to others as you would like to be done to yourself), and that the slave trade depended on violence and was thus contrary to Friends’ peace testimony.

The same arguments could be applied today: we would not wish ourselves to experience the consequences of significant global warming, yet many around the world are already doing so (300,000 deaths a year, and 3 million people affected each year attributed to climate change, according to research by Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum – and that was a study in 2009). And there’s no doubting the violence endemic in our profit-driven globalised economy.

The change we seek within Minute 36 will take time, and many more people of course than just the Quakers. It’s less than two years since the Commitment was made and we need not to default into a “let’s beat ourselves up” mindset – though action is still urgently needed. After all, it took Quakers in America a hundred and one years from when in 1657 George Fox first wrote about slavery in the colonies, to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1758 making slave-trading an enforceable breach of Quaker discipline.

Statistics and scientific predictions can reduce us to guilt-ridden despair. It seems essential to me that we ground any action not in fear, obligation, or from a place of separation from people and planet; but to act out of love, joy, and connection to people and planet. It’s why books such as Keith Farnish’s Time’s Up encourages us to start by nurturing that deep connection. Acting as though people and planet matter is effectively a spiritual practice.

As a part of that spiritual practice, we can “practise giving up”, as Pam Lunn puts it in Costing Not Less Than Everything. We can usefully get used to doing with less, and so build our own and others’ resilience, in anticipation of disruption to infrastructure and services. When roads are closed because of the weather; when we can’t fly because of volcanic ash; when in the face of all protests a post office is closed and fewer services are available locally – “treat this as practice” for the future. When the British winter went on and on - and on! - earlier this year, and newspapers carried reports of the country about to run out of heating gas, there was an opportunity to practice self-rationing gas usage (if you missed it, other opportunities to practice will arise).The island of Eigg community, which has its own electricity grid and at times needs everyone on the island to self-regulate their usage, shows what is possible when people really get the link between the availability of resources and their use.

So I’m full of hope – for the future, and for Minute 36. I do not doubt the importance of action, and the centrality of Minute 36 to modern Quaker practice and values. Perhaps one day Quakers will be as well-known for their sustaining of and relationship with the planet we live on, as they are currently celebrated for their abolitionist past.

Sustainability and Minute 36

This is the second guest blog from John Gray, in a series exploring British Quakers’“Minute 36” commitment to become a low carbon sustainable community
www.quaker.org.uk/creating- just-and-sustainable-world. 

This article explores the second element of the commitment: sustainability. 

Sustainability

What does sustainability mean in the context of Minute 36? What are we doing or would like to do that we can call sustainable? 

Out in the wider world, sustainable is often used by organisations or governments to describe environmentally-friendly practice. This sometimes means “We’re using less energy than we did before” or “We’re trying to do less harm than we did before”, or even “We’re trying to mitigate some of the harm that we nevertheless choose to continue to do.” 

A more sophisticated use of the word is to describe the conversion of economies or behaviours towards the targets needed to avoid catastrophic climate change. As we would need at least three planets for everyone to live a UK-equivalent lifestyle, the steps that humankind is currently taking are nowhere near big enough to justify calling them sustainable. 

Is there a better definition? 

To my mind, sustainability has a very pure meaning: if something is sustainable, it has the capacity to adapt and continue indefinitely. 

The 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, defined sustainable development as: 

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

This definition describes a pattern of behaviour which in theory could continue forever. However this definition views the earth and its resources from a human point of view: resources must be conserved because we need them for future (human) generations. In reality, though, we are part of the ecosystem, and one of many species. The definition makes no reference to the web of life of which we are part; it implies that resources are available primarily to keep our way of life going, at the expense of other species if necessary. 

A more recent definition of sustainable development feels to me to be a step forward: “Development that meets the needs of the present while safeguarding Earth’s life-support system, on which the welfare of current and future generations depends” (1) - though I’m still wary of that word “generations” if it’s only about humans. 

Sustainable lifestyles 

Whether or not these definitions are adequate, my sense is that they are weakened if we use sustainable for anything less than that which can exist or continue indefinitely. It is certainly weakened if it is used as greenwash or to imply that something is being done when in reality not enough is being done. 

So what do I say instead of sustainability when describing human economic or environmental activity? 

The closest I’ve got so far is the phrase ‘responsible practice’. By this I mean practice which takes into account the effect of our behaviours on people and planet. Essentially, this means how we use, process and dispose of the earth’s resources; but it also includes the impacts on biodiversity and on other human beings in relation to dignity, human rights and aspiration. 

We cannot halt immediately the damage that is being done, nor repair what is irreparable. But we can learn as much as we can about our impact – in human as well as ecological terms – and we can take as big steps as we possibly can, as quickly as we possibly can, to reduce and ultimately avoid those impacts. 

That for me is responsible behaviour from a global standpoint. It doesn’t rescue us in anyway – it leads us into evaluating and negotiating our practice, especially if we’re part of a community working out sustainability together; the conversations explored in last week’s article are inevitable and ultimately provide the way through. 

Another sustainability? 

To sustain something has another meaning too: to nourish or enliven something. 

Rather than thinking of sustainability as forever enabling us to consume resources, I hope one day we may use “sustainable” to describe human practice which truly nourishes and enlivens the earth. After all we have drawn from the planet, the time I think has come for more sustaining in return. 

 (1)    http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/redefining-sustainable-development-by-david-griggs