British Bishops Cut Carbon for Lent
Posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 4:13 pmIf you were planning on cutting chocolate, alcohol, or some other guilty pleasure for Lent, two British bishops would urge you to reconsider. Why not channel that energy into reducing your carbon footprint instead? Earth Ministry, an organization that aims to “inspire and mobilize the Christian Community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future,” has launched a blog on faith and the environment to provide tips and inspiration for your carbon “fast.”
Even if you don’t observe Lent, it never hurts to designate a period of time during which you make a particularly conscious effort to implement energy saving actions!
Lent Fast to Cut Carbon Emissions
From: BBC News
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Dr Chartres said “individual and collective action” was needed |
Two senior bishops are urging people to cut back on carbon for Lent instead of the conventional chocolate or alcohol. The Bishops of London and Liverpool, Dr Richard Chartres and James Jones, are launching the Carbon Fast at Trafalgar Square with aid agency Tearfund.
They hope to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint for 40 days.
The scheme aims to raise awareness of global warming to help protect poor communities around the world who are already affected by climate change.
Stark reality
The “fast” involves a simple energy saving action each day, including avoiding plastic bags, insulating the hot water tank and checking the house for draughts.
Bishop Jones, who is vice president of Tearfund, said: “It is the poor who are already suffering the effects of climate change.
“To carry on regardless of their plight is to fly in the face of Christian teaching.”
One Tearfund employee will camp outside the charity’s offices in Teddington for a week in an attempt to reduce his emissions to that of an average Malawian farmer.
Dr Chartres called for “individual and collective action”.
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Sir John Houghton, former Met Office chief executive |
The moral imperative for us to act is unquestionable and inescapable 
He said: “A whole host of scientific studies have made clear that it is no longer possible to find excuses for doing nothing.
“Nor is it enough to point the finger of blame at others and to demand that somebody should act for us.”
The campaign is also being backed by scientists and church leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
Sir John Houghton, former Met Office chief executive and first chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s scientific assessment said: “Climate change shows us that our energy-hungry lifestyles are harming our poorer neighbours across the world now.
“The moral imperative for us to act is unquestionable and inescapable.”
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For more information on faith-based environmental initiatives, check out the following organizations:
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
The Interfaith Power and Light CampaignÂ
US Conference of Catholic Bishops Environmental Justice Program
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL)
NPR also got wind of this story. Here’s the link to their audio clip: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764769
posted on February 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pmAnd still going strong for one more week — blogging on it over at my place
posted on March 13th, 2008 at 1:05 am