The 5Rs   

I am sure many of us can remember the mantra of the 3 Rs at school – reading, writing and arithmetic – mostly notable because it wouldn’t have got you 100% in your spelling test!!

Well now there are another 3 Rs to bear in mind – this time with a better spelling score – and these give us three practical lines of attack to living a sustainable lifestyle:

• Reduce the amount of the Earth's resources that we use.
• Reuse don't just bin it, could someone else make use of it?
• Recycle Can the materials be made into something new?

Just practising these 3 Rs on a day-to-day basis will make a difference but in my view this isn’t enough which is where my other two R’s come in.  As individuals and as a parish community we also need to Respect and Rethink.

 It is an interesting thought to consider that every person is an activist whether we realize it or not, because every choice we make changes the world. It is up to us to decide to be activists for healing or for suffering, for creating or for destroying. The first step towards creating a healthy world is to remember that conscious activism is ultimately about Self Respect. This is Respect that includes every living being in the web of life. When we reopen to this awareness of oneness, our actions immediately and joyously begin to change. We begin to Rethink our world and our place in it. Then the old mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle falls naturally into place in our hearts, minds, spirits, and actions.

It is clear from some of the early conversations that I have had with people following last month’s article that we have some challenges to face in Rethinking our lifestyles and actions and it is important that we all get involved in the debate which will take place over the next few months in a variety of ways. It is clear from some of the early conversations that I have had with people following last month’s article that we have some challenges to face in Rethinking our lifestyles and actions and it is important that we all get involved in the debate which will take place over the next few months in a variety of ways.

Sheila Hoile

Towards a Greener Church - September 2007

Some of you may have noticed an article in June 2007 See Round entitled ‘Diocese committed to a sustainable future’. The article offers a challenge to all parishes to respond to the urgent need for action to bring about a sustainable way of living at local and global level. It is encouraging to note that Christians are becoming an ever increasing voice in the environmental movement and the momentum we have now is a great opportunity for all of us as individuals and as a community. But our actions should not be seen as simply jumping on the latest fashionable bandwagon – they are about true justice and responsible living in our global community, God’s world. Care for God’s creation, as core Christian business, is deeply embedded in Christian tradition and scripture.

The challenge thrown down by the Diocese is based around a set of measurable targets that Parishes are being asked the reach by June 2008. The targets are:

♦ To have a mechanism in use to enable waste recycling. This should include paper, bottles, green waste, etc.

 ♦ To achieve a 10% reduction in energy use

♦ Churches with churchyards to have a designated area managed for wildlife

♦ To initiate a car sharing scheme and to provide a secure location for bicycles

♦ To become a Fair Trade parish.

However, the Diocesan Policy embraces a broader agenda than exemplified by these targets. It includes working with the wider community to increase awareness and campaign for change, expressing our commitment through worship and teaching and involvement in international action and is the context within which we should be working.

What we do as individual churches does matter. At St. Mary’s we are already looking at ways in which we can play our part in living a sustainable lifestyle. The PCC meeting in July approved a timetable for action which will bring a more focussed and planned approach to what we are doing. The first step is to carry out an audit to see where we are starting from. We hope to share this with you in October so that as a Parish we can look at the short and long term measures that we can take towards a ‘greener’ future.

As I said, this is about each of us as individuals as well as being part of the community. As individuals this is a real chance to make a difference. Do you have any tips for a ‘greener’ lifestyle if so let us know and we will print them in the magazine. We are looking at other ways to share so watch this space and we will be back to tell you more!

Sheila Hoile (first published October 2007)