Have spent all this week ruminating over the discussions at the Hope Rising event in Exeter last Saturday... It was a great day. I cannot be sure, but suspect there were about 2-300 people present. Martyn Goss of Exeter Diocese, together with hard working volunteers from Christian Aid, CAFOD, TearFund, Christian Ecology Link, Eco-Congregation - to name but a few of those present - all pulled together to build a really great day for us all. Our heartfelt thanks go out to them.
Having said that, they sure work their speakers hard! I was asked to make a speech at the beginning; was then marched off to run three successive workskhops in a row, before returning for the final session with the local MP, Ben Bradshaw, the head of Christian Aid, Daleep Mukerjee, the Head of Policy at CAFOD, George Gelber. Now I confess to liking the sound of my own voice - but there are limits!
The highlights of the day for me were the discussions in the workshops. I posed a challenge to the groups in each one, and I pose it to readers of this blog: the Operation Noah board is looking for an "iconic action" - one that would spread like wildfire through the churches, but that would be powerfully symbolic of what Operation Noah is trying to achieve - the care of Creation through a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; which in turn implies a reduction in consumption; and with it the restoration of a sense of community and well-being to individuals and to our communities.
In thinking about an "iconic action" we have in mind the key campaigning action of the anti-slavery campaign; the boycotting of sugar produced by slaves on slave plantations. The Indian movement for independence from Britain was inspired by Gandhi to boycott salt - which the British taxed heavily. Both these actions involved sacrifices for the campaigners - but also hurt those they were trying to influence...and helped to effect real change.
In our first workshop two wonderful women - whose names I foolishly did not note - proposed an iconic action: that we should all cut up our credit cards - symbols of consumption, of consuming beyond our means, with such consumption of course, driving up the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. They were both single parents, if my memory serves me correctly, and one had five children. Both had found that by cutting up their credit cards, they had regained control over their finances, and their lives. Above all they had learned to do without, and were happier for it.
The idea came up in the second workshop too. The third workshop was more interested in broader issues, until someone who had heard about the first workshop mentioned "cutting up credit cards".
It would be great to know what others think of this idea...Especially given the obstacles put up by the financial system. BT now charges me a hefty £3.50 for paying by cheque; and I noted last week that Marks and Spencer will in future refuse to accept cheques. So if we cut up credit cards, do we go back to cash?
What do others think? Please write and let me know...
Comments
Great contribution Ursell
"All I need to know I learned from Noah's Ark"
The 11 things we learn from Noah's story
1. Don't miss the boat.
2 Remember that we are all in the same boat
3. Plan ahead. It's wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't everything. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9. When you're stressed, float awhile.
10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
11. No matter the storm, when you are with God there's always a rainbow waiting.
having a card doesn't always mean being in debt
I have been marooned in deepest Bolton for three days, so entering into the iconic actions debate a little late.
I like the symbolism of the cutting up credit cards, but the problem is that having a card doesn't always mean being in debt.... ie. I have never paid a penny of interest on my Mastercard because I pay it off each month....of course credit cards paid off or not have a big link with consumption.
I do feel it would be right to target aviation... I discovered an (unsourced) "fact" last week in one paper I was reading, that only five per cent of the world population had ever been on a plane....we all know the figures on greenhouse gas emissions from flying....there's still a lot of "doing my bit of re-cycling) with their odd plastic bottle and then flying off to Rome for the weekend going on...lack of "joined up thinking."Flying is largely the preserve of the developed world, those who consume too much...we don't see the pollution from inside the cabin when we are on it, nor from below when planes fly at 35,000 ft. "A pledge club"..."I will if you will"???
Mark
PS If we had the budget, I would love to choose ten cities for our own huge Op Noah posters on billboards...our own iconic message among all the others urging you to BUY BUY BUY at the start of the Xmas season!
Credit cards
I was at the Hope Rising
I was at the Hope Rising event in Exeter and found it interesting. challenging and inspirational - especially your input! Sorry we worked you too hard! Having said that, I felt it was quite brave of Ben Bradshaw to turn up at all! Re: cutting up your credit cards: those of us who pay off our bills every month, use credit cards more for convenience than anything else but perhaps we should cut ours up in solidarity with others! We can always use Debit Cards rather than cheques or cash, though perhaps if people had to use cash, and were frightened to carry much around with them, that might cut consumption too. I would like to see the end of store cards, which have extortionate interest rates, and another idea is not to use Loyalty cards, though I am never sure how much THEY encourage people to spend. The trouble is, it is always going to be difficult to stop those with plenty from spending it, unless they are committed to a simpler lifestyle. Cutting up cards might work as a publicity stunt, but I can't see it lasting for long!
Helen
Be the first to comment on this blog
Blogs are meant to be interactive. If you would like to make a comment to this post (or any other page on the website), it is necessary that you first register on the Operation Noah website (if you have not done so already).
At the moment, only registered users can leave comments on the site. You need to go to http://www.operationnoah.org/user/register. Registering your details online also means that you will receive regular updates about our campaigns. It is free and takes only 2 minutes.
If you have already registered, you just need to log in (click on "login/register" at the top right hand side of this page. If you have forgotten your username use the contact form and we will try and help you). Once you are registered you will see under any page on the website a box entitled "post new comments". You can enter a title for your comment and of course the comment itself, and then click on "submit comment".
Your comment will not appear immediately, as we moderate all comments, but as soon as we've approved it we will publish it. If this sounds too complicated for you, email us (using the contact form) the text that you want to publish and we will post it for you on the website (it would help, though, if you register on the website first). The Operation Noah team looks forward to reading your reactions.