Winter Fires and Christmas Trees!

As the clocks go back, the evenings get longer and colder and my thoughts and toes turn gratefully to our wood-burning stove and to the wood pile at our door. The Forestry Commission has a woodfuel plan, designed to increase the number of people using wood as a major source of fuel over the next 5 years. Woodfuel (logs, chips and pellets) is a sustainable, easily replaced, low carbon source of energy that can be used to generate both heat and electricity and it could become an increasingly important part of the UK's renewable energy supply. Woodfuel supplies can be operated best on a local basis and the Forestry Commission is working to develop the supply chain on a sub-national scale, co-operating with regional contractors and businesses (again, saving further energy by reducing transportation.) There is something very satisfying about creating the winter's wood supply, stacking and drying the logs in good time for the cold weather and knowing that it has all been locally grown and the trees felled have each been replaced.

There has been some (in my opinion) nutty discussion of the need to avoid real Christmas trees for the sake of the environment. In fact, real trees take five times less energy to produce than artifical ones and ten times fewer basic materials (many of the plastics used in artificial trees require the release of carbon in their production.) Real trees can be used to make compost after you have finished with them (or burned as fuel). The Forestry Commission gives a guarantee that all its trees and all trees grown on sites that it inspects are sustainably grown; for every tree felled, one is planted. And what could be better than the smell of sap from a Norway Spruce - the traditional Christmas tree? A Nordmann fir or a Lodgepole pine is also good, but my personal favourite is the Douglas fir with its bluey tinge and robust needles that do not drop.  

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england    

Clervaux Trust at Croft on Tees

I first met Bill Chaytor about thee and a half years ago when he invited me to visit him at Clow Beck, Croft on Tees. He talked about his plans for the site and I was struck by his vision for the spiritual connection between the land and education. He has long been passionate about holistic approaches to working the land, producing food and learning life enhancing crafts.  Last week, our Diocesan Surveyor, the Chair of the Diocesan Estates Committee and I returned to visit Clow Beck. On a gorgeous spring morning, we arrived to be greeted by Bill and Janine Christley of the Ruskin  Mill Educational Trust, now working in  partnership with the Cleraux Trust. The Clow Beck site is home to a 110 acre, fast expanding and thriving eco farm while there is an Artisan Bakery and cafe in Darlington and residential houses for the workers, closeby.

The Trust provides education and training through a therapeutic, practical life skills curriculum. It provides 24 hour care for young and more mature adults with learning difficulties, mental health problems, autistic spectrum disorders and complex social needs. Working out of the inspiration of the radical educationalist, Rudolf Steiner, the Trust believes in the power of a holistic approach to life and work. Teaching people skills and crafts that improve the land, produce food and allow them to have a pride in what they have created gives self confidence and value. A thriving, healthy social environment helps people to develop meaningful relationships and to begin to make positive life style choices. Celebration is an important part of the community's life. One of the community's strap lines is 'A sustainable life, an engaged life, a community life and a shared life.'

We met some wonderful young people; one was making sausages while another showed us how to plane wood for a chair he was making. Many of the buildings themselves have been contstructed by those who come to live and work with the Trust - and in them we saw some of the results of weaving, textiles, blacksmithing and animal husbandry. There are also workshops and courses in food production, green woodwork, biodynamic agriculture, animal management, mechanics, catering, and computer skills. The bakery in Darlington allows people to learn to bake bread (a group of young people had got up at 4am, for the first time, that day, to bake the bread we ate, which was delicious!), but more than that, it is an outlet for the organic produce from the farm and a social enterprise in which people can gain the skills and confidence they need to work in a small business setting. 

Re-connecting people with the land is a major aim of the Trust. In today's society there is often a major dislocation between people and the natural cylces and proceses of production. The project aims to help people reconnect with the skills and knowledge that allow us to sustain life through its natural rhythms and it does it in a visionary and exciting way.

There is an open day when anyone can visit and I would say that it is well worth a visit - there may well be activities and events which you, your family or your church would be interested in getting involved with! There are also opportunities to become a volunteer. 

The open day is 21st May 2011 10am - 4pm 

For more information visit http://www.clervaux.org.uk/

And a very big thank you Bill, Janine and all the people we met for an inspiring day out which I shall remember for a long time!    

A New Manifesto

It is forty years since the Sussex manifesto was published, having an effect on the thinking of the UN and other world organisations. It argued that investment in world development should utilise the insights of science and technology; that science and technologically driven innovations have major roles to play in solving some of the most intractible problems of disease and hunger.

The Social Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability Centre (STEPS) has now published a new manifesto http://www.anewmanifesto.org/
suggesting fresh ways to link investment, science, technology and sustainable development. Its contents are being acclaimed as a 'new politics.'  Annual spending on development research is now more than one trillion dollars. In this context, the manifesto sets out a three dimensional approach to innovation. Every area of development (health, education, agriculture, trade, energy, distribution, military and so on) presents infinite possibilities for innovation and often these can be suggested and led by local agents rather than imposed from outside. It is also the case that continent-spanning infrastructures employ strategies that need to be scrutinised for new directions and and that these are best identified and prioritised by approaches which include insights from science and technology, distribution and politics. Of every development possibilty, at every level, questions must be asked about what different strategies and innovations will mean for justice and equity. The manifesto calls for governments to create platforms for science and technology to work more directly for social justice, poverty alleviation and to lessen environmental destruction. It also looks for a world where  scientists work more freely and creatively with framers, users, customers and businesses to find innovative solutions to problems and to create new ways of working that are more in tune with local situations. If it hasn't been done before, it might be worth investigating!     

To take an example, in parts of Africa where global markets have pushed populations to concentrate on growing only one type of crop, increased agro-biodiversity with the growing of many crop types, chosen by local farmers, makes for a far better fit with local agricultural practices and social contexts. Plant varieties are selected and tested by farmers and local businesses are innovative in finding ways to opening for their produce in the markets, finding niches among the uncertainties of global markets and climatic changes. This is driven locally and, despite flying in the face of conventional market-driven wisdom, these ventures often work and are providing sustainable solutions to 
problems of local food supply, employment and trading.

All very complex indeed and hard to grasp, but the Manifesto is well worth a look. 
 www.anewmanifesto.org/manifesto_2010         

Largest Change in Land Ownership Since 1945?

In October 2010, James Paice MP, Minister for Agriculture and Food anounced government proposals to sell off around half the forest estate belonging to the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission was set up in 1919 as a non ministerial government department to propect and expand the nation's forests and to provide a higher percentage of the timber used in the years following the first world war, thus reducing the amount of timber that was imported. In 1919, the UK had remanining only 5% of its original forest cover and over the years since, the Forestry Commission has doubled this. It currently manages about 1 million hectares of land, 26% of which is in England. The Commission focuses on sustainable forest management and maximising public benefit from forestry. It also regulates private felling. Following crticism, in the 1960-70's that it was over-using conifers it has developed an approach to forest management that balances timber production, landscaping amelioration (ie. judicious use of a number of species with an eye for factors such as the appearance of the forest and the needs of different wildlfe species), ecological restoration and recreational provision. Protecting, managing and expanding Britain's forests and increasing their value both in environmental and economic terms is a very long term project and plans take a minimum of 30 years to come to fruitition.

Well, I ask myself, is it sensible to sell all this forest estate off and what might the effects be? What will be the impact on the uplands of England and the communities that inhabit them? There is perhaps an argument that says that those who own the land will manage it with greater commitment than a government department. Or is Caroline Lucas MP, of the Green Party, right in judging the sale of forest estate to be an act  of 'unforgivable environmental vandalism' which will lead to the exploitation and mismanagement of Britain's forests?

I recently came across some research, reported in the Economic and Social Research Council's annual magazine, which had looked at the future of the Uplands. These areas of mainly moorland and forest are highly significant in ways most of us hardly ever think about for the environment in which we live. Soils such as those found in moorland and peat bog provide the largest carbon reserve in Britain, storing over three billion tonnes annually and, of course, trees take in and process carbon. Given climate warming and growing  concerns about flooding, carbon capture and storage is of prime importance, helping as it does to reduce the impact of flooding and to improve the quality of the national water supply. There will increasingly be twin and sometimes conflicting pressures on those who manage the Uplands. On the one hand they will be asked to intensify production of livestock as pressures on worldwide food supplies grow and, on the other hand, to restore and retain the peatlands, moors and forests for reasons to do with climate change and carbon reduction. Sometimes overlooked in all this is the question of what the Uplands communities themselves need in order to sustain their own life and make work in the Uplands viable.

I don't have any easy answers to the intricate balancing act that is required but I do think that the voices of those who work and live in the Uplands need to be heard and that there is a wisdom among people who farm the hill country and manage the moors which is not sufficiently heard and acknowledged. Their perspectives should be contributing to the debate and the decision making process. Yes, the local farmer may be focused on the needs of his business but those who look at the long term outcomes of Upland management often overlook the factors that motivate the people who live and work there and in fact have to bring about changes in land use.  I remember the debates in the 1960's around the damage the Forestry Commission were doing to the Upland habitat through their policy of indiscriminately planting conifer forests. It was, as I recall, largely through argument and dialogue with the farmers that a more balanced approach to planting regimes was achieved.  

I would be interested to hear what people think about the government's policy as they launch their sale of forest estate.  

www.forestry.gov.uk/

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ 

And just finally, there is increasing concern about phytophthora ramorum, more commonly known as Sudden Oak Death although it attacks other species as well as oak, including larch and bilberry.  It is getting a real hold in Devon and Cornwall. Forest walkers are asked to report any signs of the disease they see to the Forestry Commission. The signs are mainly browning of leaves or needles and resin bleeding from the trunk or stem.

Read Giles Fraser's view Woods: It's All About Scale in the Church Times
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=107185

Ripon and Leeds Eco-congregation

Congratulations to the Diocesan Office on being the first Diocesan Office in England to win an Eco-congregation Award.
www.ecocongregation.org/ 
You can see what the diocesan office has done to win the award on www.riponleeds.anglican.org/press_224.html
Measures taken by the office include increasing their recycling, decreasing waste, using Fair Trade products and creating a wildlife friendly area in the grounds. The office is trying to move away from so much dependence on paper. Those who receive communications from the office need to think about this!  It's obviously no good simply transfering the printing of documents from one office to another. Educating ourselves to read things online is not easy; persuading and training people to do this is part of the work of the communications group. But are there things we can do - take documents to meetings on a laptop or netbook? Read mailings on screen over a week, a few minutes a day? Avoid producing hand outs or notes at meetings where verbal communication will in in fact do the trick? I have to admit I find this extremely difficult myself, coming as I do from the era of banda machines then photocopiers then printers and an education system that insisted a lesson wasn't a lesson without handouts.  But I think that it's important to try to adapt. I know someone who works for an IT company from home and who never has a piece of paper on his desk! Something to aspire to, perhaps, but we, in the churches, need a lot of help in reveiwing our communication practices if we are to get even an eigth of the way there! 

Churches in the UK have a fairly paper-dependent culture, perhaps even more so in the Church of England since the introduction of Common Worship. We seem to require freshly processed service sheets on every possible occasion, these days. Perhaps one contribution to reducing the amount of paper we use might be to think about our worship; could we return to the age old practice of memorizing texts? Could aspects of our worship be more spontaneous and less driven by reading? Could we learn to listen more and to extemporize when appropriate? Could we depend on cantors, audible readers, intercessors and presidents rather than having everything written down?  Some churches opt for digital screens where this is appropriate, but there is lots we can do, quite  simply, without resorting to this. Personally, I would much prefer to follow a cantor or hear a well read passge from the Dramatised Bible than to have my eyes glued to either a bit of paper or a screen. 

Possibly another thing we could all think about is not using processed food, especially in the middle of the day, when we are all busy and need that calorie or caffeine fix in a hurry! What could be better than fruit and raw vegetables? When I was at theological college, we always had a bread and soup lunch once a week. How about offices having a fresh veg and fruit lunch once a week instead of a sandwich, crisps and cake one?

Trees for Life.

The Lake at Thorp Perrow

One of our favourite places to visit is Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale. Trees have always been significant for me. My father was a forester in Ghana and then the UK and my earliest walks were through coniferous forests over soft layers of fallen pine leaves and spagnam moss to the open mountainside where you could pick bilberries or lie in the heather, smelling the resin and listening to the trees creaking and the curlews and sky larks rising. Trees are very significant in the Bible narratives, too. You could say that the story of God's dealings with the world, the very story of salvation itself, is framed by trees. In Gensis we hear about the garden in which the Lord plants  'every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food' as well as the two trees which become central to Adam and Eve's relationship with God - the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The cross is often represented as a tree. The tree of life appears again in Revelation 22 where its leaves are 'for the healing of the nations' and its twelve fruits symbolize the passing of time. The tree straddles the river of the water of life. Such powerful, life giving images! Trees have been associated with food and refreshment, healing, wisdom, shade and fruitfulness, longevity and transformation in many cultures and none more so than the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Our walk today reminded me of the hidden potency and promise of trees. Dressed in their

Branches over ice

winter apparel, they were showing a sombre face to the world. Yet, in a few months time, they will burst forth with vibrant colours, shapes and smells bearing the promise of fruitfulness to come.

There is a charity called TREE AID that works to bring life through trees to families in rural Africa. When trees disappear because of drought or exploitation, this is usually followed by soil errosion, crop failure and the displacement of communities. TREE AID helps villagers in Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia make the best use of trees to generate food, housing, fuel, medicine and income for health care and schooling. Since 1987, TREE AID has helped 300,000 people plant 6.5million trees which provide an alternative to both poverty and environmental destruction. Take one example - the fruit of the Shea Tree can be used to produce Shea butter which is used as a cooking oil, for candle making and as a water proofing wax on cloth or wood. It also has medicinal properties and can be used on burns, eczema and as a sun block. We probably know it better as Yoruba and might be aware of its usefulness in cosmetics. One tree which can bring nutrition, business and healing to a community.

Thorp Perrow 3rd January 2011

 An arboretum is a wonderful place to meditiate on the wisdom, balance and healing power which are found in the natural world and there for the use of all. All anglicans are committed to 'strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.' This is the fifth mark of mission and today was a good reminder that water and trees are two of the most important and straightforward keys to making this more than wishful thinking.  

www.thorpperrow.com/
http://www.treeaid.org.uk/
http://www.treeaid.org.uk/page2.asp?pID=2&sID=40  to see a film of their work in Mali.

The coldest crocodile in the northern hemisphere?

Shrinking the Carbon Footprint

Our diocese has recently produced a very practical little booklet Caring for God's Earth
www.riponleeds.anglican.org/monthly_mailing_105_2516503202.pdf  temporarily out of action - please use links at foot of post for further information (07.01.11)

Apparently, the Church of England leaves a larger carbon footprint than one of the leading UK supermarkets and we, in the Ripon and Leeds area, are committed to trying to do something about this. The booklet outlines five areas in which the local church can make a difference

• Energy use at church and home
• Buildings
• Transport and travel
• Purchasing and supplies
• Theology and worship

If you're like me, you perhaps worry about what you can realisitcally do. I have a job that depends heavily on driving long distances every day. I use a very small diesel fuelled car which does a huge milage to the gallon; it would be far more convenient (especially in the snow!) to drive a four by four but my fuel consumption would triple. We all have to make such decisions and  sometimes we are dicouraged by feeling that our contribution is a mere drop in the ocean '..but the ocean would be diminshed without that drop'.

 I have to admit that it took me some time to become convinced that global warming is a real threat. The thing that did it for me was a visit to the Alternative Technology Centre near Machynlleth where I was introduced to the Transition Movement http://www.transitionnetwork.org/   This is a global movement, based on wide ranging, reputable reaseach, that seeks to identify possible future scenarios resulting from climate change and peak oil issues and to discover positive solutions. It seems to me to be a locally driven and intelligent response to the begining of the end of the Oil Age and it encompasses food, water, transport, 'social capital', health care and more.

Edward P. Echlin (an echological theologian who is an Honary Research Fellow at the Universtity College of Trinity and All Saints, Leeds) has recently published Climate and Christ; A Prophetic Alternative the Columba Press 2010. This builds on his earlier work The Cosmic Circle: Jesus and Ecology, Columba Press 2004 which looks at the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth as a source of inspiration for ecological and environmental concerns (an angle that was new to me) and then relates the suffering creation to the cosmic significance of the cross and resurrection. In a sense this earlier book gives the theological framework for Climate and Christ which I found more applied and therefore more directly useful in thinking about my own response to climate change. Echlin quotes a Chinese proverb

'If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end upwhere we are headed.'

So how can the churches help to open the gates to new paths of living without so much oil dependency?

Middlesmoor Church

Well a good start might be to read the diocesan booklet and get your PCC discussing it. And then, thinking about our own daily bread is a good place to make an impact - all of us can examine what we eat and follow the 'LOAF' principles - Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly and Fairly traded. Or you might like to look at one of these websites and take some action:

http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/

http://www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org/

http://www.recyle-more.co.uk/

http://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/  (a conservation charity for churchyards and burial grounds)