Our member, Dominic Roser, lectures in political philosophy and has a background in economics.
The topic he is most focused on is the ethics of climate change.
He gave a talk in September 2021 on Separating the Chaff from the Wheat - How Can I Really Protect My Neighbour From Climate Change? His main focus was on lifestyle changes which will have an impact. Apart from giving up flying and using animal products, and living more simply, the main way to influence climate change effectively is through political action and by donating money and resources.
When we come to church, do we walk around with our eyes open or closed? One of our members has written:
I have been looking at things in the church like water taps (and toilets) and soap dispensers.
We have a lot of people using the facilities.
The toilet water tanks could have a small water bottle (filled with water) put in the tanks so there is less water going down the drain when you flush.
The taps, where possible, could have special savers put in. I just talked to our specialist for bathrooms and kitchen. Maybe they are already built in but I don’t think so.
The soap dispensers could release less soap. We have one from Migros and it is great. We could get big containers for soap and fill the dispensers by hand. I know it is work but I would be happy to help with that. What about toilet paper? Is that bought in bulk?
...
This is how each of us should be thinking!
A Plastic Challenge
Revd Elizabeth Bussmann, our Diocesan Environmental Officer, has produced a calendar (originally for Lent) to challenge us to find ways to limit our use of plastics.
Nearly all plastics are wasteful of energy, and nearly all are harmful - epecially single-use plastics that end up in landfill or in the world's oceans.
What can we do?
St Ursula's - An Eco-church
We want our church to contribute to the preservation of the world that God created and which we live in.
These days in many things that we do, we pay less regard than we should to the world around us.
So we are making a serious effort to improve our status an eco-church.
What's an eco-church?
See https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk (and note that "England and Wales" includes, for organizational reasons, the Church of England's Diocese in Europe, of which we are part).
Our diocese has joined the scheme, and has recently become an eco-diocese. For this to happen, a majority of its chaplaincies needed to have been awarded bronze, silver or gold status by A Rocha.
How did we become an eco-church?
There is a survey - you can find it on the website, or download it here.
According to how many "good" answers we give in each of the six areas, we qualify for an award.
We have already qualified for a bronze award, and in several fields we reach silver, and even gold, but we need to excel in as many areas as possible.
And we can't do this without your support!
What can we do to help?
We are trying to
meet frequently as a group and correspond by email and WhatsApp on matters of environmental interest
publish regular articles in the magazine to encourage environmental friendliness
have a notice board devoted to "green" issues
have environmental books available for people to look at and consult
make sure that all our activities are conducted in a way that sustains creation
preach about and pray for a juster, cleaner and holier world, where we humans tread lightly and with respect
...and more!
Recent meetings
We did not meet during the Covid outbreak. We held a long overdue meeting on 17 August 2022 to hear from Louise Rapaud about her intergenerational project. There are some notes about our meeting here.
Net Zero by 2030
An Urgent Routemap
The Church of England has produced a Routemap for churches to follow to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by the year 2030. This is a very precise 50-page document that is well worth reading in detail. It is overflowing with ideas that have been carefully thought out, though some need adapting to our circumstances in Switzerland.
Our Eco Group
A committed group has been up and running since 2019.
The pandemic made meeting difficult, but we are beginning to plan to organize our activities more methodically.
We also have also shared ideas with Julie and Ernest Nelson from England.
If you are interested in being part of the group, talk to Hector Davie, to Helen, or to any council member.
We also have an enthusiatic Eco-Gardening Group, for which contact Sue Higson, Agnès Derory or Alison Beindorff.
One of our early ideas was to have a regular Tip of the Week which would feature in the notices and on the notice boards.
If you have a (brief) tip you feel you would like to share, send it to ecochurch@stursula.ch or talk to Hector or Helen about it.
Arocha have also produced an Easy Eco Tips Calendar for 2024, to keep us "inspired throughout the year with fresh ideas for each month", with "a lasting commitment to a greener lifestyle".
Tip of the Week
Antibacterial agents have found their way into all sorts of consumer products - soaps, hand disinfectants, shoe inserts, surface wipes etc. Though they may sound like the clean healthy option, they actually kill beneficial bacteria and may promote the development of more dangerous resistant strains.
Do some of our ideas seem zanier than others?
Holidaying at home, packing presents using home-made materials rather than expensively-produced wrapping paper, just think about them and they make sense.
Last week's tip was to read through your local council's recycling guide.
Your local Abfallhandbuch is packed with useful information, which many people don't think about. What counts as compost, and how do you dispose of it? Some councils accept cooked food and chciken bones, some don't. Some accept tree branches, some don't. How about paper? Often your supermarket packaging has a symbol that tells you if the packet goes in the Altpapier or the rubbish sack, but the recycling guide will tell you what to do with the paper florists put around your flowers, envelopes which are all window and next to no envelope.
Many more things can be recycled than we often realize. Look them up and check them out!
More details (and past tips) on our Tips page.
And if you read German, Das Magazin published a useful compendium of ideas a couple of years ago.
If you prefer English, The Guardian frequently publishes sets of ideas, too.
Think Tank Sessions
We want to move further on the way to silver – and eventually gold – Eco-Church status.
We are starting to meet again in person. Face-to-face discussion can be more useful, though some were earlier hindered from meeting by the Covid-19 situation, and for many of us, meeting in person would involve unnecessary travel, a source of carbon emissions.
If you are not subscribing to our mailings and would like to, please drop a note to ecochurch@stursula.ch.
