Andrew McAllister on Friends of the Earth

Andrew McAllister offered the following presentation in church in March this year:

"I have been asked to talk about my involvement in environmental issues.

For the past ten years I have been a member of Friends of the Earth. We have a small Epsom and District group which campaigns on local issues, as well as national and worldwide campaigns, which for the last two years has been mainly climate change. Friends of the Earth nationally was instrumental in getting 400 MPs to sign the Early Day Motion which has led to the draft Climate Change Bill being published last week...

...I’m also involved in an offshoot of Friends of the Earth locally called the Epsom & Ewell Energy Group. This was set up last year to help and encourage people locally on insulation, solar panels, low energy light bulbs and other energy saving measures.

The reason why I am involved is my concern about the way human greed is spoiling God’s beautiful world and is denying so many people throughout the world their fair share of the Earth’s resources. So it is as much about social justice as the environment, although the two are inseparable.

I think this is how it relates to faith. The Hebrew prophets from Amos to Isaiah and Mary in the Magnificat and Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount have all called for social justice.

I have really enjoyed helping with our group over the last ten years. I remember one memorable stall we had in the High Street two years ago. Three of us dressed up in hired gorilla costumes and asked people to sign a petition to save the tropical rain forest from illegal logging. The children loved the costumes except for one little girl who started crying. I made the mistake of removing my mask, thinking that was what was frightening her - then the flood gates really opened.

Finally I don’t think I can do better than to quote from Friends of the Earth’s latest booklet:- “A Good Place to Start”. It says:-

“The kind of world we all want is going to depend on three big ideas.

 

1) There is a tomorrow

The Earth’s environment is beautiful, rich and diverse. It supports us and all life. It’s our our home. It will continue to sustain us if we look after it. That means understanding its limits - how far we can push, how deep to dig, and when to stop. We need to use it like there is a tomorrow.

 

2) Everyone gets a share

We all want more out of life. We all need a fair share. Too often you only get to enjoy the good things the Earth has to offer if you have money, power and the loudest voice. Too often if you don’t have those things the rubbish gets dumped in your street, the flood comes to your door. Together we can change that, so everyone, everywhere, now and tomorrow, gets a fair deal.

 

3). Change the rules

We need the economy to work for people and the environment, not pit one against the other. Today the creaky old rules that govern us lag way behind what most people want of life. A good life for all and a healthy planet should be at the heart of every decision - in government, at work, at home. We can really make this happen - the power is in all our hands."