Religions for Peace Victoria / Tasmania Branches in collaboration with Greenfaith and Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, Cultural Infusion and United Relikgions Initiative presented the Third Living the Change event online, on Sunday 6 December 2020m from 3 – 5:30pm.
The answer spoke for itself:
We then looked at “Will Climate Change affect Australia”:
Everyone seemed to agree about hotter, drier and droughts.
No one had forgotten the bushfire season last year and early 2020.
The next issue was “What do you feel Global Climate Change will harm?
This was from a random survey, the population at large in the US.
It seems that the further away the problem is, the less people seem
to think it will harm them. Nonsense.
Ideas for Reducing Carbon Footprint:
At this event as people of various faiths shared these ideas (some held up on paper or in the chat box) to reduce their carbon footprint as change starts with us
Transport
- Driving less than 80 km a week
- Reduce car use; aim towards buying electric car (or bike!)
- Order Electric Buses made in Melbourne – built at Volgren Australia, Dandenong, Vic. The zero-emissions bus
- Plan for an electric car and help others in my family to get one
Food Chain
- I love chocolate – where are the least emissions-impactful countries to buy cocoa from (where it is not farmed on deforested land)?
- I have stopped buying soya milk packets- have got almond paste in a jar
- I’ll ride my bike more instead of driving, look at more renewable energy resources, and cut down eating red meat
- Ride my bike more, go back 100% vegetation and save up for electric car
- Reduce red meat in my diet and encourage family to buy electric cars
- Eat more fish using my Sustainable Fish Guide
- Investigate my dog food supply chain
- Publicise more, regenerative agriculture practitioners
Consumables; Investment, Assets:
- Plant 50 trees starting now.
- Short term to immediate plan to reduce packaging coming into my home.
- Concentrate on Council work so local government will go to zero emissions by 2040
- If you have hard and plaster wall Enviroflex in Melb insulates by pumping in recycled glass
- Yarra council will now only recycle glass, and 1,2,5 plastics.
- I will endeavour to buy only glass or uncovered items to reduce my waste.
- Australia Bank is an excellent bank, started by scientists and others
- Invest my savings into emerging renewables enterprises
A presentation on Plant-based diets can be viewed here:
A Tip-Sheet on a Multicultural Plant-based diet is found here:
Here are some websites for those who wish to pursue the Vegetarian / Vegan options in their food consumption:
https://www.veganaustralia.org.au/recipes
https://www.veganaustralia.org.au/getting_started
https://www.youtube.com/user/thevegancorner
https://minimalistbaker.com/recipe-index/?omhide=true
Don’t Forget the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change Eat Less Meat Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mfwelm/
See also: 14 best vegetable for juicing: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/217087644511156725/
Living the Change is premised on the idea that combating climate change requires not only political action, but also individuals simplifying their lifestyles.
AUSTRALIAN FAITHFUL TO LEAD TOWARD CLIMATE FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE CHOICES
The Australian chapter of a new and ambitious global campaign, “Living the Change, was launched on May 3 2018 at a national gathering of the multi-faith Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC). With a byline, “faithful choices for a flourishing world”, this is a fresh faith-led initiative which aims to champion the role of more sustainable lifestyles in protecting the earth from global warming.
By bearing public witness to the vital importance of treading more lightly on the earth, Living the Change intends to challenge the consumerist culture that drives climate change while fortifying more healthy, balanced relationships with the environment.
Individual believers, faith leaders and communities will be encouraged to make public pledges in three key areas, reducing meat consumption, limiting fossil fuel use from car and air transport and making the shift to renewable energy. Their collective achievement in terms of emissions avoided will be aggregated, and then celebrated at special events in October.
Thea Ormerod, President of ARRCC, said, “We are excited to be promoting Living the Change in Australia. Everywhere people are feeling the impacts of climate disruption, and time is running out for effective action to put the brakes on. While we do need to keep up the pressure for structural change, we are not restricted to helplessly waiting for politicians to act. Ordinary people and communities have the power to do something about their own carbon footprint and thereby help to protect our common home.”
Living the Change was initiated by the US-based multi-faith organisation, GreenFaith, and now has worldwide implementing partners from a range of faith traditions. In addition to ARRCC, they include the Bhumi Project (Hindu), Global Catholic Climate Movement, Global Muslim Climate Network, Hazon (Jewish), One Earth Sangha (Buddhist), World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance.
Image: Buddhist Be Kind Be Vego cooking workshop with demonstrator, Ling Halbert
Caroline Bader, Berlin-based Director of Living the Change, said, “This is the first time in history that such a broad coalition of religious organisations from around the world is cooperating to promote sustainable lifestyles and behaviour change. We are convinced that, together, we can bring our commitments to scale, and work towards a flourishing world.”
The campaign is based, in part, on research by scientist Kevin Anderson which shows that “if the world’s top 10 percent of carbon dioxide emitters were to cut their emissions to the level of the average European Union citizen, global emissions would decline by 33 percent.” The average European, not the average African or the average Latin American. While individual changes may not seem important, the cumulative effects can be significant. Australians in particular have the potential to make a significant contribution, given that we have around the highest per capita carbon footprint in the world.
Thea Ormerod said, “Our high per capita emissions is both a challenge and an opportunity, especially as we are surrounded by regional neighbours who are amongst the hardest hit by climate impacts. Sea level rise is already forcing relocations in the Pacific. Australian faith-based communities could take the lead in setting an ethical example and make a real difference.”
Leaders of faith are encouraged to promote voluntary actions within their own faith communities. ARRCC is seeking supportive faith leaders and role models who are willing to lead by modelling conscious choices, congruent with the values of our faiths. People of faith inspired by this global initiative can also make pledges. Carbon footprint measuring tools and other resources will progressively be made available on the ARRCC website.
