Bible/Theology, Environment, Videos

Community and Climate in the UK – why the environmental crisis is a poverty issue locally as well as globally

May 12, 2021

If you’ve ever thought taking action on the environmental crisis is a middle-class preoccupation with little relevance to low socio-economic communities in the UK – think again. This talk, given at the Eden Network and The Message Trust Proximity Conference tackles that misconception, looking at how environment and economic poverty in the UK are interrelated (too often along race and gender lines), and at how the Church can respond as we invite people to be part of the redemptive mission of God. I hope it’s helpful to you in your context.

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6 Comments

  • Reply Robert Alexander May 13, 2021 at 12:03 am

    Great to hear about your work Ruth. As a Christian myself, the journey for me was one of homelessness many years ago after I came out of the Royal Navy at 21 and moving from Glasgow to Coventry. Within a few months, I was thrown out of my digs, because the benefits system let me down and it took a month get money before I was allowed into the YMCA. I remember a downward slide until my conversion to Christianity at 22. From then on, I was a head barman, a food warehouse assembler, a milkman, promoted to assistant manager of 36 staff, set up a mobile health food van, an IT salesman, promoted to sales manager. Then I moved to Wales with an IT job, married, made redundant, independent trainer of QA software, set up my own IT company (6 employees Turnover £1M, went bust because people didn’t pay their bills, remanufactured servers sales rep, copier salesman, redundant, volunteer, set up homeless charity, procured £337k funding, became MD of said charity, 3 shops and large warehouse preventing waste and working with local authorities and regional gov then set up EEESafe, won a sustainable design award and now promoting a community model based on Training Course we own and building a scaleable community model with a local currency and fund raising to tackle poverty and the environment. We are well into Waste Prevention and hope to set up Regional Training Centres, linked to local communities and how they can help build thriving communities and engage in Waste Prevention.

    Check out http://www.localiteee.com as well. I’m guilty of that one as well. 🙂

    That’s a quick synopsis, but I thought in the end we have a lot of common objectives, but very different routes. God has always been with me on my journey, and I thought maybe we should hook up some time. Added a Friends Request on FB as well, as I thought that may be another way.

    Thanks for sharing and for all that you are doing in with your skills and passions, and for promoting the beauty of Gods’ creations.

    • Reply Ruth May 13, 2021 at 11:00 am

      Gosh, thank you so much for your message! That’s amazing to read and it’s wonderful to hear what you’re doing.
      Thank you for the encouragement,
      Ruth

  • Reply Neil Biles May 13, 2021 at 7:54 am

    Thank you for this and the reminder that out of love we should care for the environment. Blessings Neil

    • Reply Ruth May 13, 2021 at 10:58 am

      thank you 🙂

  • Reply Michele Pepperrell May 13, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    I’m all for doing these things but my new church leader is totally against our church getting involved in any way. I’m having to explore ways to partner with other churches or individuals who agree that Christians should be taking care of Gods planet. Its very sad that I have had to do this.

    • Reply Ruth May 15, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      I’m sad to hear that too, Michele. Do have a look at these resources: https://www.tearfund.org/campaigns/reboot-campaign and share them with your church leader. In particular the two-page ‘climate factsheet’ could be helpful and the ‘turning the tide’ video. All the best and don’t give up 🙂

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