Transcript The Future Has Arrived

The Future Has Arrived
Facing the Reality of Climate Change
Part 3
Part 3:
What Must I Do?
Science and technology are
what we can do;
Morality is what we agree we
should or should not do.”
Me Mum’s Sick
Me Mum's sick .ppt
Re-Vision
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There’s plenty more
where that came from”
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More Oil
More Forests
More Land
More Houses
More Water
More Electricity
More Food
More…everything!!
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“Live simply and make do”
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We have no right to ravage the
earth and deny future generations
what we enjoy.
Life on earth is changing
irrevocably and so must ours.
Science cannot “save” us from
our rampant consumerism.
Global extinction is happening- a
sterile earth.
There is no “going back” to old
wasteful ways
Humans are a plague on the
earth.
Economies based on “growth”
are no longer sustainable
The “global economy” is toxic to
life on earth.
Complete a Personal “Eco-Ethic”
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What are my beliefs about what it is to live a worthwhile life?
What are my beliefs about my responsibilities towards the rest of
creation?
What do I understand about my place in creation?
What “footprint” do I want to leave behind?
 Will I have taken more than I gave?
 Will it be neutral?
 Will the earth be better off because of my being alive?
When am I a consumer; a steward; a co-creator an eco-criminal?
A Personal Eco-Ethic.doc
Take Action
At a Personal level
At local School level
At a wider community level
Audit 2006 Revised.ppt
Personal Action 1:
Develop your Eco- Spirituality
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Identify your values and church teaching and equate them with
a sustainable lifestyle Catholic Earthcare Australia Resources.htm
Re-connect with the earth:
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Plant, grow, revegetate, regenerate
Watch nature videos- e.g. Planet Earth; Anima Mundi; An Inconvenient
Truth
Pray with and for the earth
Vision a new, changed future for you and the world and begin
to live it
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A “Carbon Neutral” lifestyle
Resource use
Consumption patterns
Lifestyle
Understanding of “happiness”
Move from “Stewardship” to Eco-centred ethics
Appendix10
Personal Lifestyle
“We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our Ecology, and yet
each one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It’s time now to
awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved mother deserves.”
Ed Asner (Actor)
GreenNet for kids
www.gn.apc.org/kids/energy.thml
ENN Quiz
www. enn.com/quiz/
Best Foot Forward
www.bestfootforward.com/
WWF Fun and Games
www.worldwidelife.org/fun/index.cfm
Europa Environment
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/environment/index_en.htm
Personal Action 2:
Change, Without Waiting for Others
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Begin to make personal changes based on your values.
Take to heart the challenge to live simply that others may simply live.
Make choices to create and live in the sort of world you dream about
Audit every aspect of your life for eco-justice
Be prepared to pay extra for ecologically responsible living
Be a “compassionate consumer”
Impose limitations on your resource use: home, travel, food, profession
Ignore fashion trends and home renovations
Critique consumerism at every level; home, work, society, world
Be a friend of the earth
Voluntarily conserve and preserve for the future
Respect your grandchildren’s rights
Slow down: walk, slow food not fast food; slow lane not fast lane
Become self- sustaining: water, power, food
Personal Action 3:
Educate Yourself
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Distinguish between “spin”, propaganda and fact:
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Seek out programs which intelligently explore the issue and
highlight role models. (Radio, TV, Cable)
Read newslatters articles and books e.g SustainaBulletin
Read letters to the editor- e.g. on water- to know you are not alone
Check out Websites e.g. Richard Rohr Resource page.htm
Attend conferences, meetings Denis_Edwards_climate_change.doc;
Melbourne, Perth Climate Change Conferences
Personal Action 4:
Educate Others
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Educate your students- connect it to learning
Educate the families of your students- via info sent home, but
also by choices you offer students and requests you make of
parents.
Educate your family
Educate your friends and associates
Model life choices and changes
Explain to the community why certain choices are made- e.g.
passive air conditioning in classrooms; green spaces
Google images of creation into prayer/ reflection experiences.
Personal Action 4:
Get Political
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Write/email letters to companies which are
revealed as eco-criminals.e.g. Eating the Amazon.doc
Let your local member know that you are an
eco-activist and are watching his/her responses
to the issues.
Join environmental groups.
Donate money to environmental groups.
Highlight environmental heroes. Environmental Heroes Environmental Success Stories.htm; Heroes for the Planet Heroes Galleries.htm;
Environment Victoria - Environment Heroes Crowned.htm
School Community Action 1
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Audit your resource use- at classroom, office and
whole school level (Audit 2006 Revised.ppt)
Recycle as much as you can and favour sellers who
will refill, recycle and accept returns.
Reduce excess packaging and tell sellers you will
favour them if they do so.
Remove all plastic packaging from your life!
Buy locally, from local producers if possible
Reject resource-wasting “boutique” items such as
bottled water. Did You Know Bottled Water.doc
School Community Action 2
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Re-connect your community to the earth- gardens,
orchards, tanks, recycled water, composting, worm
farms.
Aim to become an energy and water self-reliant
community
Encourage/reward walking rather than use of
vehicles. (Make life hard for car users by relocating
car parks, favouring greenspace over asphalt)
Install tanks and pioneer responsible water and power
use. Investigate alternative energy sources. (Solar,
wind)
School Community Action 3
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Pioneer
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Promote
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E.g. Declare school a nature reserve, car-free zones;
wildlife corridor etc.
Publicise
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E.g. A school Ecological Vision Statement/Officer
E.g. Significant ecological achievers and innovations
Produce
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E.g. aim to give back more than you take of the earth’s
resources.
Wider Community Action 1
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Liaise with other local schools to influence suppliers
in terms of reduction of waste and throw-away
products
Write to all suppliers informing them of your
ecological vision and ask them to inform you of their
ecological responsibility actions so you can make a
choice about who will be school-favoured suppliers.
Create a list of “favoured” companies based on
replies and inform your local community of results.
Wider Community Action 2
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Commit the school to local land rehabilitation
schemes, and seek co-operation of other
schools in these projects.
Become the conscience of the district: agitate,
inform, challenge.
Offer assistance- e.g. space, share resources
and offer help with distribution and publicity
to community action groups committed to
conservation.
Wider Community Action 3:
Participate in the Conversation
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Respond, as a school to surveys- e.g. Qld Govt
Survey on Climate Change
www.thepremier.qld.gov.au/climatechange
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Make statements in local community papers
about climate change issues
Keep the issue before Church, government,
industry.
What is the Earth
a ball in space?
A little paradise?
A planet of melting ice
and inner fires?
Under my hand
Its surface crumbles
Crushed under foot
Its myriad flowers
Forests lie trembling
Under my sword
The ocean darkens
Weeping black tears
Death of sweet rivers
Death-giving rain
Silent and secret
Invisible pain
A gift from heaven
this little world
Each bird a jewel
Each tree a mother
What is the Earth?
A fragile heart
Tender my touch
To save its life - and mine
Virginia McKenna – Actress and Founder of Zoo-check