Becoming a low-carbon, sustainable community: establishing a baseline letter to LM's
10 January 2012
To all local meeting clerks, correspondents or convenors
Dear Friends,
Becoming a low-carbon, sustainable community: establishing a baseline
At Yearly Meeting Gathering 2011 we, as Quakers in Britain, made an exciting commitment to become a low-carbon, sustainable community. At its meeting on 3rd December Meeting for Sufferings took the next steps in developing this concern.
The Yearly Meeting agreed that we need to create a baseline of where we are now, in order to measure our progress. This is not the beginning - many local and area meetings and individual Friends are already taking action - but will give a snap shot of our current activities. The minute of Meeting for Sufferings reminds Friends to develop our spiritual understanding of this concern and asks local meetings to:
(1) Calculate the carbon emissions of the meeting using the Climate Impact Calculator for meetings.
(2) Fill in the ‘Meeting check-up’ of sustainability activities (from pages 23 – 27 of the Sustainability Toolkit.)
The information gathered using these tools will be analysed and collated to create a picture of our current sustainability witness.
Meeting for Sufferings asked that local meetings send the results of the above to the Recording Clerks Office by March 31st 2012. This will enable the information to be used as the basis of the report by Meeting for Sufferings to Yearly Meeting 2012 on the progress of this concern.
Meeting for Sufferings also commended to Friends the value of sharing progress and successes, to share experiences and encourage others within the Society of Friends and more widely. We are reminded, too, to value every small step that is made. Area meetings, local meeting and individuals are therefore asked to:
Meeting for Sufferings asked that local meetings send the results of the above to the Recording Clerks Office by March 31st 2012. This will enable the information to be used as the basis of the report by Meeting for Sufferings to Yearly Meeting 2012 on the progress of this concern.
Meeting for Sufferings also commended to Friends the value of sharing progress and successes, to share experiences and encourage others within the Society of Friends and more widely. We are reminded, too, to value every small step that is made. Area meetings, local meeting and individuals are therefore asked to:
(3) Send their ‘sustainability stories’ to Sunniva Taylor for posting on the Quaker website.
See the next page for information about how to access these resources and how to send in your information.
Please contact Sunniva Taylor, QPSW Sustainability & Peace programme manager, if you would like to discuss any of this.
In friendship,
Paul Parker
Please contact Sunniva Taylor, QPSW Sustainability & Peace programme manager, if you would like to discuss any of this.
In friendship,
Paul Parker
Recording Clerk
Sunniva Taylor
Sustainability & Peace Programme Manager
sunnivat@quaker.org.uk; 020 7663 1047
Getting hold of resources
Climate impact calculator for meetings
Getting hold of resources
Climate impact calculator for meetings
Online: An online interactive version is available at www.quaker.org.uk/climate-impact-calculators. Collect your data and then the calculator will do the maths for you.
Paper:
Every local meeting was sent a paper copy of the calculator with the special ‘Sustainability resources’ mailing in November. More copies can be obtained from the Quaker Centre.
(Quaker Centre website: www.quaker.org.uk/quakercentre
Email: quakercentre@quaker.org.uk
Phone: 0207 663 1030)
Meeting check-up
Access the Meeting check-up at www.quaker.org.uk/sustainability. You can complete it in two ways:
Electronically
(preferable): save it to your computer and type in your information. The ‘notes’ boxes should expand as you type into the form.
Paper:
Print out the check-up and write in your answers. Please use additional pieces of paper if necessary.
Sending in your information
Only information received by 31st March 2012 can be reported to Yearly Meeting in May.
Paper:
Every local meeting was sent a paper copy of the calculator with the special ‘Sustainability resources’ mailing in November. More copies can be obtained from the Quaker Centre.
(Quaker Centre website: www.quaker.org.uk/quakercentre
Email: quakercentre@quaker.org.uk
Phone: 0207 663 1030)
Meeting check-up
Access the Meeting check-up at www.quaker.org.uk/sustainability. You can complete it in two ways:
Electronically
(preferable): save it to your computer and type in your information. The ‘notes’ boxes should expand as you type into the form.
Paper:
Print out the check-up and write in your answers. Please use additional pieces of paper if necessary.
Sending in your information
Only information received by 31st March 2012 can be reported to Yearly Meeting in May.
Electronically: If you fill in the Climate impact calculator for meetings on line you will be prompted to send your information in automatically. If you fill in the Meeting check-up electronically attach it to an email to sunnivat@quaker.org.uk. Please put ‘Sustainability information’ in the subject line of your email.
Sending information this way is preferable as it will save paper and increase the ease of data collation.
By post: Completed paper copies of the Climate impact calculator for meetings and the Meeting check-up should be sent to the Recording Clerks Office, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ. Please mark your envelope ‘Sustainability information’.
Sustainability Stories
www.quaker.org.uk/sustainability-stories is a space to share your meetings sustainability activities, to celebrate and encourage others. See this webpage for details of how to submit your story and to read those already shared, or contact Sunniva Taylor, Sustainability & Peace programme manager.
By post: Completed paper copies of the Climate impact calculator for meetings and the Meeting check-up should be sent to the Recording Clerks Office, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ. Please mark your envelope ‘Sustainability information’.
Sustainability Stories
www.quaker.org.uk/sustainability-stories is a space to share your meetings sustainability activities, to celebrate and encourage others. See this webpage for details of how to submit your story and to read those already shared, or contact Sunniva Taylor, Sustainability & Peace programme manager.
