Several Central England Quakers were very involved with Footsteps’ event – Tread Lightly on this Earth – Exploring Food, Faith & Living Sustainably – held at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick on Sunday 18 November.
One of the high points of the afternoon was ashowing of the new FWCC video Quakers and Climate Change Around the World made by Susannah Mattingley and first shown at the Britain Yearly Meeting Sustainability Gathering a few weeks earlier. The Peace Hub masterminded the PowerPoint that combined signposting and speakers’ presentation, and helped ensure that the packed afternoon’s programme ran smoothly.
Chris Martin from the CEQ Low CarbonCommitment forum chaired the sessions on Reducing our Food Footprint and an ‘open mic’ session at the end which included a recorded contribution from Cotteridge young Quaker, Harriet Woodward – currently spendinga year as a volunteer in Malawi teaching in Bright Era School and helping at a school feeding project.
This year’s Tread Lightly was also a first in that, as well as being part of National Interfaith Week, it was an event in the global Living the Change initiative and Lizzie Nelson from the Faiths for the Climate in London spoke inspirationally and lead the closing worship and pledge making.