Quakers around our Area Meeting have been getting creative to highlight climate justice in the lead-up to the COP26 UN climate conference in November.

Bournville Quakers have transformed the giant cedar tree in their grounds with a knitted cosy to highlight climate issues as the COP26 approaches. Members of the meeting produced hundreds of six inch squares to contribute to the installation and thought proving messages have been placed on nearby railings with knitted bunting.

The tree, which was planted in 1948 to mark Dame Elizabeth Cadbury’s 90th birthday is the largest of its kind in the region. Friends will have plenty of opportunities to talk with members of the public about climate change  on Sunday when the iconic building opens for heritage open day. Hundreds of people visit it all the time and notices encourage them to take photos of the work and put them on social media. Postcards are also being ordered, which can be sent to MPs.

Meanwhile, the Loving Earth Project has been encouraging Quakers across Britain and beyond to create textile panels to express our love for the planet and its diverse creatures and our dismay at the threat from climate crisis and ecological destruction.  They form part of an exhibition to be mounted in Glasgow during the COP26 Conference.

You can view a selection of panels at Stourbridge Quaker Meeting House during Heritage Open Days on Sat 11th and Sun 12th Sept; or in the Peace Hub window during Great Big Green Week Mon 20th – Fri 24th Sept. Families can join in and make their own panels at a workshop at Edgbaston Quaker Meeting House on the afternoon of Sat 25th Sept.

Over at Cotteridge Quaker Meeting, a COP26 Community Fair will highlight local responses and offer opportunities for conversation over tea & cake, throughout the day on Sat 25th Sept.

Why are we called to this creative action for climate justice? Chris Martin, co-clerk of CEQ Climate Emergency Action recommends this video from QPSW as an introduction: