CEQ Climate Emergency Action (CEA) helps Quakers in Central England to respond to the climate emergency in our own lives, as a community, and by working for systemic change. The group is made up of four sub-committees, each with a clerk – any interested Friends are invited to join one of these groups:
- Housing & Buildings
- Transport
- Cities & Local Authorities
- Community
In 2011, Quakers in Britain made a commitment to become a low carbon community. The Central England Quakers Low Carbon Commitment Forum was formed to share progress in reducing carbon footprints and explore the challenges involved, including registering Central England as an ‘Eco Area Meeting’. In 2019 Quakers in the area felt that the urgency of the climate emergency meant that a new approach was needed, and in early 2020 the new CEQ Climate Emergency Action group was formed.
Climate Justice Vigils for Quaker Week - Quakers in Central England marked Quaker Week with a series of climate vigils. A regular silent vigil is held by Quakers every Wednesday 1.30 – 1.45pm outside St Phillips Cathedral (aka Pidgeon Park), central Birmingham. It is timed so that you can join the midweek Meeting for Worship at Bull St beforehand (12:45 – 1:15pm). Friends from across the area meeting are invited to join. In addition to this, vigils were held each weekday afternoon… Continue ReadingCEQ Climate Emergency Action supports Small Footsteps relaunch - During 2021 CEQ Climate Emergency Action has been supporting the relaunch of Footsteps’ Small Footsteps programme for youngsters aged 8-13. This has been both with the offer of financial support from the CEQ CEA budget and efforts by individual Quakers. Two successful week-long Small Footsteps summer schools were held in 2016 and 2017. Small Footsteps was held in the grounds of Fircroft College, just down Bristol Road from Selly Oak Meeting House. Shabana Parveen, one… Continue Reading
Getting Creative for Climate Justice - 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… Continue Reading
CEQ Climate Emergency Action – work with young people this summer - Small Footsteps - Update Central England Quakers and Footsteps - Faiths for a Low Carbon Future have joined together to offer a summer programme of activities for young people aged 8 – 12 years, themed around the environment. As we come out of lock-down the Small Footsteps programme will provide opportunities for young people to get together in their communities and open spaces to have fun together, experience the natural world, and take something… Continue ReadingBuild Back Better: New Economics Thinking - A small group of Central England Quakers recently explored the Build Back Better campaign, with a focus on New Economics thinking. Members of CEQ Climate Emergency Action (CEA) joined a workshop led by Peace Hub coordinator Pete Doubtfire to look at the 'House that Hayek Built'. Build Back Better (BBB) is a national campaign aiming to use our recovery from the pandemic as an opportunity to make some of the positive social changes we… Continue Reading
Consultation on ‘Our Future – Green Infrastructure’ - Chris Martin, CEQ CEA Cities Co-Clerk, highlights Birmingham City Council's current consultation on its Our Future - Green Infrastructure in the 'Our Future City Plan'. CEQ Climate Emergency Action (CEQ CEA) commends the video below to Friends and encourages Friends to comment on the plans. https://youtu.be/r3MucXVXOvA One aspect, though, that concerns Chris Martin, is the video's emphasis on the city centre and the 'top down' approach being taken. There is very unequal access to… Continue Reading
Climate Emergency Budget - Chris Martin, Cotteridge meeting and CEQ CEA co-clerk has, as the Footsteps - Faith Community representative on the Birmingham Route to Zero Taskforce, joined with concerned Councillors and other environmental and climate action groups to send a public letter to Birmingham City Council. The letter, also signed by Simon Slater, EcoBirmingham’s new Director, requests that the budget being presented to Full Council on 23 February contains sufficient resource to immediately establish an Assistant Director… Continue Reading
CEQ Climate Emergency Action goes online - Opportunities for Sharing. CEQ Climate Emergency Action (CEA) helps Quakers in Central England to respond to the climate emergency in our own lives, as a community, and by working for systemic change. Until well into 2021 it looks as if face-to-face meetings will remain difficult. So, the CEQ CEA co-clerks, Barnaby Waters (Housing), Chris Martin (Cities) and Ginnie Wollaston (Community) are providing online opportunities for Members and Attenders of Central England to share climate… Continue Reading
Have your say on Birmingham Transport - CEQ Climate Emergency Action (formerly the low carbon commitment forum) would like to encourage Friends living within the Birmingham City Council area to respond to the current consultation on the draft Birmingham Transport Plan. The consultation closes on Saturday 21st March and the Birmingham City Council will then decide whether to adopt the plan as official BCC policy or whether to water it down. You can visit the Birmingham City Council website for full details… Continue Reading
Food for Thought - Food production, packaging and transport make up a big part of our carbon footprint, and many of us are interested in changing our eating habits to help the environment. It can be difficult to know where to begin, so in 2018 Central England Quakers Sustainability Forum compiled a booklet of 'climate friendly recipes and useful information' to help. Titled 'Food for Thought' this booklet has been popular in paper form, and is now available… Continue Reading