May 2026 Eco-news

Dear Church Friends
How did you do with your Lent fasts? I counted the plastic items I threw away for one week and got a grand total of 61! If this is an average, it means that my household throws away 3172 pieces of plastic a year. Most of it was yoghurt pots… food for thought (literally!)
Good news from around the world: mountain gorilla numbers have increased from 250 in the 1970s to over a thousand this year, including two sets of twin babies. Closer to home, the local wildlife trusts are hoping to reconnect areas of floodplain meadow and ancient woodland between Aylesbury, Bicester and Oxford around the River Ray. You can find out more here.

You probably don’t need me to list the bad news, not least the devastating effects on the environment from the thousands of missiles and bombs already dropped during the war in the Middle East. A month ago, a remote sensing specialist with the Dutch peace advocacy organisation Pax had already compiled a database of more than 500 incidents of environmental harm inside Iran and a further 100 outside. Strikes on oil depots and marine pollution are the most immediately obvious of these. The war has also demonstrated how dependent we are on fossil fuels, leaving governments with difficult decisions on long-term climate strategy.

For our own consideration this month: shampoo! Ethical Consumer gives the readily available and reasonably priced Faith in Nature brand a score of 86%, compared with market leaders Head and Shoulders and Pantene, which score just 10%. You can read more on their website.

Part of a prayer entitled “Resurrection” from arocha.org
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You raised your son on the third day,
Showing that a new day has dawned.
Demonstrating that violence, evil and death
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that oppressive empires
Will not have the last word.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May we too be resurrection people,
Who demonstrate that violence, evil and destruction
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that unrestrained capitalism and empires of exploitation
Will not have the last word.