By Canon Cate Edmonds, Canon Steward
Have you ever thought about being a Carbon Steward? Whatever does that mean? It’s a personal approach to supporting God’s creation, to reduce our carbon footprint, where possible, and to try to prevent further damage to the environment. What is a Carbon Fast? Carbon Fast is an initiative set up by Carbon Stewards as part of the A Rocha family of organisations, caring for God’s creation around the world. A Rocha is an organisation promoting care of creation and the Cathedral is participating in the Eco Church initiative, which encourages churches to be more caring of God’s earth. Here at Exeter Cathedral, we have already gained the Silver Award and are working towards Gold. Carbon Fast is set up through Lent to help people and the planet to flourish by giving up unsustainable consumption practices to reduce our carbon footprint – and in doing so, learning to live lightly on God’s earth. Now, that is a challenge for us all and it is worth thinking about the Carbon Fast as part of our Lenten journey.
Why care for creation this Lent? Quoting from Carbon Stewards, “Our natural world is in crisis”. We are now consuming 1.8 times faster than our planet can regenerate. If we consumed within our planetary boundaries, nature would have space to replenish. Earth Overshoot Day 2025 fell on 24 July – meaning humanity exhausted Earth’s annual renewable resources in just under seven months. For the remaining five months of 2025, we lived on borrowed resources from future generations. To sustain our current lifestyle year-round would require 1.8 Earths – but we only have one.
Many of you may remember this quote from Sir David Attenborough’s Life on Earth:
“The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lies upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.”
The Carbon Fast comprises seven Weekly Themes:
Week 1: Creation Care
Week 2: Consumerism / Shopping
Week 3: Money / Investments
Week 4: Food Waste / Meat & Dairy
Week 5: Transport / Driving
Week 6: Energy / Electricity / Gas
Week 7: Social Media
Each week we are challenged to one activity to undertake or reflect on which will support our environment and help reduce our carbon footprint.
This first week of Lent encourages us to “start simple” by perhaps spending 30 minutes outdoors daily to walk, sit, observe or pray. The next idea is to encourage us to visit nature on your doorstep by exploring our nearest park, wetland centre, nature reserve or open space. Finally, we are encouraged to get our hands in the soil in some way, e.g. planting seeds etc.
As part of our Lenten journey this may be a creative way to serve the common good. As we undertake these activities, we can thank God for the creation around us and remember those who are suffering for humanities’ neglect of creation.
Click here for more information about Carbon Stewards.
–––
Picture: The Coming of Spring by George Wallace Jardine (1920–2002)