| LIVING LIGHT |
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| Welcome! You have found the site of the CreationKeepers team (Christ Church's Eco Church Committee), which shares ideas and experiences about how we can all lighten our environmental footprint. We do this because we see our planet and its resources at a breaking point and believe in the power of personal examples. Most weeks, we will reflect on some aspect of living, working, shopping, consuming, reading, learning, etc. These are all local experiences and can easily be adopted by others in our community. Our authors (Rosie and Monika) look forward to any comments or ideas that you may also have and want to share. Send us your ideas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Blog #101: Austria in 2023 - Check out the Yellow Bins and other News! |
| January 5, 2023 Monika Weber-Fahr |
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New Year, new rules - that does not only apply to eminent domains such as taxes or social services in Austria but also to the environment. Here just a quick note on two things that are new in Austria this coming year - and that are worthwhile noting, certainly for those of us caring for God's Creation!
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My favorite change: As of January 1st, across all Austria, any and all plastic packages - yoghurt cups, plastic bags, tooth paste tubes, whatever - will be collected together with plastic bottles and tetra-pack type drink containers, tins, and so on, either in the large yellow-green collection bins (see picture) or in yellow bags (depending on where you live in Vienna). Ever since I moved here, six years ago, I had found it so confusing: I was able to recycle plastic bottles - but anytime I purchased something that came in a plastic container, I knew that it could only go into the furnace. So now, this has changed, thankfully - all plastic will now go to the same destination. The government seems to hope that the new regulations will help increase Austria’s performance in recycling plastic packaging by about 20%.
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 Foto: As of this year, every packaging made from plastic or tin can be brought to the yellow bins - not just plastic bottles and tetra-packs. So: Let's make sure we collect as much as we can! |
| Why was this change introduced - other than to make life easier for confused people like myself? Well, it turns out that Austria is great in recycling overall but struggles with reaching its goals on plastic waste recycling. The government would like to have at least half of all plastic packaging recycled by 2025 - and for that to happen, we now all get to use the yellow bins. |
| The second change worthwhile noting for 2023 relates to animal welfare and a rather horrid practice that the profit orientation and specialization in intensive animal farming has brought to raising chicken: Chicklet shredding or culling. In many countries - and until January 1 also Austria - industrial chicken farmers sort male from female chicks, with the aim to only keep the female ones as the male chicks cannot lay eggs. Rather than raising them, they are killed - usually by using shredder-type machines. Well: Not any more in Austria now |
| There are a few other changes - or continuances - most of them in the good-to-know-but-not-yet-great category. The Austrian government has decided to continue the subsidies for electric cars - with up to Euro 5,000 per car - a smart move, because Austria is well behind its goals for electrifying mobility. The Klima Bonus will be paid out again in 2023 - this time with regional differentiation, meaning that depending on where you live you will receive more or less to compensate you for the additional cost of the green transitions. And, of course, the Klimaticket continues to be available across Austria: For around 1,100 Euros per year - or 7 Euros a day - you can use any train or bus anytime for one entire year, as often as you want. |
| Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Blog #100: Surprise yourself - with your Gift to God's Creation! |
| December 22, 2022 Monika Weber-Fahr |
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“What are Christmas Presents about?”, the Revd Canon Patrick Curran asked the 10:30 morning congregation at Christ Church Vienna last Sunday. While we all pondered, he gave us his answer: “Well, I think, Christmas presents are about surprises”. His answer got me thinking: Is there a surprise present that we hold in store for God’s Creation? Is there a gift, that I have been surprised to see others give to nature? Something really astonishing, in line with the Anglican Fifth Mark of Mission, our promise to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth? And is there something that I can surprise myself with?
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Indeed, right this week, the world’s nations have given God’s Creation a gift that was alltogether surprising: In the early hours of Monday, 19th, a historic agreement was struck in Montreal by countries participating in the Convention on Biological Diversity that creates a strong new basis for global efforts to combat the destruction of nature and biodiversity loss. As always with big international agreements, also this one is not far-reaching enough in some people’s views while others consider it too ambitious; in fact, even at the time of concluding the agreement, there were still some last minute concerns raised by a few countries - but luckily it seems that in the end all country governments came together. The new agreement’s details may go beyond your reading appetite - but the headlines are worth remembering: In the years to come, each of the countries that signed on will look to support moving at least 30 percent of the world’s land, coastal areas and oceans into conservation structures. In making sure that the efforts to protect nature and its biodiverse resources do not disadvantage those countries with a lot of land that needs protecting and now cannot be used for economic purposes otherwise, a lot of money is being put on the table. Enough? Maybe not - time will tell. In the meantime, many of the other goals are also noteworthy, as well as the text of the agreement. It includes, for example, a commitment to work towards halving global food waste, and the formal recognition of indigenous people’s rights to live and maintain their traditional lifestyles in protected areas. In watching the Montreal conference proceedings over the past two weeks, I have been awed by the courage that delegates displayed in the end: Yes, they have given us - and nature - a great surprise gift in the end.
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So what about you and me? Right before Christmas, the world’s nations have come to a truly surprising agreement - surprising in the sense that many observers did not believe they would make it in the end. Will we also give a (surprise) gift to nature?
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 Foto: Will we give God’s Creation a gift this year? The world’s nations have surprised us with a new and very promising agreement to safeguard biodiversity. Do we ourselves have a surprise gift in store? What will it be?. |
| The most simple way to give a gift to nature is to just donate something to an environmental charity that you feel is doing good work. In fact, my son asked me last week for a reference - an organization that really really makes a difference on climate change. There are plenty of good online lists for this, such as 36 Organizations Helping Solve the Climate Crisis, or Best Climate Change Charities, or Five NGOs working for Climate Change in India. You may have your own lists - based on the country you come from or belong to and based on where you feel you see a difference being made most effectively or based on a topic you feel passionately about. For example, Diana, just told me about an NGO in the UK that plants trees and that she has contributed to for some time - at the occasion of the births of all grandchildren and godchildren. As it were, there are several Tree Planting charities to choose from in the UK, and Woodland Trust, Diana's charity-of-choice, is favorably reviewed there. My son, after some research, chose The Green Belt Movement, a charity set up by Peace Nobel Laureate Waangari Maathai, to help them plant and sustain trees in Kenya and beyond. As a church, by the way, we give to the Jane Goodal Institute, and sometime in the New Year they will come visit us at Christ Church to thank us and explain more about what they do. |
| But what about myself? Am I ready to truly surprise myself? Am I ready to change one of my many behaviors that cost God’s Creation so dearly? Instead of buying (new) things, make Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair & Recycle my way of living? Eat less or no meat, eat seasonal, and cook carefully so as to avoid waste? Stay away - completely? - from single-use plastics? So many things to do - which will it be for me? And which will it be for you? |
| So: Let’s surprise ourselves - our Creator and Creation - with a gift! Let’s make the Anglican Fifth Mark of Mission our our guideline and help safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth, together, here at Christ Church! Merry Christmas to you all! |
| Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Blog #99: Advent - a Time for Peace! |
| December 15, 2022 Monika Weber-Fahr |
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Advent is beginning to come to its end: This coming Sunday we celebrate the fourth of the Advent Sundays, and thereafter we have only six days left to get ready for Christmas. Last year, the Living Light Blog took the opportunity of Advent to bring you ideas and tips for environmentally friendly approaches to celebrate the most joyous season of all. This year, we will take inspiration from liturgy instead, offering suggestions for honoring the respective liturgical dimension of each of the Advent Sundays through actions that celebrate, reflect on or put us more in touch with God’s creation. One of the overarching themes of Advent is time - it is a special time, a time that is there for us to get ready. And so, true to this theme, each of the blogs will all offer ideas and tips on how we might want to spend some of this very special time in light of the Anglican Fifth Mark of Mission, safeguarding the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth..
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Discerning what might be the main theme of the fourth Sunday of Advent turned out a bit difficult. In line with Epistle Roman 1:1-7, that concludes with “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” some sources say that this Sunday is about Peace. Others point to a focus on Mary, in line with the Sunday’s Gospel: Mathew 1:17-25 speaks to her pregnancy - and it talks about an angel visiting Joseph suggesting that he stand by her, reason for others to call the fourth candle on the Advent Wreath the Angel’s candle, again a symbol of peace, reminding us of the angels' message: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. So for this blog, I am settling on the theme of peace - it’s big enough, as it were, to stand on its own!
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 Foto: The late Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Laureate, reflected in her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Stockholm in 2004 on the role of trees as a symbol for peace and conflict resolution, especially during ethnic conflicts in Kenya. |
| So what does peace mean - for those of us who care for how we treat our planet and its resources? How to best reflect on this? For me, personally, peace in nature is always symbolized by trees and forests; probably a very personal cultural infliction - indeed, other cultures perceive forests to be dangerous places rather than places of peace, and again others are more focused on parts of nature associated with the sea or the mountains. For me, though, finding and being at peace is all about trees. And I am not alone in associating trees with peace - it is how the Iroquois think of the White Pine Tree, it is how Wangari Maathai framed her work on the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, it is how the Greeks looked a Olive Trees. And then, of course, there are the many meanings of the Christmas Tree itself - in terms of pines, firs, cypresses and the like - including but not limited to peace. Mythological or not: Positive physical and mental health impacts of spending time close to trees have been well documented by now - in terms of lower blood pressure, lower levels of cortisol, and so on - all associated with peace. |
| Luck has it that right now - just a few steps from Christ Church in the Jauregasse, the Lower Belvedere has put on a beautiful exhibition that allows us to do just that - reflect on the theme of peace by taking trees as the starting point. The exhibition is called GROW and it takes you on a journey of how trees have featured in art, both contemporary art and art throughout history and mythology - and it includes reflections on the role of trees healing the earth from some of its carbon excesses. The pieces exhibited are quite extraordinary and well worth the visit, ranging from Blossoming Chestnut by Emilie Mediz-Pelikan to Headstanding Totem by Nilbar Güreş. Curated along themes rather than periods or artistic techniques, the visitor gets to reflect on topics such as Grow and Fade, Lose, Act, Breathe and Inspire, all the while also learning - such as about the Norse mythology’s ash tree Yggdrasil, representing the idea of a tree being “central to maintaining the equilibrium of our world”. |
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Foto: This picture is part of the exhibition GROW at the Belvedere, and while I do not remember the artist the visual stayed with me. I took these hands and feet to symbolize how we all need to contribute, with hands and feet, to help build peace with nature going forward |
| Yes, this is an art exhibition - but it also relates very much to and reflects on the current and tough political and economic struggles that threaten the peaceful coexistence of trees and humankind. Most of us will know of the central role that trees will have to play in the earth’s future recovery from our over-reliance on fossil fuels: Healthy forests are currently the most cost-effective technology for carbon removal and storage. And yet, despite the relevance of trees - in the mythical, cultural, personal health and planetary health domains: We see deforestation proceeding globally, with some five million hectares of forest land lost every year, mostly in the southern hemisphere, a theme also reflected in the exhibition. This is all very timely, of course, considering that right now - until December 19 - the Global Biodiversity Conference currently underway in Montreal is looking to define global goals that would include, similar to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, setting concrete goals such as a goal to turn 30 percent of the world’s land into protected areas. |
| So, let’s take some time this week, in celebrating the Fourth Sunday in Advent, for an environmentally inspired reflection on peace! Let’s go for a stroll underneath the mighty trees of the Prater or the Botanical Garden, visit the exhibition GROW at the Lower Belvedere or enjoy other pieces of art that include trees. Get inspired! And let’s use this precious time during Advent as a way to get ready - for Christmas, yes, but also for the practices that we will all want to adopt more of - so that, as the Anglican Church’s Fifth Mark of Mission says, we can help “safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. |
| Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
| P.S. The exhibition at the Belvedere closes on January 8, so hurry if you'd like to still see it. |
Blog #98: Advent - a Time to Wait! |
| December 8, 2022 Monika Weber-Fahr |
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Advent is in full swing: The third Sunday is already around the corner, and 16 days are left for us to get prepared for Christmas. Last year, the Living Light Blog took the opportunity of Advent to bring you ideas and tips for environmentally friendly approaches to celebrate the most joyous season of all. This year, we will take inspiration from liturgy instead, offering suggestions for honoring the respective liturgical dimension of each of the Advent Sundays through actions that celebrate, reflect on or put us more in touch with God’s creation. One of the overarching themes of Advent is time - it is a special time, a time that is there for us to get ready. And so, true to this theme, each of the blogs will all offer ideas and tips on how we might want to spend some of this very special time in light of the Anglican Fifth Mark of Mission, safeguarding the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
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Most of us know the third Sunday of Advent as the Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday - the one when we light a rose-coloured candle on the Advent Wreath, reminding us of the upcoming joy of Jesus’ birth as well as of the joy of having made it half-way through Advent, transitioning from the initial repentance onwards to celebrations soon to come. Well fitting this transition, the big liturgical themes on this third Sunday of Advent seem - to me - to be about patience and waiting. Reading the Epistle for the day, we see James call on us in 5:7-10 to “be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord”. And he gets practical in his examples: “The farmer waits for the precious crop form the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains, You also must be patient”.
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 Foto: Why not practice patience and waiting - pointed to by James in 5:7-10 - in an environmentally inspired way this and look to eat only in-season and locally sourced produce this week? |
| For those of us who care for how we treat our planet and its resources, James' instruction is so very meaningful! In much of today’s society, we rarely take the time to “wait for the precious crop” - instead, we look for the agricultural industry to produce for us whatever we like whenever we like it. Strawberries in December, or broccoli in June, and the list goes on: Year-round availability of produce is what consumers in rich countries of the world have come to expect. Yet, doing so creates an immense carbon footprint - because produce needs to be raised in (heated) greenhouses, stored and cooled or frozen, and often imported from far-away countries or regions. Research done - in terms of what is called Life-Cycle Assessments - of the carbon footprint of fruit and vegetables is clear: The best produce is what has been “grown outside and during their natural season without much use of additional energy and consumed in the same country or region. These have environmental benefits because they use less energy for artificial heating or lighting, for refrigeration and storage and avoid losses during storage, which generally helps to produce less GHG emissions, compared to fruit and vegetables that are grown under protection, are imported or stored”. |
| So: What about eating only seasonally and locally grown produce - just for the week starting on the third Advent Sunday? On my end, I have just begun such a week myself and wanted to invite you to join me in doing so. It’s both fun and tasty - and it will remind you of how easy environmentally conscious eating can be! December brings some of my favorite vegetables, starting with potatoes of all kinds, through carrots, cauliflower, celery, parsnips, pumpkin, turnip and so on. In fact, whether you are on the market or at Hofer’s, you find all of this there - even though, when making sure that you truly buy locally, you might be better of to check out your local Bioladen, order from one of the various Biokisterl (Local Produce Box) services available, or go to your next market. |
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Foto: One of my dishes this week - as I have vowed to practice patience, environmentally inspired - along James’ suggestion in 5:7-10 and eat only in-season and locally sourced produce. Here I had a tray of delicious and easy-to-prepare roasted pumpkins with carrots and fennel. |
| What to cook this week then - will it be a week of potatoes? Well, I started there, of course, being the potato-lover I am, but then I moved on to a delicious tray of baked pumpkin with carrots and fennel and thereafter tried my luck with a warm and tasty broccoli-and-cauliflower soup, subsequently moving on to various forms of beetroot-salads. The list of wonderful and healthy recipes that consist only of seasonal and local foods is virtually endless - at least if you enjoy googling them - but you’ll find plenty of books also in the stores. And even if you worry that purchasing in-season and local produce may be more expensive than the alternative: If you leave out the meat and focus only on the veggies, you’ll find that the price difference is bearable. Plus, of course, there is the bit health-bonus of Eating in Season: Produce that has just been harvested is higher in nutritional value simply because there are typically affected less by pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and because they containmore anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, folate and carotenes that would have otherwise rapidly declined when stored for longer periods of time. |
| Let's go and celebrate this year’s Third Sunday in Advent with God's creation in mind! Let’s take time for - environmentally inspired - waiting! Let’s exercise patience and look exclusively for in-season and locally harvested food this week. Let’s use this precious time during Advent as a way to get ready - for Christmas, yes, but also for the practices that we will all want to adopt more of - so that, as the Anglican Church’s Fifth Mark of Mission says, we can help “safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth". |
| Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
