Use these resources to strengthen the collective Quaker voice on sustainability. Support the climate movement by downloading and sharing these videos, posters, case studies and other materials. If you have any resources you would like to share with Friends worldwide, please email us.
Understand the history of Friends engagement in sustainability through viewing the FWCC Sustainability Timeline (png).
Quaker case studies: Sustainability in Action
Learn how Quaker meetings and churches around the world are responding to the climate crisis. If you would like to share your story as a case study, please contact us.
- Rwanda Yearly Meeting
- Friends Theological College, Kenya
- New England Yearly Meeting
- Friends International Bilingual Center, Bolivia
- Baltimore Yearly Meeting
- Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative)
- Friends Center, Philadelphia
- Monteverde Friends School, Costa Rica
- Friends House, London
- Ireland Yearly Meeting
- Switzerland Yearly Meeting
- Europe and Middle East Young Friends (EMEYF)
Personal testimonies: Facing the Challenge of Climate Change as Friends
Read personal stories about the climate witness of Friends:
- Rob Levin, New England Yearly Meeting
- Geylord Asimba, Nairobi Yearly Meeting
- Ludwig Bon Quirog, Bohol Worship Group
- Beverly Ward, Southeastern Yearly Meeting
Videos
These videos can be used to support Quaker work for earth justice at the local level. We encourage you to watch the videos with others in your meeting or church, followed by a structured sharing session, to discern how the Spirit is inviting you to act in response to the multiple interlocking ecological issues affecting creation.
Do you want to record your story as a video? If so, please contact us.
- Quakers and Climate Change Around the World – three Friends share their experiences of climate change and how their Quaker faith inspires them to take action
- Quakers Coming Together to Care for the Earth – Friends from across theological traditions in North America join together to share their personal testimonies on environmental justice, earthcare and stewardship. Download suggested guidelines for discussing the video in your meeting or church here.
- FWCC Online Sustainability Conference in Feburary, 2020 – a few of the highlights of the online conference with over 300 friends from around the world. In the video you get a glimpse of the speakers from the conference, hear from the General Secetray Gretchen Castle, and hear Friend’s worship. Read the statement from the confernce.
- Quaker Council for European Affairs – QCEA – Climate and the Ecological Crisis Rupert Read, author, philosophy professor and Extinction Rebellion campaigner discusses the complex and interlinked challenges of climate change which face Europe and the world. What’s at stake? He speaks to QCEA Director Andrew Lane, and member of our General Assembly Mieke van Opheusden.
- Webinar: Quakers Coming Together to Care for the Earth (29 July 2019) – during this international webinar hosted by FWCC, hear from Adrian Halverstadt, Director of Evangelical Friends Church – North America, and Lindsey Fielder Cook, Representative for Climate Change at the Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva.
- Webinar: Friends Reaching Across the Branches on Earthcare (October 2019) – during this webinar, we will hear from a series of Friends based in the Americas. For example, we hear from Emma Condori Mamani is a lifelong Quaker from La Paz, Bolivia who is speaking out about climate change and access to clean water, Emily Wirzba who lobbies on energy and environmental concerns for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (US), Beverly Ward who is the Field Secretary for Earthcare for Southeastern Yearly Meeting and Kallan Benson who is a Friend from Annapolis, Maryland and a Fridays for Future striker.
- Educational Video – Jim and Tim go Green to Save the World (English version) – an educational video aimed children to explain where the fossil fuels come from and the impact of burning them. The videos were created by two Quakers living in the UK and are aimed at people living in the global north.
- Jim and Tim go Green to Save the World – Educational Video (in Spanish)
- Kallan Benson’s speech for FridayForFuture at UN champions of The Earth Award Assembly (UN, NYC 27 September 2019). Kallan Benson is a Young Friend from Annapolis, America.
- Quakers: The Spiritual Journey of Earthcare – Irish Quakers talk about the spiritual challenges around sustainability, where they find joy in the sustainability journey and what their one wish for change in Ireland would be in relation to sustainability (EcoQuakers Ireland, July 2018)
- How Do Quakers Approach Sustainability Work (QuakerSpeak, 2016)
- Britain Yearly Meeting’s Swarthmore Lecture, 2019 ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven; The Kingdom of God and the yearing of Creation’ by Eden Grace. Eden explored Quaker eco-theology, from early Friends to Quakers today. Through stories of Friends’ response to climate change, she shows how this witness arises from their Quaker faith and ask us to imagine and create a positive future. What are the obstacles to radical, prophetic, joy-filled, corporate action? Eden Grace is a member of New England Yearly Meeting and Global Ministries Director for Friends United Meeting.
Youtube links and transcripts from the speakers at the Online Sustainability Conference
On 22nd February 2020, FWCC held an online conference with over 300 Friends around the world to ask ‘How does God call us to act?’. The conference had five speakers from across the FWCC sections and our Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva.
Watch the speaker videos from the conference:
- Speaker One – Lindsey Fielder Cook
- Speaker Two – Cherice Bock
- Speaker Three – Cris De La Cruz
- Speaker Four – Esther Mombo
- Speaker Five – Anya Nanning Murphy
All the videos have English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
Download and view the PDFs of the speaker’s transcripts.
- Speaker One – Lindsey Fielder Cook’s transcript
- Speaker Two – Cherice Bock’s transcript
- Speaker Three – Cris De La Cruz’s transcript
- Speaker Four – Esther Mombo’s transcript
- Speaker Five – Anya Nanning Ramamurphy’s transcript
Quaker Sustainability Toolkits
- People’s Climate Empowerment Series – this resource offers 7 concise “2 siders” which cover different aspects of international climate action, why they matter, and how to get involved (Quaker United Nations Office, 2020)
- Sustainability Tool Kit A Toolkit for Friends, Meetings, Churches, and Worship groups to ask: How does God call us to act to build a more sustainable future? (FWCC, 2020)
- A Government Official’s Toolkit: Inspiring urgent climate action (Quaker United Nations Office, 2020)
- A Negotiator’s Toolkit: Engaging busy Ministries with concise arguments for urgent climate action (Quaker United Nations Office, 2018, second edition)
- Talking about Climate Change: A Practical Guide (Quaker Earthcare Witness, 2017)
- Talking about Climate Change: A Call for Dialogue (Quaker Earthcare Witness, 2017)
Podcasts
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- A Quaker Take: On Climate Change – In this episode, Quakers in Britain talk to Susanna Mattingly from Friends World Committee for Consultation about the role of Quakers in the wider climate movement and what Quaker action to tackle climate breakdown looks like in different parts of the world.
Climate Change in the time of COVID-19
During the global coronavirus pandemic, many of our work slowed, but the cliamte reaserch has grown. Below are a list of external links to webinars, suggested ways to build back economies after COVID19 and more. Many have compared the corona virus to climate change sped up, where decision makers juggling economic, moral, and scientific factors which is fed by complex science.
- Communicating climate change during the covid-19 crisis: what the evidence days
- Ten princples for building back better to create wellbeing economies post-covid.
- A calling for a Economy of Life in the Time of pandemic – A joint Message from the WCC, WCRC, LWF, and CWM.
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP)
COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’ and is the annual climate summit of the United Nations’ climate body, with this year being the 26th summit. COP26 will be co-hosted by the UK and Italy.
- UK Cop26’s Host Website
- The Climate Collation explain COP26
- The Climate Collation’s Jargon Buster of COP26.
- The Paris Agreement and What it Means (UNFCC’s Website)
- Net Zero: an ambition in need of a definition’ by the Carbon Trust
Posters
- Top tips for reducing consumption (Infographic aimed at Global North lifestyles)
- Every Action Matters
- The Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice
- Quakers and climate change
- FWCC’s Online Sustainability Conference Poster, 22/02/2020
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- Think Radical Poster: A call out to Friends to ask: How as Friends can we create a more sustainable world?
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Quaker and other spiritual resources
- 50 Resources on Climate Justice – a directory for Quakers by Britain Yearly Meeting
- Worship sharing prompts and guidelines for the question: ‘how does god call us to act? These prompts were used during the FWCC online sustainability conference in 2020. Why not a worship sharing group in your meeting, church, or worship group and let us know what you reflect?
- Living the Change – Quick ideas for you to lead a more sustainable works focused on transportation, energy, and food
- Quakers and Climate Change website – This website is a resource portal for Quakers to share their actions, and to inspire each other.
- Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change for COP25 Madrid 2019
- Quaker Input to the Talanoa Dialogue (Quaker Earthcare Witness and Friends World Committee for Consultation, April 2018)
- One-page summary: Quaker Input to the Talanoa Dialogue (Quaker Earthcare Witness and Friends World Committee for Consultation, April 2018)
- Human Rights Based Approaches to Climate Action (Quaker United Nations Office, 2019)
- Q&A with Quaker United Nations Office Representative on Food and Sustainability
- Where Heaven and Earth are One – A Quaker’s Understanding of Earthcare (Gerard Guiton, 2019)
- Walk on Earth Gently: A Multi-Faith invitation to Sustainable Lifestyles
- 2011 Swarthmore Lecture: Costing not less than everything: sustainability and spirituality in challenging times – Pam Lunn
- Laudato Si: Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change
- Call to Conscience: Quaker experiences in facing the challenge of climate change (Quaker United Nations Office, 2014)
- Connected to creation: Addressing the spiritual roots of climate change (American Friends Service Committee, 2013)
Recommended articles
- Urban Gardening – An easy guide to building your own veg garden in a city (Suggested by a Friend for Friends)
- The Loving Earth Project – Art as prophecy in response to climate change (The Friend Article, January 2020)
- Giving up Childhood to Advert Climate Catastrophe (The Journal, December 2019)
- Key outcomes agreed at the UN Climate talks in Madrid. ( Carbon Brief, December 2019)
- Global Action for Climate Change: how Friends World Committee for Consultation involves us all (The Australian Friend, June 2019)
- Faithful Action on Climate Change (Friends Journal, 2019)
- Can veganism be part of a Quaker approach to climate change? (Rajan Naidu, Quakers and Climate Change Worldwide, May 2019)
- Five things the ordinary person can do to help the environment (Féidhlim Harty, The Friendly Word, November 2018)
- Press Release: Quakers call for bold national climate policy (Britain Yearly Meeting, October 2018)
- Sustainability Literacy for Friends (Louise Salinas, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, September 2018)
- Being Vegetarian is a Climate Issue (£) (Friends Journal, 2018)
- Quakers and Climate Change (Spark, March 2018)
- Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Reconciling Global Rules to Promote Food-secure Farming (Spark, March 2018)
