Earth Overshoot Day is at 11am on Friday 21 Aug at the church or live-streamed at West End Uniting Church.
West End Uniting Church will join around 50 Churches around Australia tolling their bells and lighting candles simultaneously on Friday 21 August to mark Earth Overshoot Day – the day people have used all the natural resources that the Earth can renew during the year.
Lighting candles at our Church brings our attention to the damage to plants, animals, water and the way of life we love, and call us onto a better path for our families and future generations.
We all understand that spending more than our budget allows is risky and that keeping to a budget is wise – it’s the same with the Earth’s natural resources. Australians are some of the biggest spenders of the earth’s resources, consuming the equivalent of over four Earths each year.
“Stopping to appreciate the beauty and randomness in our World can remind us again of the wonder of life. This wonder leads me to sit in awe of the eternal connection we have – right back to exploding stars. As we have seen this year many natural wonders have been recorded due to our slowing down from this global pandemic.”, said long time West End resident and West End Uniting Church Councillor Lea Maslen.
Through our global collective response to COVID-19, we have moved back Earth Overshoot Day by three and a half weeks this year. Let’s keep working together to maintain our momentum so we can push 2021’s Earth Overshoot Day back further and bring the Earth’s ‘budget’ back into balance. We can take this opportunity to choose positive, fair, life-affirming ways forward to re-set our path.
“The Earth is a gift to all from the Love at the heart of Creation, a gift to be cared for and nurtured. We are in a time when it is clear that we have been failing to care for the Earth; we need to decisively turn to renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind power, to heal the damage we have done.”, said West End Uniting Church Minister Rev Paul Walton.
As a group of community-minded Christians, our Church sees caring for the environment as a big part of who we are in the world. We are asking governments to work with communities to upgrade to clean, renewable energy and invest in healthy, sustainable jobs and industries. These improvements offer the added benefits of increasing community and economic resiliency, particularly in regional areas. We are also asking people and businesses to switch to clean energy and healthy transport and avoid over-consuming at home and work.
Lea put it this way:
“I feel we are called to live with consideration, kindness, gentleness, gratitude and generosity. The lack of these has lead to the destruction of Earth, and we are poorer for it. I also have learnt from the close spiritual connection First Nations people have with this land. As I feel spirituality is an important aspect of life I am committed to making the necessary changes. My support goes to ethical and eco-safe sources for energy, food, and employment.”
What: Earth Overshoot Day Service 2020
When: Friday 21 August, 11am
Where: West End Uniting Church and live-streamed at www.facebook.com/westenduniting
