Water for wells – Costa’s promotion of more plastic.

Happened to be in a Costa this morning (personally I avoid these but the person I was with needed a cup of tea) and saw this advert…

Water For Wells: Every bottle you buy will help fund a new well.

Well done Costa – you want us to buy water in plastic bottles and you think that we can be encouraged to do so by promising to give some money to funding wells. Of course you fail to mention what type of well… the assumption is water wells but given you are promoting plastic bottles it could just as easily be an oil well.

Our seas are full of plastic. Malaysia and China are need deep in our plastic waste. So what do Costa do? Encourage us to buy more of the stuff so that make more money. I feel a letter coming on.

Here it is, just sent it to Costa….

Dear Costa,

Our seas are full of plastic. Malaysia and China are need deep in our plastic waste. The world is waking up to the disgusting waste that we have produced over the past 40 years, so why are you encouraging us to buy more of the stuff with your Water For Wells campaign? Why don’t you charge 10p to fill up water bottles and donate that to charities providing water in drought stricken countries?

Stuart

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Sacred generations

As Druids we often honour and give thanks to our ancestors and we honour the ancient dead. But I have yet to see much written or said about the generations yet to come.

How can we honour our descendants? How can we respect those not yet born?

The Native Americans are said to think seven generations ahead. They get the need to think in the long term. Modern life has us thinking a few months ahead or a year at most.

But it is those future generations who are at risk from our actions now. We dishonour them every time we commit a climate crime that pushes the environment closer to the brink of collapse, every time we buy unnecessary plastic that will end up choking our seas and its creatures and every time we shun our communities in favour of glitz and glamour.

So let’s take time to ponder our decisions and actions. Let’s consider everything we do as if it will have a real impact on our children and their children. Let’s start honouring the future generations as well as those who went before us.

Return to business as usual

Sadiq Khan wants London to return to business as usual! Protestors are planning to negotiate with the Mayor despite his response being “My message to all protesters today is clear: you must now let London return to business as usual.”

We must not return to business as usual, that is how we got into this mess in the first place. We need radical change and we need it now. There is no time left to make the changes that world needs, those changes must start now.

Finally, a huge thank you to the 800+ protestors who have been arrested. I have spent two days there and not been arrested – next time I will try harder.

And even more finally, Jonathan Pie puts it brilliantly!!!

 

Extinction Rebellion

I am really pleased to have been able to take part in the NVDA in London this week. Climate change and the sixth mass extinction are the most important issues of our time and unless we take action now they will be the most important issues until the end of humanity.

People ask me why we risk arrest. I reply, what is arrest compared to our children not surviving. I did not get arrested though but I was and still am prepared to be. My solidarity to those who were.

Sunday saw me at a multi-faith event outside St Paul’s and before that a ceremony on the shore of the Thames with Druid friends. Monday I spent with friends dancing in front of a pink yacht in Oxford Circus, admiring the trees on Waterloo Bridge and standing in solidarity outside Shell’s HQ.

Solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters

“We swear by peace and love to stand heart to heart and hand to hand. Mark O Spirit and hear us now confirming this our sacred vow.” These words are not just about Druids standing together in peace but of all persons. It matters not whether they are Muslim, Heathen, rabbit or mountain – we stand together for peace and we call for peace, outwardly and openly.

I was pleased to see tweets by OBOD, BDO and TDN expressing words of peace and love to the friend, family and all those affected by the New Zealand attack. It is good too to see the statement on TDN website.

I have emailed our local Imam expressing solidarity and love towards our Muslim brothers and sisters. I have worked with him a few times on similar issues as Britain First target his mosque with protests every two weeks (BF are based about 20 miles away and we have a new mosque being built). I would encourage all my Druid and Pagan friends to do the same.

I remain worried about the supremacist claims linking themselves to Heathenry which is why, alongside the tweets and statements, I think we should send similar into the mainstream media to make our thoughts as public as possible. Personally, I walk alongside Wodan as the main god that I interact with (yes I know he is not Celtic… but he is part of my English heritage) so these claims feel a bit personal at times.

Awakening

The world continues to burn. Here in the Garden of England in February we have been sitting outside in T-shirts in +18C. A few weeks ago in the US they have been freezing in a polar votex with -37C. The world is burning and changing and it will awaken people. I hope so – we are in the middle of a climate emergency.

Sadly, so far the Pagan world is failing the Earth. Dayan Martinez sums it up neatly here. We are not making the impact on society that is needed and many of us are not showing the leadership that is needed either. Many of the Druid and Wicca groups continue to talk about “nice” topics, perhaps doing a bit of navel gazing, almost oblivious to the chaos that is ensuing in the world around them. Some are not thought, and those Pagans are very aware of what is happening but we remain powerless to stop it.

Extinction Rebellion are gaining traction. The direct action last year made national press and more is planned. There is less than 12 years left to tackle climate change according to the UN. That is not very long, especially when your political system is collapsing and government is focused on trying to resolve Brexit.

I’m getting back into the swing of politics but the Order of the Oak hasn’t commenced. So what to do? We agreed that it could be a membership organisation with a website and meetings and all that but no one was keen to take on roles. Does it need to be looser than that? A collective without rules? Or do we plough ahead to set it up and see who joins?

Maybe it’s a combination? Would a £1 nominal membership be better? We can pay for a website with just 35 members. Do we want to meet at direct action events to perform rituals?

The Oak symbolises strength and leadership. We will need both as we plunge into the economic and environment collapse. Leadership to speak out against the Sixth Mass Extinction, the Climate Crisis and the political and economic bollocks that has infected our so called societies. We need the power of the Oak to see us through these dark times.

It is time for the Oak King to awaken.

 

Return of the Oak King

I have to say, it’s been a shit few months – mostly. No blogging, no activism and little political work. I missed the start of the Extinction Rebellion and have failed to get the Order of the Oak launched. The severe illnesses that my close family and friends have had have taken their toll on me. It’s really not been great. There have been a few highs which I am so grateful for and which have kept me going.

The final quarter of the calendar year is a time of death, a time of retraction. The leaves fall from the trees and the landscape enters its winter hibernation. Samhain heralds death to the old and weak. The frosts arrive and chill us to the bone. The Holly King is at his height. Sometimes the best we can do is retreat and wait.

We wait until the winter solstice. The solstice is a double celebration for me as it marks both my birthday and the return of the Oak King. For having my birthday at that time I am truly thankful!

There was an awakening at the solstice. Just a gentle stirring that I need to stop hiding and start working again. I have to wake from the slumber, there is work to do.

The Order of the Oak needs to be born into the world of Druidry. Green politics needs every activist we can muster. The planet needs every one of us to fight for it and to honour it.

I’m stretching my sleepy bones, yawning in the mist filled air and wondering where the past few months have gone. Good morning all!