Christianity and Environment - The British Approach

Recently I wrote an article on the topic from this title on http://searchwarp.com. Most readers there are from US so I have addressed the issue in a way that a typical American Christian reader might understand: I posed a question about compatibility of Christianity and Eco-Friendly attitude as a problem and tried to show the solutions.

Here I want to present a video from Times Online where British Christian environmentalist have their say. They are convinced, as I am too, that Christianity and Environmentalism are not a peculiar but most natural combination.

Check it out: Christianity and Environment

Recycling and Eco-Friendly Living at University of Cambridge, UK

Here is some interesting and encouraging info on recycling and environmental concerns at the University of Cambridge. Cambridge City Council together with the Colleges and University organizes recycling very well and informs the poeple of "town and those of gown" on eco-related issues quite effectively. The following links are from Cambridge City Council Website. Students as well are quite active.

Below are several links. I was surprised to see how well this is organized here and how many things are happening.

www.cambridge.gov.uk/recyclingcentres - find your nearest recycling centre in the city using this interactive Google map on the Council’s website.
www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/sustainablecity/pdfs/A-ZRecycling.pdf - this recycling A-Z lists how to recycle specific items in and around Cambridge.
www.green.cusu.ac.uk - Cambridge University Students Union green campaigns – here you can find out who the Green Officer for your college is and how to contact them.
www.srcf.ucam.org/pap - Cambridge People and Planet – student environmental campaigns.
www.janegoodall.org.uk/~cam - Cambridge Roots and Shoots Society – a
platform for student environment projects.

Eco Friendly Lifestyle in Diapers?

There has been a lot said and written about the probable harm or danger of disposable diapers such as Pampers or Huggies for health and the environment. They contain super-absorbent gelling materials (or AGM) and these are being linked to childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm production among boys. Environmental cost of the mass production and waste of disposable diapers is also great. Even the so called "Eco Friendly disposable diapers" are no better, if we are to trust people in the the Tumble Tots organization. Even the comparative environmental value of the ordinary diapers from cloth and their usage are disputable, some say (see the paragraphs below).

The basic facts are quite amazing: An average baby goes through 5,000 diapers in its life. Around 95 % of these are disposable. In US, the diapers "made up 3.4 million tons of waste, or 2.1 percent of U.S. garbage, in landfills in 1998". I do not know the figures of today but I suspect they are higher, not lower.

"Diapers in landfills in underdeveloped countries are especially problematic because they often aren't properly disposed, and excrement leaks into the local water supply." (Source: "The Poop on Eco-Friendly Diapers")

Procter and Gamble's motivated spokespersons of course claim that energy and water used for growing cotton, making, distributing and washing the cloth diapers can compare with the similar burden for the environment which the disposable ones produce. Of course, the promoters of cloth diapers and many other green organizations disagree, but estimating these two burdens through a whole life-cycle analysis is next to impossible. Many untested assumptions and unmeasurable circumstances are involved, whoever is trying to make such an estimation.

If you know any accurate or reliable results or measurements in this category, please inform me and other readers of this blog in the comments to this post.

A very happy and intelligently-eco-friendly 2008 to all of You my friends, readers or just random visitors!