SAFCEI AGM 2011

AGM of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI)

Tuesday, 19 July 2011, 7 pm

Diakonia Centre , 20 Diakonia Avenue, Durban. (: 031 310 3500

Theme: Global climate talks 2011 (COP17) in Durban – so what?

(Speaker to be confirmed)

All interested people of any faith are most welcome to come along and hear what the faith communities are doing – and should be doing – at congregational, regional, national and international levels as we seek eco-justice: economic and environmental justice.

Please join us before the meeting for a light finger supper at 18h00.
RSVP for catering purposes to: secretary@safcei.org.za or (: 021-701 8145

Message from the Director of SAFCEI

SOUTHERN AFRICAN FAITH COMMUNITIES’
ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE (SAFCEI)
“Faith communities committed to cherishing living earth.”

SAFCEI NEWSBRIEF December 2009

More than 5000 participants from over 200 religions from around the world gathered for the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia, from 3rd to 9th December. I went with the hope of sending a message from the Parliament to the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Because the Parliament does not issue statements, a “Message to Copenhagen” was signed by over five hundred participants, and the Parliament Council agreed to try to catch the
attention of the media with a banner.

Following the Dalai Lama’s address at the closing plenary, during which he called on the members of Parliament to put words into action and for the voice of religions to be heard, participants walked out onto the bridge and stood behind the Call to Copenhagen banner.

This is our call to you all as we go into the New Year. It has been a tumultuous year in many respects. We – all religions and all people and all nations – now need to:

protect the only earth we have

I pray blessings at this time that it may be a season of renewal for all that lies ahead.

Bishop Geoff
Executive Director of SAFCEI

MANY HEAVENS, ONE EARTH : FAITH COMMITMENTS FOR A LIVING PLANET

Faith leaders from around the world have met at Windsor at an event hosted by HRH The Prince Philip and attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon.

The Long Term Faith Commitments to Protect the Living Planet launched at Windsor are perhaps the most powerful visible signs of the faiths taking up the challenge of protecting the natural environment. This is worth celebrating.

Faith leaders from around the world met at Windsor Castle at an event hosted by HRH The Prince Philip and attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon. One of the many delegates was our own Archbishop Seraphim Kykkotis, (Christian: Archbishop of Johannesburg and Pretoria of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa)

To date there have been 31 long-term commitments by the faiths to protect the living planet. They were launched on November 3rd at Windsor Castle's ARC-UNDP Celebration. Read the summaries of the plans in our special event booklet here. The plans can be found in the second half of the book. In the first half is a guide to how to write your own Long Term Action Plan.

The Windsor Celebration is the launch of the ARC-UNDP inspired Faith Commitments for the Environment programme, in which faiths are assisted in creating long term plans that will protect the planet for generations. This programme was initially titled the Seven Year Plan Programme, to acknowledge the time that would be needed ARC has worked with different faith traditions to create a framework, through which they look at seven key areas where they might have extraordinary outreach in protecting the natural environment. These include: their assets, their educational outreach, their spiritual wisdom and insights into tackling crisis, their traditions of simple living, their advocacy, their networks and partnerships, and perhaps most important, their understanding of celebration.

More general details about the programme can be found on the ARC website www.arcworld.org where the full plans will be downloadable from mid November.

Faith Leaders Have 'Widest Reach' on Environment, Says UN Head - News

Faith Leaders Have 'Widest Reach' on Environment, Says UN Head - News: "LONDON (RNS/ENI) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told religious leaders on Tuesday (Nov.3) that they are uniquely equipped to pressure secular leaders to combat climate change.

Ban made the speech at a three-day conference on faith and the environment in England, organized by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and the United Nations Development Program.

Ban told around 200 leaders representing nine of the world's major religious communities, 'The world's great faith communities occupy a unique position in discussion on the fate of our planet and the accelerating impacts of climate change. You are the leaders who have the largest, widest and deepest reach.'"

Message to religious leaders on climate change

frim Bishop Geoff Davies, Director of SAFCEI

To Faith Leaders of Southern Africa

Climate Change

I am sure you are all becoming aware of the impending crisis of climate change and the need to deal with it realistically at Copenhagen when the UN Climate Change Conference meets from 7^th to 18^th December.

There is also an increasing acknowledgement that it may only be through the intervention of faith communities that we will be able to bring about the changes needed if we are to leave a sustainable world to our children. Climate change is a moral issue and therefore involves us.

I now write as a matter of urgency to ask you to promote and join in the following:

1. A Call to prayer

I hope we can all join in this. The suggestions are:

1. 23^rd to 25^th October: We ask you to hold prayers and sermons over the week-end of 23^rd to 25^th October in support of the day of symbolic action on Saturday 24^th October.(See paragraph 2 below)

1.2 Preparatory prayers for the build up to Copenhagen. We hope to send weekly prayers with suggested sermon outlines as we approach the Copenhagen Climate Conference.

2. 11^th to 13^th December: Special prayers and worship over the weekend during Copenhagen from 11^th - 13^th December. This is when the WCC will be holding a worship service and the Archbishop of Canterbury will be preaching.

2. A daily mid-day prayer: I believe this to be most important. Some of you will recollect that during the years of the struggle, many people of faith held a daily two-minute time of prayer for justice and peace for South Africa. We now need to pray for justice and peace globally, praying for “Climate Justice Now” for all people and all of creation.

If you have any suggestions for brief prayers, we would welcome them.

A few suggestions are:

1. We pray for Justice for all people and all creation, that peace may reign – throughout the earth.

2.2 Keep 1 minute of silence

• I pray for the courage and love to bring forth a socially just, environmentally sustainable and spiritually fulfilling community and world, and I pray the same for our leaders.
• I pray for justice and peace in my home, community, country and world.
• May we be Earth keepers (Genesis 2:15) to all for whom the earth is ‘home’.

3. Participation in the day of symbolic action – 24^th October.

I attach a request from Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, and Prof. Mary Evelyn Tucker of The Forum on Religion and Ecology, asking us all “to help make this the most widespread day of witness the world has ever seen.” Please offer prayers and bring this to the attention of your congregations over that week-end. If you can’t ring your bells or undertake some other symbolic action on Saturday 24^th October, please do so on Friday 23^rd or Sunday 25^th October as part of your regular worship.

If you would like to participate in any 24^th October action happening in your local area please visit the 350.org website for details or email samantha@350.org

4. Raising awareness

I hope that you will continue to raise awareness among your faith community of the importance of caring for God’s creation. We will attach a list of resources available from SAFCEI which will help you in this important work. There is also a12 minute DVD available, entitled: Religious Leaders for a Sustainable Future.

5. SACC Statement: Climate Change – A challenge to churches in South Africa

This 90 page Christian document provides an excellent theological background to climate change and the challenge it presents to us. It emanates largely from a group of theologians working with Professor Ernst Conradie, following a meeting between SAFCEI and Kerkinactie – of the Protestant Church in Holland. Electronic copies are obtainable from SAFCEI (secretary@safcei.org.za) or the South African Council of Churches (tmm@sacc.org.za). We ask you to consider endorsing this and distributing it among your congregations.

Please let us know if you would like to receive prayers and outline sermons over the next few weeks.

With all good wishes as you seek to care for God’s creation.

Bishop Geoff Davies

Global warming TV series

The series “Global warming and Religions” is to broadcast in the "Issues of Faith" slot at 09:00 on Sunday mornings on SABC 2 on the following dates... 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th August. Each episode runs for 48 minutes.

SAFCEI statement on climate change

SAFCEI Statement for the 2009 Climate Change Summit

For members of southern African Faith Communities, the overriding priority is the health of the planet. As people of faith we believe we have been given custodianship and have a moral responsibility to pass the planet on to our children in a healthier state than we found it. All our sacred texts call on us to care for, protect and sustain nature as we seek justice and peace among ourselves. Our burning of fossil fuels and our destruction of forests, grasslands, oceans and other eco-systems, is placing the well-being of future generations of all life in jeopardy.

We have come to realise that climate change is taking place far more rapidly than has been acknowledged. We therefore believe we cannot wait till 2020 to peak our carbon emissions. We believe that process has to happen with immediate effect. We have the technical means to do so, while at the same time generating the energy our contemporary society has come to expect. We must develop the political will to bring about change.

With the development of Concentrated Solar Power and thermal batteries, and with low voltage Direct Current transmission, we are in a position to start harnessing the greatest source of power, namely the sun. South Africa has been singularly blessed with solar resources. We should implement such generation with immediate effect.

We therefore call on the Government to halt any further development of coal powered and nuclear generation and build clean, renewable energy generating plants as a matter of urgency. We know too that the construction time is far shorter than for coal or nuclear. We also know that in developing renewable energy, we will generate far more employment.

We call on the government to be resolute in overcoming the vested interests of the fossil fuel and nuclear energy industries. Even if – initially – costs for re-newables are higher than conventional coal generation, we believe the future health of the planet cannot be held to ransom by financial considerations. There is no price too high for the future survival of our children and life on this planet. We therefore call, not just for subsidies, but massive investment in renewable energy.

All countries will have to reduce greenhouse gases in the future. Even if other countries are reluctant to reduce their emissions now, we believe that South Africa must be bold and set an example to the world. If we do this we will be in the position to take a lead in the development of renewable energy. This will be a source of great employment in the future.

At the recent National Summit of Religious Leaders for a Sustainable Future, we adopted the following resolution on climate change:

Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute and Indalo Yethu

National Summit

Religious Leaders for a Sustainable Future

Climate Change and Energy RESOLUTION

We, members of faith communities of southern Africa, recognise that the burning of fossil fuels is causing a greenhouse effect leading to dramatic climate change which could have catastrophic consequences for the future of life on this planet.

We also recognise that communities of Africa are particularly vulnerable to climate change. We need to address this and we urge the South African Government to continue to play a leadership role both regionally and internationally, notably at Copenhagen at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2009. We faith communities strongly express our concern and our position to the government delegation of the need for meaningful action in order to ensure that the meeting in Copenhagen results in positive and significant progress.

We also recognise the need for urgency to reduce greenhouse gases. We, people of faith, recognise that we have a responsibility to care for the planet and all life on it as well as caring for our fellow human beings.

We furthermore recognise that this responsibility includes leaving a healthy planet for future generations so that they are not robbed of their inheritance.

Part of our role as faith communities is to engage with leadership, including government leadership. Acknowledging positive steps that the South African Government has taken to address energy and climate change issues, we call on the governments of southern Africa to earnestly work with civil society. In turn we commit ourselves to working with our respective governments and other leaders in seeking to ensure that the following resolutions are attended to and acted upon. We therefore:

1. Call on the governments of southern Africa to take on concrete, measurable steps to reduce carbon emissions. This means stopping the expansion of further coal and nuclear generation, and progressively moving away from fossil fuels and nuclear generation towards the increasing development of renewable energy, concentrating on solar and wind, as a matter of urgency. This could be greatly encouraged through the urgent implementation of the feed in tariff.
2. Call on the Government of South Africa to set before the world community, a Your browser may not support display of this image. emissions reduction target so that the levels of atmospheric green house gases are reduced to below 350 ppm (as a more practical and measurable target than keeping temperatures below a Your browser may not support display of this image. increase).
3. Call on both Government and civil society to assist vulnerable communities to develop indigenous and local models of adaptation in order to meet the impacts of climate change.
4. Call on Government to ensure resources are provided for creative and innovative communication and capacity building, as part of a broader commitment to democracy and participatory learning around issues of climate change. This must focus on positive messages of hope that will motivate and inspire all stakeholders.
5. Call on Government, ESKOM and NERSA (National Energy Regulator of South Africa) to ensure that electricity tariffs include ‘cradle to grave’ external environmental and social costs. A stepped tariff must be implemented so that the poor are not further burdened by increasing electricity tariffs. Renewable, locally generated electricity provides the opportunity for access to affordable electricity for all.
6. Call for the improvement and shifting of freight from road to railway, setting a target of 40% road freight to be transported by rail by 2020. Call for the improvement and subsidisation of safe, efficient public transport, in particular railways, and encourage and incentivise the public to use it. Implement measurable targets, for example, 20% of private road commuters to shift to using public transport by 2012.
7. Call for Government to establish and support local innovative technologies to drive new economic sectors such as renewable energy. Such sectors must focus on local job creation, for example, electric vehicles and the generation of electricity by renewable means. The arms industry must be transformed into a renewable energy industry.
8. Call on the Government to end the policy of enticing polluting industries, such as smelters, to our country with the promise of heavily subsidized “cheap” electricity. Equity must be pursued in that industrial users must not pay less for energy than households.
9. Acknowledging how critical the supply of energy has become, we call on the Government to ensure that all government departments work cooperatively on climate change, through an interdepartmental presidential task team. We also call on Government to create a separate ministry of energy.
10. Broadly endorse Hope for the future, the Uppsala Interfaith Climate Manifesto issued by the Archbishop of Sweden in November 2008 in which faith traditions address global warming, (attached). We commit ourselves to sharing the contents with our faith communities and working towards strengthening the voice of faith communities at Copenhagen.
11. Call on faith communities to take a lead and set an example by implementing energy efficient measures as models of good practice, encouraging their members and the public to do the same. Energy efficiency targets (25% by 2020) must be implemented as a matter of extreme urgency.

12 February 2009

Furthermore, at the international level, we support the Archbishop of Sweden’s call following his Inter-faith workshop in November 2008 for steps that must be taken at the UNFCCC meeting in December 2009.

The Copenhagen Agreement must counteract misuse of land, of forests, and of farmland, using creative incentives for landowners, users and indigenous communities to manage growing forests as carbon sinks.

We ask the global political leadership for:

• Rapid and large emission cuts in the rich world. Developed countries, especially those in Europe and North America, must lead the way. In the developed countries emissions should be reduced by at least 40 per cent by 2020 and 90 per cent by 2050 against 1990 levels.
• Binding cuts for the rich world on top of their domestic obligations. According to the principles of responsibility and capability countries should pay for international cuts in addition to their own domestic initiatives. These payments should be obligatory, rather than voluntary.
• Measurable, verifiable and reportable mitigation actions by developing countries, especially countries with fast growing economies.
• Massive transfers and sharing of important technology. All countries must encourage and facilitate the sharing of technology that is intrinsically important to reducing emissions. Developing countries must have viable and technologically responsible opportunities to provide for their populations.
• Economic incentives for developing countries to foster cleaner development on a national scale.
• Adaptation to climate change. According to the same principles of responsibility and capability, countries must ensure that poor and vulnerable communities are empowered and supported. Adaptation to climate change must not fail for want of money or other resources.

DEAT Climate Change Summit
March 2009

Calling all SAFCEI members

Calling all SAFCEI members

This blog has been running for nine months now.

Its purpose is to facilitate communication between SAFCEI members and other people interested in the environment (if you are not a member of SAFCEI, and don't know what SAFCEI is, you can go to the main SAFCEI web site to learn more).

I started it mainly to show how a blog can aid communication for a group like SAFCEI.

Up till now, I have run it by myself. I've taken communications from the SAFCEI office, and other environmental news items and posted them on the blog.

But for it to achieve its full potential, the blog needs to be supported by more members of SAFCEI. It should not be a one-man band, but a community effort.

For a start, you could contribute by making comments on some of the posts. Anyone can do that, whether they are members of SAFCEI or not.

But it would be better still if SAFCEI members by contributing to the blog posts. Ideally there should be at least one contributing blogger for each faith community represented in SAFCEI. So this is a call for volunteers -- I'm a Christian, but there are also other varities of Christians. How about a Hindu contributor, a Buddhist contributor, a Muslim contributor, a contributor from the Bah'ai faith? These could then contribute environmental news from each of these faith communities.

How do you become a contributor?

You should be a member of SAFCEI, and then have a Google Id. If you have a Goggle e-mail address, you automatically have a Google Id, which you can then use to log in to Blogger (which yopu need to do if you want to make comments on this blog. If you don't have Google e-mail, it is easy enough to apply for, and useful if you are travelling, because you can use it anywhere there is an internet connection.

If you would like to help by contributing to this blog, please leave a comment on this post, telling a little bit about yourself, your faith community and your environmental interests and activities, and how we can contact you.

Notes from the SAFCEI conference

SAFCEI AGM AND CONFERENCE --31 MARCH – 2 APRIL 2008

Over fifty members of SAFCEI gathered at St Peter’s Place in Johannesburg at the beginning of April to hear theologians from different faith traditions and an array of experts on economics, the environment and climate change.

Among the theologians providing input were Professors Tinyiko Maluleke, Ernst Conradie and Klaus Nürnberger. Energy Consultant Eric Mair, Dr Anthony Turton of the CSIR and Peter Lukey of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, along with other contributors provided the hard scientific facts and projected outcomes of our present wasteful consumption of resources.

A theme that ran through most of the presentations was the disproportionate effect that the current situation had on the poor and marginalised in South Africa. Despite the heavy burden of responsibility placed on members of faith communities, and the gloomy predictions about the future, the conference members were, never the less, optimistic. It was felt that, by the concerted, effective mobilisation of civil society, working together with the scientific community and relevant government agencies, it was still possible to make a significant difference.

In his keynote address, Professor Ernst Conradie of the University of the Western Cape, highlighted South Africa’s high per-capita carbon emissions, rampant consumerism, the vulnerability of the marginalised and desertification. He also offered some effective guidelines for faith communities to get their message across more effectively.

Delegates affirmed that the need to consciously stress the spiritual dimensions of the environmental problem and solutions. Care of the created order was primarily a moral issue. Neither science nor faith, on their own, could provide all the answers that were needed.

Director sums it all up

Bishop Geoff Davies, Executive Director of SAFCEI, in his concluding remarks, noted that the conference had succeeded in providing input from highly qualified and concerned individuals from the scientific, religious and civil society communities.
“The care of creation” he said, “is central to our calling. There is an urgent need for the development of poverty alleviation and job creation programmes. We want to be able to achieve sustainable growth, provided the environment is not further destroyed.

“We have more in common than that which divides us” he continued. In thanking the outgoing Management Committee, he referred to them as an excellent example of people of different faiths and cultures who are working together harmoniously for the
welfare of this “broken and fractured world.”

Bishop Davies also paid tribute to all those others who had worked so effectively to get the organisation off the ground and into the public sphere. However, he continued, there was a lot of work needed to raise SAFCEI’s profile at local, regional and national levels in both the various faith communities and civil society.
He endorsed what several speakers had said, that the leaders of faith communities need to be involved in the organisation. During the Annual General Meeting, Bishop Davies was mandated to make personal contact with as many faith leaders as possible.
He welcomed the undertaking made by Valli Moosa to facilitate a meeting of the Board of Management with members of the Board of Eskom, and stressed the point made by several speakers that government needs to listen to the message of both the scientific and civil society sectors.

In concluding, he had a special word of gratitude for SAFCEI’s Office Secretary, Di Mellon, for all the administrative work she had put in.

He felt that SAFCEI, which was a movement for ecological sustainability, social justice and spiritual renewal, had been challenged by the presentations and comments of the speakers and delegates. The message now needed to be taken to regional
and local faith communities.

New SAFCEI Management Committee for 2008

• Bishop Geoff Davies (Exec Director, Anglican)
• Ms Tahirih Matthee (Chairperson, Baha’i)
• Mr Shaun Cozett (Vice-Chair, Anglican, DWAF)
• Mr Peter Just (Buddhist)
• Mr John Clark (Roman Catholic)
• Rev Tim Gray (Jo’burg Anglican Diocese)
• Ms Grace Makhudu (Anglican, Ceasefire Campaign)
• Dr Dorie Moodley (Hindu Maha Saba)
• Rev Andrew Warmback (Anglican, Diocese of Natal Environment Committee)
• Dr Mohamed Karodia (Council of Muslim Theologians)
• Prof Ernst Conradie (Uniting Reformed, UWC)
• Ms Kate Davies (EEASA, Anglican)
• Archbishop Seraphim Kykkotis (Orthodox Church)
• Rev Pierre Naude (Methodist Church)
• Rev Rully Notshe (UPCSA)
• Rev Craig Morrison (UCCSA)
• Rev Sue Brittion (Anglican, WCRP)
• Sheikh Mohammed Gallant (Muslim Judicial Council)
• Ms Jennifer Stern (Quakers)
• Ms Gloria Khotlo (Traditional Faith Healer)
• Prof Stephen Finn (Jewish Board of Deputies)

This is an extract from the SAFCEI newsbrief. For the full version, and conference papers, see the main SAFCEI web site.

SAFCEI AGM and Public Meeting - Johannesburg

SAFCEI AGM AND CONFERENCE - “TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE”

We invite you to attend the SAFCEI AGM and Conference at St Peter’s Place, 128 Victoria Street, Rosettenville, Johannesburg from 12h30 Monday 31^st March to lunchtime on Wednesday 2^nd April 2008.

WILL YOUR FAITH COMMUNITY BE REPRESENTED?

It would be to the good of all if more than one representative of your faith community or organization could attend. Those residing in the Gauteng area may be able to attend on a daily basis.

PROVISIONAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Monday 31^st March Afternoon session: Climate Change

Evening (19h00): SAFCEI AGM.

Tuesday 1^st April: Morning session: Economics, Environment and Eco-Justice.

Afternoon session: Water

Evening (19h00): Public Meeting

Wednesday 2^nd April: Morning session: How do Faith Communities Respond?

SAFCEI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

If you want to find out more about SAFCEI and its vision and purpose, please come along to our Second Annual General Meeting which will take place on Monday 31^st March at 19h00 at St Peter’s Place, 128 Victoria Street, Rosettenville. There will be no charge to attend this meeting.

PUBLIC MEETING TUESDAY 1^ST APRIL AT 19h30

We also give advance notice of a Public Meeting to be held on Tuesday 1^st April at 19h30 at St Martin’s School, 114 Victoria Street, Rosettenville. We are hoping that a prominent public figure will address the meeting on the topic: ”Is the current energy crisis a blessing in disguise?”

There will be no charge to attend this meeting and refreshments will be served.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION COSTS

There is no charge to register for the Conference, AGM or Public Meeting. Meals can be ordered for day delegates at R50 per meal. The cost for accommodation and meals Monday to Wednesday is R550 per person. If your community can cover accommodation and travel costs this would be most helpful. If you are unable to do so, please apply to the SAFCEI office for funding.

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE OR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Contact the SAFCEI OFFICE: 021 7018145 Fax: 086 6969666 Email: secretary@safcei.org.za

We do hope you can be with us and we trust that your faith community will be well represented at the SAFCEI AGM and Conference.

With all best wishes

Bishop Geoff Davies

SAFCEI - members of management committee 2007

SAFCEI MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2007 - 2008

The following are the present members of the SAFCEI Management Committee.

NAME RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

Bishop Geoff Davies Anglican/ SAFCEI Executive Director

Mr Peter G Just Buddhist

Mr John Clarke Roman Catholic

Rev Tim Gray Jhb Anglican Diocese/Anglican CSA Rep

Ms Grace Makhudu Anglican

Dr Dorie Moodley Hindu

Rev Andrew Warmback Anglican

Dr Mohamed S Karodia Council of Muslim Theologians

Rabbi Hillel Avidan S A Jewish Board of Deputies

Mr Shaun Cozett Anglican

Prof Ernst Conradie Uniting Reformed Church

Ms Kate Davies Anglican

Archbp Seraphim Kykkotis Greek Orthodox

Rev Pierre Naude Methodist Church of South Africa

Ms Tahirih Matthee Baha'i Faith

Rev Rully Notshe Uniting Presbyterian Church

Mr Madoda Mditshwa African Traditional Religion

SAFCEI AGM

NOTICE OF SECOND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SAFCEI AND CONFERENCE

Notice is hereby given of the Second Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute that will be held at St Peter’s Place, Rosettenville, Johannesburg from Monday 31^st March – Wednesday 2^nd April 2008. The meeting will start with lunch at 12h30 on Monday 31^st and end with lunch on Wednesday 2^nd April.

Bishop Geoff Davies

Executive Director