Kindred Quaker Groups
Earthcare activities in Canadian Yearly Meeting

Read recent news about by Canadian Quakers' ongoing involvement in the legal issue of patenting of life forms.

Quaker Ecology Action Network:

Accomplishments and new directions for 2003/04

QEAN members have been active over the past year. In spite of difficulties with communications through our old Topica list-serve, we have shared information and concerns about the ecology. We now have a new list-serve address: qean-l@quaker.ca. Any one can join QEAN. Send your name and e-mail address to the QEAN-L list-keeper Peggy Land, (peggyland@rogers.com ).

Our biggest accomplishment in 2002 was the design of a protocol for decision making via email only. My summary (not the "official" form) of the Protocol is as follows. The E-Clerk of QEAN flags an issue being discussed on the QEAN list-serve. It must be an environmental and/or ecological issue that could result in a Minute for CYM which will further the aims of QEAN and CYM, as stated in its Aug. 2001 Minute on Sustainability. The E-Clerk asks the originator to provide brief background material and finds, among list members, one who is willing to "shepherd" the proposal (i.e. receive the responses from members and draft a Minute). If no one is able or willing to shepherd the proposal, it is returned to originator. The E-Clerk posts a message to QEAN-L with subject line DECISION REQUIRED, and including background information and a request for responses to be sent directly to the shepherd (not to the entire QEAN list ) within ten days. After ten days the shepherd puts responses together, determines areas of agreement, and proposes a Minute which seems to reflect the best (i.e., Spirit led) way forward. This Minute goes for approval ONLY to those who responded. If there are concerns or suggestions for change, discussion continues within this "response group" until a revised Minute is accepted. The shepherd then posts the Minute to QEAN-L. QEAN members who have substantive difficulties with the Minute but did not take part in the decision list for any reason, including being new to the list since the DECISION REQUIRED went out, are encouraged to send their thoughts "to the full QEAN group meeting at CYM, with the understanding that these difficulties do not delay implementation of the Minute following its approval under this process" (Quotation from the Protocol)

This protocol has been tested twice: once to decide to promote the Earth Charter (EC) by encouraging our monthly meetings to study the Earth Charter. We agreed to buy EC pamphlets and to present a special interest group (SIG) at CYM 2003. About a dozen people attended the SIG. They recognized and celebrated the fact that there is already a considerable overlap between many EC principles and Canadian Quaker testimonies and actions by CYM committees and monthly meetings. The group hoped that monthly meetings will endorse the EC and choose to implement a few EC recommendations through new actions. If enough monthly meetings endorse the EarthCharter, it could be brought to CYM 2004 for endorsement by CYM. New York YM has already endorsed the Charter. If you interested in learning about the Earth Charter and bringing it to your monthly meeting, you can contact Lynne Phillips at lphillip@netidea.com. If you want information on how to bring the EC to relevant groups in your community, contact John Scull at jscull@island.net. For more information, look at the website www.earthcharter.org or learn about community Earth Charter activities in Canada from Earth Charter Cowichan at www.island.net/~ecc, email ecc@island.net.

THE SECOND USE of the Protocol was to decide to buy and show the video Escape from Affluenza at yearly meeting. It was shown twice: to about 20 adults and later to young Friends. There was a good discussion at both showings and agreement that this video should be made available to monthly meetings. It will be added to the adult travelling library of CYM.

Various members have contributed articles on ecological concerns for the Canadian Friend and Befriending Creation, the Quaker Earthcare Witness publication. Articles have covered topics such as calculations on the impacts of travel to CYM events, and the benefits of going car-less. We have also supported important work done by two of our members: Anne Mitchell on the issues of biotechnology and patenting of life forms (the "onco-mouse" case) and Skye Farris’ pamphlet on nuclear waste disposal.

We see continued potential for QEAN through wide spread information sharing and stimulation of discussion with our web page, email list-serve and articles in publications. We hope to stimulate action by members in local meetings and community organizations. We would like to bring at least one practical idea a month for Friends to consider and act upon. This might be done through the David Suzuki Nature Challenge. We have a new E-Clerk, Joe Ackerman, member of Prairie Monthly Meeting. Lynne Phillips, the outgoing E-clerk of QEAN, would like to thank all the members who have corresponded with her over two years, giving her information, inspiration and incentive. Does that make them an in-group? No, because anyone can belong to QEAN. Join today!

—Submitted by Lynne Phillips
Argenta (B.C.) Monthly Meeting
Canadian Yearly Meeting

(Canadian Yearly Meeting website: <www.quaker.ca>)