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Think of someone, something, or somewhere you love
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How will climate change and environmental breakdown affect them
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How does your lifestyle contribute to the danger?
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What will you do to help?
We invite you to explore these questions creatively and to make a textile panel to illustrate your response, writing a few words to accompany it. This can be a good way to reflect more deeply on these issues. Textile panels for the Loving Earth project are 30×30 cm and can be in any textile materials and any style.
Alternatively you could use other media, such as drawing, collage, or words. Sharing responses with others can be very helpful, though tender care is needed; facing up to environmental breakdown can make for powerful emotions. Here is a short guided meditation that may help you or a group to reflect on the Loving Earth questions. Some other ways of thinking about the questions are suggested below. More detailed guidance on making textile panels and other resources for workshops are on our Resources page.
1. What or whom do you love that’s in danger because of environmental breakdown?
This could be someone in danger because of drought, famine, flooding, or other extreme weather. It could be a whole community. Or it could be a place threatened by drought, flooding, wildfires, or erosion. It could be one of the million species currently facing the threat of extinction. More information about some of these dangers is here.
2. How do your actions or lifestyle contribute to the threat? What is needed to reduce the risk of harm?
You may need to think about this. There are steps we can and should take as individuals, but these alone aren’t enough. We also need to change how we live collectively, how we relate to each other and our planet. Research could be your first action: here is one place to start.
You could reflect prayerfully or mindfully on possible actions as you make your panel. Talking to other people can also be helpful. Friendship and community can be wonderful sources for self-reflection.
3. What can you do to help?
What’s the tiniest action you could take to make a difference? What’s the most radical action you could take? These could be alone or with others, and could range from changes in your personal lifestyle, to helping bring about bigger social or economic changes.
Jot down some thoughts so you don’t forget. You can come back and add to them later. It may be helpful to reflect on this further as you make a quick drawing or collage to illustrate some actions. Or if you prefer, you could use words to explore the issues and the emotions they bring out.