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Hope is the thing with feathers
Written by Charlotte Synnøve Garmann-Johnsen
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Hope and despair
The topic of hope came up, as something that both the environmental movement often is aiming for, and The Church relates to as well.
“It is in the small stories that there exists a room of possibilities. That is what lifts us up,” Stein Reinertsen, the Bishop of Agder and Telemark shared as a conversation starter.
The stories of hope and actions that can be taken are there when you look. For example, we now know that when we protect areas of the ocean, it works, and biodiversity thrives.
“When you see other people take action, it gives hope. When you see people that act in a crisis, it both gives you hope but it also inspires action,” shared the bishop.
The initiative “Broen til framtiden” – “The bridge to the future”, - can be used as an example of how different organisations and movements can come together to solve a problem. Through this initiative, The Church, the environmental movement, and the trade union movement came together with the demand that the Norwegian Oilfund should divest from coal. One of the reasons why this succeeded is because people came together with a joint purpose. Whether it is organised by a religious community or an environmental organisation; it is important for humans to come together and experience this sense of togetherness and feel firsthand that monumental actions can be taken for the good of humankind.
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The brave bishop from the US
The Bishop from The Episcopalian Church, Mariann Edgar Budde, who held the sermon at the National Cathedral on the day after the inauguration of Trump in the US became a talking point. “There was nothing controversial in what the bishop said” could the Bishop of Agder and Telemark state. “As a church, we must be able to say that we have to do something,” Reinertsen concluded.
The small stories that touch the heart
When we talked about how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were doing, we found tangible evidence that some things are moving in the right direction; such as renewable energy, responsible consumption, and cooperation. The Church has incorporated the SDGs in their own work, and even uses their book, “Bærekraftsboka” (“The Sustainability Book”), to teach how the SDGs can be applied in practice. In order to get these positive messages across, we need storytelling, said Reinertsen. “Stories do something to us. It is often the small stories that both provides us with hope, but also connects us,” he continued.
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The bigger picture
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) works globally with religious, and faith-based organisations to help reach the SDGs. This cooperation has been ongoing for decades, and the main objectives are to help people collaborate across different networks and to strengthen the partnerships of humanitarian work. Environmental faith-based organisations have seen an increase across the globe and with this increase, there will be even more opportunities for people to come together, and to work on our common goals to make the world a better place. When working on the SDGs, it is easy to see that there are more we humans have in common, than what separates us.
Different, but equal– the climate connects us all
The Church explained about a cooperation they are part of called The Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities in Norway, where different religious communities in Norway come together. One of the priests explained that “we are different, but we stand together.”
The same can be said about the environmental movement working for a more sustainable future for all.
“Most people have the same values, it is just their interests that are different,” Tina Schoolmeester from GRID-Arendal suggested as to why it is still a challenge to reach a sustainable future.
“There are strong forces that pull us away from our values,” one of the priests added.
“Happiness is found in another place than money. It is the joy of walking in nature and taking off the headphones,” elaborated Bishop Reinertsen.
“When we come back to nature, it can almost be a spiritual experience,” concluded Karen Landmark from GRID-Arendal.
GRID-Arendal look forward to collaborating with The Church and approach the SDGs together.
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