Litter-pick for Lent! Welby urges almighty effort to clean up UK
THE Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday urged Christians to ‘litter-pick for Lent’ in a huge boost for the Great British Spring Clean.
For the first time the Church of England has called for its members to do something for the environment in place of more traditional gestures such as giving up chocolate or alcohol.
As part of ‘ Green Lent’, it recommends churchgoers go on a beach clean, or clean up a river or pond in their area.
As well as the Church of England, other backers of the campaign include the National Trust, the Women’s Institute and Friends of the Earth, as well as more than 200 local authorities and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Great British Spring Clean is organised by the charity Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Daily Mail.
The archbishop, Justin Welby, urged Christians to do more to protect the environment. Speaking at Lambeth Palace, he said: ‘We urgently need to rebuild our relationship with our planet. To do this, we need to change our habits – in how we pray and how we act. Lent is not just about discipline. It’s about allowing Christ to show us what’s keeping us from loving and serving him – and joyfully letting it go. Whatever age you are, this Lent I hope you’ll engage with God’s plea for us to care for his creation, and that these campaign resources will help you on that journey.’
The beach clean idea was outlined in a booklet released by the Church called Lent Live. It contains a set of 40 reflections, actions and prayers on the environment.
Instead of giving up chocolate or alcohol, the faithful are being encouraged to think about actions such as switching to renewable power, making at least one journey by foot or planting a tree.
The campaign asks people to think about things such as how much water goes into making a pair of jeans, whether they could ‘twin’ their toilet to help provide sanitation in poorer countries, and the last time they looked at the night sky.
The reflections for Green Lent run from Ash Wednesday on February 26 to Easter Day on April 12. It explains cleaning waterways would pay respect to Jesus, who was baptised in the River Jordan. The Bishop of Aston, Anne Hollinghurst, also praised the clean-up yesterday.
She said: ‘ Through initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean and the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, and using the tips and ideas in this year’s Lent Live booklet, it is possible to channel our concern for the environment into helping at local level, engaging with the communities on our door step and taking a positive step to acknowledge littering is not acceptable. This is a Lent campaign that everyone can take part in, whether or not they are a churchgoer. I would encourage all churches to consider what they can do to help clean up their local communities.’
Allison Ogden-Newton, of Keep Britain Tidy, said: ‘It’s great to have the support of the Church for our campaign.
‘Pledging to pick up litter is an easy way for all of us to show that we care and are willing to do our bit for our community and the planet we all share.’