The Earth Charter ~ A Vibrant Community Gathering at An Gardín Beo

“That’s them, the swifts,” exclaimed Bernadette, County Carlow Environmental Network (CCEN) committee member, at the sound of the high pitched call. We were standing in the An Gardín Beo courtyard after a CCEN community gathering about The Earth Charter. It was a beautiful June evening and we watched the breath-taking dance of the swifts swooping and carousing in mid-air. “They only stop to nest. They sleep on the wing, and they’re very loyal to their nesting spot so if it gets disturbed or destroyed, they can spend the who nesting season trying to find their old spot.” This often happens when old buildings are renovated, or new builds don’t provide protected places to nest.

This struck me as a tragic situation for swifts, and despite efforts to provide nesting boxes, swifts have become a rare sight in Ireland as their numbers have plummeted by 40% in 15 years. They are
considered endangered.

Our brief exchange after a vibrant evening encapsulated many themes we’d just covered: The destruction of biodiversity, our human centric systems, and our accelerating efforts to put things right as we realise the enormous impact that our behaviour in the past decades is now causing for the coming generations.

Dan McInerney and Sr. Mary Carmody are two long-time environmental activists and one of several founders of An Gairdín Beo community garden which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. After raising the flag in the gardens with Cathy Fitzgerald, who founded Haumea Ecoversity and runs courses on the Earth Charter, Dan led the group through the Cosmic Walk. The story of existence, and our vanishingly small presence within the cosmic context, helps to emphasize how significant our climate impact has been. At the same time, the effect of walking along the Cosmic Walk is very relaxing and restorative. It’s an immersion in nature and soothes us because we are nature. The walk is well laid out and varied, with the sweet sound of birds and bees and the rustling of the breeze in the trees creating a true haven to really slow down, or stop and sit in one of the chairs or benches tucked into nooks around the garden.

Meanwhile, Conor Graham (also known for his drumming circles) was busily baking pizzas for the crowd. His home-made base and nutritious, delicious toppings kept us fuelled for the night. The popular pizza was still being munched as Cathy Fitzgerald introduced the Earth Charter and its Four Pillars, as well as her own story of inspirational sparks and friendly nudges through which her knowledge and network evolved. Two of her collaborations stand out.

Irish artist Phoebe Cope first translated the children’s version of the charter into Irish for her own children, then with Cathy’s encouragement, the full version of the charter.

Angelina Foster of Blueway Art Studio found the Earth Charter’s framework, which she studied with Cathy, perfect for engaging with youth. She has worked extensively with young people and recently presented at the Mary Robinson Climate and Nature Conference alongside Cathy. Angelina excels at intergenerational creative community engagement. Whilst she didn’t have time to share all her work, she works a lot with Tidy Towns, Men’s Sheds, new Nigerian Immigrant and deaf communities. Her capacity to work with diverse age groups is phenomenal – and she has come from a very hands-on, inclusive, non-traditional, down-to-Earth way of working with everyone’s creative potential.

The Earth Charter is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, yet as one audience member remarked later in the evening, “How did I miss this?” Despite a keen interest in environmental issues, she had
never come across the charter before, which others can probably relate to. “Shouldn’t the Earth Charter be on the school curriculum?” she asked.

Cathy spoke about Thomas Berry, (1914-2009), a key contributor to the Earth Charter, a cultural historian and early environmentalist inspired by his own deep feeling of connection to nature as a child. His book Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community (2006) will inspire the reading group that Cathy is launching in the autumn. See more at Haumea Ecoversity.

Cathy introduced Peter Blaze Corcoran, Professor Emeritus of Florida Gulf Coast University and founder-director of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education. He is also Senior
Advisor to Earth Charter International. Speaking via Zoom from America, Peter opened by making acknowledging his Irish ancestors, showing us Annie Brown’s teapot that came over on the ship
with her to America. He then acknowledged the stewardship of the Wabanaki or People of the Dawnland, and his presence on their unceded territory.

Peter described Thomas Berry’s guiding principle, that “What was good for the meadow would be good in ethics and culture, and what wouuld be bad for the meadow would not be.” Berry is credited with developing Earth Jurisprudence, a philosophy of governance and law in which the Earth, not human interests, is primary.

The Earth Charter itself embraces this world view, moving us from human-centric nature-centric thinking. Created by a global consultation process, and endorsed by organizations representing
millions of people, Peter spoke about how the 4 Pillars are dependent on one another to become a reality.

The Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Carlow branch was present, sharing information on how to support efforts to stop the genocide in Gaza. They have organised a screening of the Oscar-winning documentary film No Other Land at the VISUAL Carlow and hold vigils every Tuesday night at Potato Market in Carlow. Apart from the unfathomable human cost, the environmental carbon footprint generated in 2 months of bombing is phenomenal, exceeding that generated in one year by 20 developing countries.

The well-attended gathering is part of creating community, taking action for the environment, and learning. CCEN works to create awareness of issues that affect us all, and that we can all be involved in changing for the better. Workshops like scything and fermenting and an autumn eco-film festival are in the works. It’s entirely volunteer-driven, so a big thanks to everyone who supported the raffle, and to those who contributed raffle prizes, including Astraea’s book Feast Upon The Earth, Elizabeth Bradley’s vouchers for her Carlow Farmhouse Cheese, and private donations of wine, candles and other treats. Add your name to the e-news list by emailing info@ccen.ie.

The calls ahead of the upcoming COP30 in Brazil for a ‘Global Ethical Stocktake’ will underline how vital values-based approaches, as through the Earth Charter and Pope Francis’ Laudato Si will be, as we all deepen our efforts to take transformative action for eco-social change. Carlow County Council, CCEN and An Gairdín Beo, in supporting this and others, are really taking a leadership role in the conscience-led cultural shift needed.