By Saba Yasin

February 2020

Through my internship at a faith based NGO, I have come to learn considerably more about the environment than I knew there was even the scope to learn. I began my journey first by researching into the environment and climate change, finding myself to learn about topics and events around the planet that I didn't even know were occurring. I found myself drowning in facts and figures such as the fact that has shocked me the most is the Overshoot Day: By July 29th, we used up all the regenerative resources of 2019. From July 30 we started to consume more resources than the planet can regenerate in a year. Facts like this made me realise we were in a global emergency and it felt as if it was a duty not only to me, but to all young people who are the future of this planet, to look after it. This further inspired me to read more into my duties to the Earth and I went on to learn in detail how we as Muslims have been given the role as Khalifahs (Stewards) of the Earth. I learnt that the Qur'an has decreed that as well as enjoying the benefits that it offers, we are stewards of this Earth and entrusted with its care and protection and it is therefore our responsibility to work to a blueprint where man and nature co-exist to benefit each other.

After all this research and learning, I began to think more about how our actions were affecting those in countries around the world and how they may or may not be able to cope with the consequences of what we do. I came to the very important realisation that climate change affected the populations that contributed to it the least, meaning death and displacement to the most vulnerable individuals. Due to this lack of action from those in more privileged positions, death, displacement and disease has become a reality for millions. Through learning all this, I began to develop the ideas for a workshop focused on inviting young Muslims to come and learn about their duties. The workshop has had a positive amount of interest and is set to be an exciting and spiritual experience for young people to come and be inspired, just as I have, to use their faith to make positive changes around climate. I am hoping that this sense of duty to the world around us and its people will inspire young Muslims to give birth to more ideas and more campaigns to aid in keeping our nature life balance alive while I have been inspired to continue working towards providing awareness and education to the next generation of Khalifahs of the Earth so that they can look after what we have been blessed with.

Saba Yasin, Bahu Trust, United Kingdom

Misbah Hussain

Assistant School Teacher, Madrassa Teacher

How have you been changing your lifestyle to move towards a more climate friendly way of life, in one or several of the three areas of transportation, diet and home energy use?
By implementing greener methods to do regular household jobs it has allowed my family and I to go one step further into living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. I’ve done this in many ways, for example something I do daily is cook or work in the kitchen so naturally there will be waste. Instead of using multiple plastic bags to store this waste, I now use newspaper because it is biodegradable whereas plastic bags take a very long time to degrade. I always try my best to cook the right amount for my family, however; on the odd occasion there is extra. There are so many ways to prevent throwing the food away, like freezing the food, reusing it for another dish or even sharing it with neighbours. On a similar note, all members of the family have been careful to use a specific amount of water needed in the kettle. We have been using the same water for about 5 billion years and to ensure there is a sufficient amount for future generations, it is important to conserve this supply. A way in which I have attempted to waste less water is having shorter showers. Reducing the amount of energy used at home is also key to becoming more climate friendly, because energy releases excess heat which increases global warming. My children are especially quick to notice if there is an unused switch that is left on. Wearing more layers instead of switching on heaters also reduces usage of energy.

How has the experience of personal change been a journey and what have been the joys and difficulties on your path?
From my journey, I have learnt that, like with anything, small and gradual changes are the way to go rather than big sudden changes. This allows us to slowly become used to the changes and although at first the small implementations were easily or accidentally forgotten with help and reminders from family, it almost became second nature. Realising that we are helping the environment and preserving resources for the next generation encourages me to become a greener person. It is very soothing, seeing the beautiful birds and squirrels visiting my garden to reach the feeder full of food. It gives me great joy to see them making use of the feeders made of plastic bottles. Previously I have been involved in a series of faith based environmental workshops which enlightened me about the significance of being eco-friendly.

How have your faith and spirituality been supportive of your journey of change?
Faith and spirituality have affected my views deeply. Within the workshops for which I volunteered, many places of faith were visited such as mosques, synagogues and churches. Within each faith, message was conveyed that the earth is for those inhabitants living on it, including both humans and animals. Therefore, collectively we should look after and preserve it. Resources are provided for us and should be used, however usage should not damage the security of resources for those of future generations. The Qur’an states “And Allah has sent down rain from the sky and given life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who listen.” (Qur’an, 16:65). This allows us to understand that water is essential for life and wasting it while others are in need of it is inconsiderate, especially because of the value it has. Similarly, in the bible speaks of not polluting the earth and caring for the environment. If God has given us this Earth, it should be protected at all costs, and this thought convinced me to change my life to the point where I even use eco-friendly cat litter!