It was 50 years ago today on 4^th May 1972 that the Greenpeace Movement was formed, taking over a fledgling anti-nuclear protest group known as ‘Don’t make a wave Committee’ – a name it had given itself based upon the fear that an atomic blast would create a giant wave that could swamp West Coast cities in America.

A tidal wave

From being a radical action group, which had been the thorn in many politicians’ sides across the western world, many of the values of Greenpeace have been recognized, praised and absorbed into our way of thinking today as we’ve become more conscious not only of nuclear threats but of more general damage inflicted on our planet and compromising its future survival.

Waves of injustice

I would dare to suggest that in all manner of ways we need to revive the former tagline but make it a positive instead to: ‘Let’s make a wave.’ We should as people be standing out against all kinds of injustice and imbalances in society and be ‘waving’ and ‘flagging these up’, and not least things that are Green and involve Peace. We have seen over recent weeks, all too many scorched earth campaigns of destruction which have left vast swathes of Ukrainian territory devoid of anything green and inhabitable and shattered any peace that once existed.

Shockwaves from Easter

From a Christian perspective, however, what the Easter message encourages us to do is to make ‘huge waves’ in spreading the good news that Christ has brought through his resurrection. His disciples were huddled together in a ‘bunker’ underground, frightened by the shockwaves of Jesus’ death, and looked anything but green and peaceful. What was their future? How would they cope with the maelstrom of feeling from both Romans and the Jewish leaders in the aftermath of such cruel vindictiveness? Jesus appeared in front of them and simply said, ‘Peace be with you’ and invited them to see his hands and side as proof of his triumph over death. He even asked them to produce a piece of fish for him to eat, to dispel myths that he was just a ghost. From this time, Christ equipped his followers to go out and proclaim the Good News, and once filled with his promised Spirit at Pentecost to turn the world order upside down, beginning with the injustices within the human heart, announcing peace with God as sins are forgiven. Indeed, it is with this realization that we can be set free within that all else follows: we then see the need for the love of God to reach equally to all people, we have a passion for human life and for the world we care for. Let’s all make waves for peace…within, and make the world Green with envy, but without excluding any. At least, let’s test the waters!

(With thanks to Revd Alex Aldous, chaplain at Prestfelde School)

I can remember as a young boarder at Drumley House Prep School in the Ayrshire countryside, regularly coming into the ‘boot room’ in the Main House and being ticked off by Matron for the state of my muddy knees and ‘play clothes’. I always sensed an underlying attitude of good humour and tolerance, however, and I can’t ever remember being punished for my muddy adventures. In fact, we were encouraged to spend time ‘in the woods’ in the school grounds building dens, climbing trees and playing active games. I can also remember the whole school being marshalled onto a newly cleared piece of ground that was being prepared as a cricket field and asked to pick up any stones left lying on the surface. I am sure today that there would have been cries of ‘child labour’ and ‘my rights’ but back then in the 1960s I only remember the fun had from collecting odds and ends including one of my earliest prize possessions – a very tarnished George III shilling dated 1819.

Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child

In her book published in 2016, Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child, Dr Maya Shetreat-Klein advocates contact with the microbes present in soil, saying dirt could prevent early-onset health issues. “Parents today are keeping their children away from the things that are critical to their health,” suggests Dr Shetreat-Klein. “We are sanitising their lives with cleaning products, pesticides and antibiotics.” (A more recent study also promoted the habit of mothers of new-born babies sucking their child’s bottle, rather than sterilising them, so as to pass on healthy, motherly, antibodies!)

Education Secretary, Damien Hinds

I was delighted that just last week the Education Secretary, Damien Hinds, announced he will launch a ‘bucket list’ of life goals for children. Activities include outdoor activities such as tree climbing, sleeping under canvas and exploring a cave. “Bluntly”, Mr Hinds told the I newspaper, “it is about doing stuff that doesn’t involve looking at a screen. It’s about getting out and about”. He is advocating tree climbing to grow character and build resilience.

Tree climbing is good for you

I have just retired as Headmaster of Ballard School on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. At Ballard we encourage the climbing of trees, running around in the grounds, the adventures of camping and trekking and the playing of old-fashioned games such as ‘tag’ and conkers, the making of dens and the kicking around of a football with friends ‘just for fun’. One of the prospective parents I met before I had even started my first term at Ballard ten years ago told me how they had just popped into Lymington Hospital to have one of their children checked over after a fall. One of the nurses enquired about their school choice (they were moving to the New Forest) and when they said they intended to visit Ballard, the nurse said (in an approving way I am relieved to say), ‘Oh, that’s the school which lets them fall out of trees’!

Mud, glorious, mud

I have to admit to having been a little cross with pupils who came off the fields after the lunch break with mud on their trousers or their shoes. My thoughts, of course, were with Mum or Dad at home who will likely have to wash the offending article of clothing (or perhaps in the most modern of households the children play their part in the cleaning!). I hope, however, that underlying my stern exterior lay the Prep School boy who rather enjoyed the great outdoors and the dirt and grime which went with it! With a grandson who attended a forest school nursery until recently I have seen life moving full circle.

I’d better follow Mr Hinds’ advice and close down my screen now and get out on the forest trail…even though it’s raining hard!

Category: outdoors

Don’t make waves?