PRESS RELEASE 31st January 2011
Christian Ecology Link
0845 45 98 46 0

For immediate release
___________________________________________________________

Britain's Favourite TV Vicar Spills Happy News

The Revd Peter Owen-Jones, the whole nation's media chaplain, will be
sharing from the heart at a Green Christian London conference 'End of
the Age of Thorns' on 5th March 2011.

He will be opening up about a new relationship with money, and how we
can survive the credit, jobs and planet crunch by digging for our
spiritual roots.

In his BBC TV odyssey, Britain's favourite vicar tried living without
his cheque book in the series 'How to live a simple life', and
travelled the world to peer into the human soul in the fascinating
'Around the World in 80 Faiths'.

Now he comes back down to Earth in central London, bringing his
unique, accessible style of presentation, to share the good news of
life after moneymaking, in an all-day conference organised by
Christian Ecology Link.

The programme for the 'End of the Age of Thorns' features a wide range
of talks and workshops asking questions about the ecology of money and
life after mass marketing. What are the green shoots nurturing a new
economics? Is there prosperity without growth? And can society grow
up and leave consumerism behind?

Sustainability expert Professor Tim Cooper will lead a group learning
the fundamentals of Green Economics; Ashley Ralston will guide a
process looking at shopping as if the planet mattered; and Ruth Jarman
will host a workshop on greening up the day-to-day life of church
communities.

___________________________________________________________

END OF THE AGE OF THORNS: SURVIVING CONSUMERISM

Christian Ecology Link Conference: Saturday 5 March 2011, 11am to 5pm,
St John's Church, Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TY (opposite the entrance
to Waterloo station)

More information
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/thorns
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/thorns.pdf
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/thorns-booking.pdf

Come and explore spiritual roots for a new economics, for our own
humanity and all life on Earth. Engage with Peter Owen-Jones on a new
relationship with money and how we can challenge the consumerist age
we live in.

Ticket prices vary
Non-CEL members £20
CEL members £15
£5 for the first 20 students aged under 25

Booking forms
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/thorns-booking.pdf

Telephone
0845 45 98 46 0

E-mail
bookings@christian-ecology.org.uk
info@christian-ecology.org.uk

Speaker biographies

Peter Owen-Jones is a long-time supporter of CEL and a popular
speaker. You will probably have seen at least one of his fascinating
BBC series: 'How to live a simple life', 'Around the World in 80
Faiths', and 'Extreme Pilgrim'.

He is a Church of England vicar in a parish near Lewes in East Sussex;
writer of several books including Letters from an Extreme Pilgrim
(2010) and Psalm: The World's Finest Soul Poetry in a Contemporary
Idiom (2009); and founder of the Arbory Trust, the first Christian
woodland burial site.

Tim Cooper is Professor of Sustainable Design and Consumption at
Nottingham Trent University, a founder member of CEL and former CEL
Chair. He is author of 'Longer lasting products; alternative to the
throwaway society' (2010) and 'Green Christianity' (1990).

Workshop details

'Green Economics': Tim Cooper will run two different sessions
combining input and discussion. Both sessions will be self-contained
so you can go to both, or just one.

'Shopping as if the planet mattered': Bring your own ideas to share,
led by Ashley Ralston, CEL trustee and a director of Better Tomorrows.

'Greening the church in daily life': Eco-congregations are not just
for Sundays. They should give every member the chance to change their
life. Come and discuss ideas and experiences that can help people
start on a journey of a lifetime, including CEL's ecocell programme,
led by Ruth Jarman, CEL trustee and climate change campaigner.