There are so many and various ways in which creation care is possible, and yet also so many and various ways in which it feels like an overwhelming task in a world that is constantly advancing the new, departing from the old, and leaving heaps of waste behind.
The scale of human impact upon the earth is strikingly depicted in films such as “Anthropocene — The Human Epoch” — https://theanthropocene.org/film/
The Anglican Communion Environmental Network traces such matters in its regular newsletter: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/network/anglican-communion-environmental-network-acen/news-digests/
One of my own areas of interest has been to recognize the value in resisting a throwaway culture in the world of technology.
I became particularly aware of this in 2006 when the jump from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista meant that millions of computers would be left behind by the new hardware requirements. E-waste is an ongoing massive problem, with global implications – ‘recycling’ often means shipment to another country where it is dismantled by hand by workers sitting on the ground surrounded by piles of discarded electronics containing heavy metals, and working without proper safety equipment.
Due to a combination of that concern, and being a student at the time relying on hand-me-down computers, I got interested in alternatives – and discovered the world of the Linux operating system: an open-source, community-built system created by Linus Torvalds in 1991, and built with the ongoing input of many programmers and developers around the world. Today Linux is the backbone of the Internet and cloud computing, but in 2004, South African computer entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth founded an organization to freely distribute a Linux-based operating system called “Ubuntu.” Those of you with African roots, or familiar with the writings of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will recognize the phrase, present in various forms across African languages, meaning something like “I am because we are” or “I am not me without you” as a way to recognize the intertwined nature of humankind, and the call to live with that in mind. Shuttleworth’s inspiration was to apply that to computers firstly in Africa but well beyond – so as to bring outdated and insecure computers forward with a modern, secure, and freely available operating system. Ubuntu has become the most well-known iteration of the Linux system, and has continued to inspire adoption and adaptation in Africa (see: https://wastalinux.org/home/why-linux/)
To me, this was the perfect combination of finding community-oriented solutions to problems, creation-care, and modern technology. So I was hooked on Linux.
Fast-forward to 2025: Windows 10 officially ended on October 14, 2025, with paid extended support ending on October 13, 2026. This means many more machines are now becoming increasingly vulnerable to viruses and other security threats, and unable to upgrade to Windows 11, even though they might be perfectly good machines.
Linux remains a wonderful alternative, and offers a path forward for many older machines that are otherwise being left behind (for inspiration, see: https://endof10.org/)
Inspired by this, Cathedral parishioner and Rotary member Mark Dixon and I hatched a plan to partner together to see what we could do. Mark spearheaded gathering a crew of tech-minded people together — both from Rotary and from the Cathedral — and we advertised a “Laptop Donation and Linux Demo Day” as an opportunity to donate old laptops to be securely wiped of data by our crew, and to learn a bit about this alternative. The response was remarkable — in a mere two hours we received 97 laptops! The majority of these are new enough to be refurbished with a new battery if needed and, with a new installation of Linux installed, they are now being sent back out into the community in partnership with Turning Points Collaborative Society and the Seniors Outreach and Resource Centre in Kelowna. Through these organizations, 15 people thus far have come to the Cathedral classroom where our tech crew has set up and introduced them to the new system, and they have taken home a laptop! This, plus the gathering of interested others who are joining the crew to help, is a testament to community at work for the sake of the common good, and is an instance of the spirit of ‘ubuntu’ at work.
Of course, these are small things in the midst of the vast scale of the Anthropocene, but they are things that look to “respect, sustain, and renew the life of the Earth” in our small corner of it!
