“The Power of One” - A Eco-Justice Journey

6 Feb

Toqueer Ahmed Quyyam’s passion as an eco-justice activist should be a lesson for us all. He got involved in environmental campaigning as he wanted to do his bit by making a positive impact in his community.

His journey started when he met Birmingham Friends of the Earth at St Philip’s Cathedral in 2018. Libby from the charity gave him a box of flyers to hand out, which he took round local businesses. She was amazed when by the following week he had distributed the entire box-worth.

Later, he got involved in promoting Green Lane Mosque’s campaign to eliminate plastic bottle use. His personal satisfaction from this was that he was able to promote the good that was happening.

This was at the time David Attenborough’s Blue Planet was being screened. More open conversations were starting to take place with people recognising their personal and collective responsibility for climate change matters.

Through networking, Toqueer came across the interfaith climate group Footsteps. He realised that the biggest impact from climate change was going to be felt by those of colour in the Global South, and people from those very communities and other minorities now made up 51.4% of Birmingham’s population. He also observed that the overwhelming majority of eco-activists in the city were white and middle-class. As such, he set about connecting with ‘Black in Green’ activism of Black and Asian communities, which usually went under the radar, to ensure their work was recognised, acknowledged and celebrated.

He went on to help with Footsteps’ energy assessments of religious buildings by working with diverse faith leaders. In 18 months, 28 places of worship had been assessed, some of them like the al-Mahdi Institute in Edgbaston implementing energy efficiency improvements and saving significant amounts. People could see faith leaders were taking it seriously, which helped make more people aware of support available for improvements in their own homes.

Toqueer now also uses his love of history and walking to promote green issues. This aspect of his campaigning arose from his attendance at ‘Kinder in Colour in 2022’ – the 90th anniversary of walkers accessing nature in the Kinder Trespass. As he says, “he never knew heaven was so close by”, as he walked through the Peak District for the first time”. It made him realise how unequal access to nature is, inspiring his blog.

This experience, and the desire to promote great access to nature on the doorstep, led him to connect Al-Hijrah Mosque with the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust’s EcoPark in Small Heath, where he now volunteers. Even though it is just half a mile away, the mosque didn’t know about the EcoPark and was sending its scout troop long distances in minibuses for outdoor activities. Now 30 primary-age children are using the EcoPark on a weekly basis.

Last year, Toqueer was put forward by the Wildlife Trust for the Climate Coalition’s Green Heart Hero Award in the Breaking Down Barrier category. On being nominated and then winning, he said ‘this is the most wonderful feeling in the world, knowing that I had made a difference”.

In 2022, Toqueer joined the Red Cross Taskforce, addressing cost-of-living issues. He said, “This was fantastic learning for me, showing me how everything is interrelated and how important it is to work with other organisations”.

In reflecting on his journey, Toqueer feels that “there are many barriers to people from Black, Asian and racialised communities becoming climate campaigners. My parents came to the UK from rural Kashmir. Many skilled jobs have gone, and people in the community are often now disconnected. Covid had a larger impact on us. Inequalities in the UK were exacerbated by the pandemic. People like to stay in their comfort zones. It's the collective responsibility of people interested in climate action to take positive steps, to work with others”.

Toqueer wants the climate sector to understand its privilege, and realise that lots of people have really hard lives and come from backgrounds with very little. There are alarming statistics, such as that less than 5% of climate and environmental professionals identify as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to an average of 12.6% across all professions.

As to what's next for Toqueer, his ambition remains to have his career in the community and the environment. However, he feels it’s difficult to find roles with integrity that offer secure work.

Toqueer would recommend environmental volunteering to anyone. His advice is to take the opportunity when you can, maybe once a month, to go somewhere new, like a park you’ve never visited before, . You can find the wonder and learn a lot about yourself. “Nature is very special,” he says.

Toqueer can be reached at taquyyam@gmail.com

“The Power of One” - A Eco-Justice Journey

Further reading:

birmingham race impact group

BRIG WAREHOUSE CAFE 54-57 ALLison Street, b5 5th

“The Power of One” - A Eco-Justice Journey

Further reading:

Joy Warmington on Anti-Racism, Leadership, and the Courage to Speak Out

birmingham race impact group

BRIG WAREHOUSE CAFE 54-57 ALLison Street, b5 5th