From the foundations of the Society of Friends in the seventeenth century, many Friends have looked to nature and the natural sciences to better understand their faith and spirituality. As a result of these explorations, there have been a number of well-known Quaker botanists, naturalists and other scientists. Pink Dandelion wrote that ‘later Quakers came to look for God within creation or justify scientific enquiry for its own sake’. (p. 79) And in the words of the Friends General Conference, Friends ‘feel called to help protect and heal the world that we are blessed to inhabit’.
To highlight past and current Quaker thought and activism with regards to the environment and sustainability, the Friends Historical Library has begun gathering together a list of our holdings that support research in the history of the Society of Friends and their concern for the environment. We hope that researchers will find inspiration from this quick look through our collections. And please know that we are interested in what you have learned and collected as you work for climate justice.
Quaker yearly meetings were among the first to support action on issues related to the environment and climate change. Their minutes record how they have dealt with climate justice in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Friends Historical Library holds many of the archives of Quaker yearly meetings, quarterly meetings and monthly meetings.