Ncumisa

I am who I am, because I believe in the protection of Godly created things

March 29 – Say No to Cling Film

1 Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

It is time to destroy everyone who has destroyed the earth.” Rev 11:18 Cling wrap (Plastic wrap) is not only bad for the planet, it is bad for your health. What is the threat to human health? Plastic is made up of chemicals, and there has long been concern surrounding the leaching of these chemicals into the natural environment, and transference of them into our food and drink. This worry has led to the recent popularity of ‘BPA-free’ plastics for food and drink storage. However, the main problem with cling film occurs when it is heated up: “New evidence suggests that heat makes chemicals in plastic storage boxes and bottles leach into food and drink: two major reports last year linked 175 compounds to health problems connected to cancers, fertility and foetal development. “Even Cancer Research UK, which has so far been sceptical, is now warning that cling film should not be allowed to touch the food it is covering during microwaving.” – Mail Online How does cling film impact on the environment? Like other non-recyclables, plastic food wrap ends up on landfill at best, and as litter on land and in the sea at worst. On landfill it will sit and possibly leach its chemicals for years, not degrading, and elsewhere it will do the same, whilst also being a risk to wildlife or fish who may get caught up in it or eat it. How to replace cling film in the kitchen Replacing cling film in the kitchen is easier than you might think. Here are some simple ideas on how to do it: Use reusable containers with lids instead of covering plates and bowls with cling film to refrigerate food Place sandwiches in lunchboxes instead of wrapping with cling film Pour unused liquids into containers with lids instead of covering a pouring spout with cling film Use ceramic or glass containers to reheat food in ovens or microwaves, and cover with a plate if required Use a cake tin for storing cakes, muffins, biscuits, etc.   Have a look for beeswax covers, you might be able to purchase them in your area – they make a great gift! Beeswax wraps are made by infusing pieces of cotton with a mixture of food-gradebeeswax, pine rosin and oil, usually jojoba or coconut. The waxy coating makes the cloth waterproof, but breathable. While you can make wraps without the rosin, it’s the key ingredient that makes them “sticky”, like plastic wrap. https://www.forgerecycling.co.uk/blog/ditch-cling-film-2/

March 29 – Say No to Cling Film Read More »

Beira is the first city to be completely devastated by Climate Change

Leave a Comment / News / /

Beira, Mozambique “will go down in history as having been the first city to be completely devastated by climate change,” said Graça Machel, the country’s former first lady. A humanitarian catastrophe is underway in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The reports are terrifying – 90 percent of Beira , a city of half a million people, has been destroyed by floods. Aid workers found people clinging to trees and rooftops – some had been awaiting aid for up to a week. Nearly 3 million people have been affected across the region which is one of the poorest in the world. The Un says “ This is the worst weather disaster in history in the Southern Hemisphere.” Cyclone Idai is not a natural disaster; the storm has been made worse by climate change and deforestation. How is this crisis related to climate change? Firstly warmer air holds more water vapour, which increases the intensity of rainfall. Cyclone Idai produced nearly a years worth of rain in just a few days. Secondly the severe drought over the last few years has hardened the soil, increasing run off of flood waters Thirdly the ocean has risen 20 centimeters in the last century, leaving Beira now below sea level. Added to this the huge levels of commercial deforestation, allowing floods to rush through denuded soils. Cyclone Idai is a humanitarian crisis that once again lays bare the fundamental injustice of climate change. Mozambique is one of the world’s poorest countries, 180th out of 189 on the UNs index. They have done the least to create the problem of climate change. Wealthy countries must take the blame for the unimaginable suffering we are causing. The latest news to hit us is that there is an outbreak of cholera. And so we are committed to getting water purification tablets to our brothers and sisters in Mozambique. Please help us to save lives. Water is life.

Beira is the first city to be completely devastated by Climate Change Read More »

March 28 – Replace plastic with wooden utensils

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10: 31 The key thing in our kitchens is to stop using single use plastic However we still are left with a lot of plastic items which will eventually break and end up in the garbage. Sadly only 14% of plastic is recycled, and even if you put it in a recycling bin, there is no guarantee that it actually  will be recycled. The problem is that it is cheaper to produce an item from virgin plastic than from recycled. Globally 6% of oil sales now go to producing plastic so we are facing a huge oil lobby promoting sales of plastic Avoid the bargain plastic items Cheap plastic containers or kitchen items are not cheap on the planet. They crack or break quickly. If you are purchasing a plastic item ,  for instance children’s drinking cups, buy the best quality you can, it will last longer, save you money in the long run and be less damaging to the environment. Replace with wood, glass or metal when it breaks When an item needs to be replaced – recycle it first, then hunt around for a replacement which is not plastic. You will find many kitchen items can now be bought made from non plastic materials.

March 28 – Replace plastic with wooden utensils Read More »

March 27 – Bin Lining

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

You shall not pollute the land in which you live Numbers 35: 33 God clearly commanded Israel to not pollute the land even though He A lot of single use plastic bags end up in landfill, because we use them to line our bins. What can we do to avoid this? With plastic bag bans increasing, and the awareness around the issue of plastic pollution growing, it seems that plastic bags are on the decline. Which is great news, except it begs the question… what is a good alternative to use to line the rubbish bin? As with many of these plastic-free dilemmas, there is more than one solution.   How To Line a Rubbish Bin Without a Plastic Bag Use No Liner At All This might not work for everybody, and it usually isn’t the first step, but have you considered not using a liner at all, and simply rinsing out the bin between uses? The first question to ask is: what is actually going into my bin? Is there food scraps and stinky stuff? Or is it just dry, clean non-recyclables like plastic packaging and mixed-material products? Typically the average household bin is made up of 40% food waste. That’s the wet, gross bit that makes our bin icky. If you can separate your food scraps and dispose of them separately, making compost,, there might be no need for a bin liner.Save If you’re not ready to set up a compost bin, find out if there’s anyone in your area who already has, and who is willing to accept their neighbours (i.e. your) food scraps. If you’d like to set up a worm farm (these are great for small spaces and can be kept on balconies or indoors) you can DIY your own with old polystyrene boxes Whilst you’re getting a food waste recycling system set up – or if you just don’t have the energy for this at the moment – and you have space, consider using a large yoghurt tub with a lid / lidded bucket to collect food scraps and keep in the fridge or freezer until bin day, and empty these directly into the external bin. Line Your Bin with Newspaper Use the free community newspapers or ask your friends who still get newspapers to keep them for you Here is a video about how to line your bin with newspaper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B0GDC8Ln84 Using old newspaper means repurposing something already in existence, and no new plastic is consumed. Line Your Bin with Other Repurposed Materials If you have large paper bags, old cardboard boxes or other packaging, consider using these to line your bin (or to replace your bin). You might find it possible to empty the contents into an external bin and reuse the vessel again. With all paper and cardboard, it is better to recycle than to compost, and to compost rather than to landfill. However, repurposing something that has already been used is better than buying something new. Plastic bags were only actually invented in the 1960s. We managed before, and we can manage again. https://treadingmyownpath.com/2018/06/14/line-bin-without-plastic/

March 27 – Bin Lining Read More »

Girls and bafana society launches Green Anglican campaign

Leave a Comment / News / /

GIRLS AND BAFANA SOCIETY LAUNCHES GREEN ANGLICAN CAMPAIGN The three Dioceses of the Western Cape: Cape Town, False bay and Saldanha Bay launched their Eco Projects and Orange against Gender Based Violence campaign on the 23rd of March in Holy Cross, Nyanga Over 150 young people attended from across the Dioceses. They started with a workshop on Gender based Violence – the Orange Campaign Then the Green Anglicans Team did a presentation on Plastic – how it is damaging the earth and our health as humans. They also learned how to grow an avocado tree and heard about the importance of growing trees, not just planting. A tree needs two years of watering before the roots reach the water table. 50% of the worlds population in young. 100% of the world’s future is young. The older generation have failed to be stewards of Creation, now young people must rise up to be healers of the Earth The youth divided into their church groups to discuss what they could do about plastic in their communities The young people then did a clean up event and planted trees and succulents We were honoured to have the GFS Global President Mme Thembeka Pama at the event. #greenanglicans #gfs #gbfs #beatplasticpollution #bansingleuseplasticsa Photos Thembeka Pama, Ncumisa Magadla..ThankyouCTEET!

Girls and bafana society launches Green Anglican campaign Read More »

March 26 – Glass Containers

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Luke 12: 17 Given that more than a third of the food that is produced for us to eat – approximately 1.3 billion tonnes every year, finding ways to help more of that food get used is a worthy goal. On a small scale, one step we can take is storing food properly. But is it plastic or glass food storage containers that are best, both for freshness and for the environment? Contender #1: Plastic Containers Plastic containers are light, and don’t break. But they are a major environmental issue. Only about 14 percent of plastic is actually recycled. It is cheaper to make new products than to recycle plastic, so companies are not incentivized to do so. Plastic containers also have health issues when heated. Two types of plasticizers, which are substances added to plastic to help stabilize and shape it, are of concern to human health: bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates. These substances are believed to be “endocrine disrupters,” which means they mimic human hormones and can cause chronic health risks. These can leach into the food or beverage from the plastic when it’s heated. There is also evidence that some acidic foods can cause leaching without being heated. Contender #2: Glass Containers We know that glass can be safely used for hot liquids and hot foods. Potentially harmful chemicals aren’t leaching into our meals when heated in a glass food storage container — or anytime, for that matter. This alone compels me to gravitate toward the use of glass containers for my food storage needs, but there’s more: Glass is cleaner than plastic. The nonporous surface of glass doesn’t absorb food and germs (and smells). Glass can be safely washed at high temperatures in your dishwasher. You can use and reuse your glass containers again and again, which ends up saving you money. According to the Glass Packaging Institute(GPI), “Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity — something few food and beverage packaging options can claim.” With glass containers, you don’t need to wait for your food to fully cool before putting your leftovers in them. Glass lets you see what leftovers are contained inside, unlike ceramic or stainless steel containers. Since you can see inside a glass container, you are able to safely check food as it reheats without removing the lids. For me, the concern with the health risks of plastics is enough that I err on the side of caution and avoid using plastic containers. If you do decide to go the plastic container route, use them for cold food storage or dry food goods only. You should also get to know your plastics. Look on the bottom of your container to find the resin identification code, the triangle with a number in it, ranging from 1 to 7. This code lets you know what kind of plastic the container is made from. Generally, the safest choices for food use are numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5. Number 3 is vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), number 6 is polystyrene and number 7 can be a number of different plastics. Also, some plastic containers with the numbers 3 and 7 may contain BPA. Whenever possible, I recommend choosing glass food storage containers. While they’re slightly less convenient, they can be used for hot or cold food without worry and they’re ideal for home food storage. You can re-use coffee jars and other containers for free storage. https://earth911.com/home-garden/glass-food-storage-containers/

March 26 – Glass Containers Read More »