Ncumisa

Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa held a youth conference from the 9th to the 14th of April 2018 in the diocese of Kenya, Nairobi.  Graced with 300 Anglican Youth from different provinces in Africa, leadership and raising our continent was the theme for the conference. African diversity was oozing from all angles, a true sign of our African rainbow, this included worship, songs, language and culture. Green Anglicans formed part of the conference in plea to discuss environmental challenges that we face in our daily lives and the role of the church especially young people to combat climate change or at least to live sustainably going forward.   Environmental challenges continue to create a huge challenge in Africa, especially agriculturally, which then escalates food insecurity and poverty.  This goes as far as affecting some of the prime sacraments and traditions in the Anglicans church. Working with Rev Sam Sifelani, Central Africa’s Environmental Coordinator, Green Anglicans split the session between what the bible say’s about care for creation as well as action and advocacy. We engaged the participants in conversation about carbon foot print and we can reduce it in our homes and communities, we also discussed on how the church can begin to have conversations about talking with the big companies who are contributing the most to this bad cycle. The aim of the session was to clarify this often difficult to engage with topic and unpack the ways in which the participants can harness the energy enable the youth to come up with initiatives to help their communities to adapt. At  the end of the discussions a light had been shed to most of the participants who had never made the cross between faith and care for creation. -Ncumisa Magadla

LAUNCH OF THE AVOS FROM ANGLICANS MOVEMENT Green Anglicans has launched a movement to grow avocados. Avocados trees give food, shade and beauty. The Green Anglicans office started the wave and grew 25 avocados from seed. These trees are being donated together with avocado pits to Sunday Schools. We have been collecting avocado pits from restaurants and cafes. At St Peter’s Church in Khayelitsha, Rev Martha Sam blessed the planting of the avocado tree and Kagisho Petlo and Ms Vathiswa Manentsa, Sunday School teacher taught the children how to grow the trees with the pits. Here are the instructions on how to grow an avocado from the pit. For more info contact Kagisho on [email protected] https://www.greenanglicans.org/…/Avocados-How-to-grow-them-f… #greenanglicans

OUR ‘COMMON WEALTH” IS OUR OCEANS – Big Beach Clean Up with the “human polar bear” Green Anglicans from St Peters and St Michaels Church in Khayelitsha and St Josephs in Macassar joined over one hundred volunteers in a “Big Clean up” on Monwabisi beach in Khayelitsha. The guest speaker was Lewis Pugh, UN ambassador of the Ocean. He is known as the “human polar bear” for swimming the North Pole. He challenged the young people to get as much plastic as possible off the beaches. For it goes into the ocean and is ending up in the food chain. The event was supported by some wonderful groups. Among them were: Let’s  do it Africa, who are committed to organizing clean up campaigns, inspiring people and keeping it fun! Oceano Reddentes, two young women who have the passion to produce thousands of eco-bricks (2 liter bottles filled with plastic) for building of houses, Sanccob, and Waves for change who teach surfing to  disadvantaged young people. Miss Earth South Africa was also present. “Beach Clean Up was a fantastic experience i was so happy to be part of a great project to make our planet and world safe for humans and animals. I  would do it time and time again because i know that it will be of benefit to me and the animals and as a lover of nature I am so  happy to know that there are organisations and people that are doing their utmost best to make sure that our planet is safe for every specie living on it. Proud to be calling myself a “Waste Fighter” (Lakhe Dwenga, St Peters, Khayelitsha)” The lunch was provided by the “Commonwealth Big Lunch” in honor of the Comonwealth heads of states meeting in London Lewis Pugh is currently addressing the Commonwealth Forum and says Honoured to address business leaders from across the Commonwealth. My message: “Most Commonwealth nations are maritime nations. Our common wealth is our oceans. Our oceans are in a dreadful state from overfishing and pollution. We must urgently invest in their protection.”

Ec0-bricks are easily made from 2litre coke bottles, which you fill with non recylcable plastic. Push it down until the bottle is jammed hard. They are then used in construction of creches, homes etc. Here are the instructions. https://ecobrickexchange.org/views/home.php Find out where you can drop off your filled Eco=bricks Green pop Nursery, Woodstock Cobute, Table View Hangar 18, Milnerton Faithful to Nature, Muizenburg Salt, Kalk Bay The health connection, Fish hoek The daily Grinder, Glencairne The Hub, Scarborough Long Beach mall, Noordhoek MFM radio, Stellenbosch For others cities check out https://ecobrickexchange.org/views/home.php

South Africans use  approximately 8 BILLION plastic shopping bags per year. Less than 1 percent are recycled and many  end up in landfills or blow out of bins — blocking stormwater drains, getting stuck in trees or littering rivers and beaches . In nature, plastic breaks into smaller pieces, but never fully disappears – it breaks up into microplastics  not down into organic matter, contaminating land,  food and water. Scientists say that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Rwanda and Kenya have already the banned the Plastic bag in 2008 and 2016 respectively. As Christians and people of faith we believe we are called to care for Creation and so we invite you to join us in the BRING YOUR OWN BAG Campaign BRING YOUR OWN BAG. Make a pledge to stop using single use plastic shopping bags. You can sign the pledge here and encourage others to do so too: https://www.aquarium.co.za/content/page/rethink-the-bag-make-a-pledge MAKE YOUR OWN BAGS. Here is a great opportunity to encourage unemployed people in your church and community to make alternative bags. Get creative, get colourful, brand the bags with the name of your church, the sky is the limit! PUT PRESSURE ON YOUR LOCAL SHOP. Mobilise local churches, schools etc and community members to put pressure on your local supermarkets and businesses to stop using one use plastic bags. Here are some examples; the SPAR in Kloof (KZN)  gives out only paper bags, the SPAR in Kleinmond gave out a free re-usable bag to everyone who handed in ten plastic bags. MOBILISE WITH OTHERS TO BAN PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Kenya did it, Rwanda did it. Yes we can!!! Please sign a petition to the Minister for the Environment here: https://www.causes.com/actions/1755124-ban-plastic-shopping-bags-in-south-africa Join our facebook group to share ideas on https://www.facebook.com/groups/190793368196276/?ref=br_rs

We are encouraging Sunday Schools and Youth Groups to grow and plant Avocadoes. Here is how to grow an avo from the pit Avocados How to grow them from a pit