Rachel Mash

THE SWOP SHOP

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children Mark 7:27 So our community challenge this Saturday is to consider your school’s tuckshop. Firstly are they re-cycling? School tuck shops create a huge among of plastic waste and the first step is to make sure they are offering clear recycling bins. The second is to make sure that those bins are being emptied and the sorted trash is actually going to the recycling depot. This could potentially create a stream of income for the school. You will need to do some research as many of the snacks such as crisps are in metalised plastic film which is generally not recyclable with home recycling Secondly – what can be refused? School tuck shops don’t need  straws!, They are the first thing that can go or at the very least only have them for those who request, don’t just hand them out. With pressure from the school, the tuck shop can be told to stop using Styrofoam as this is a health and environment risk. They also can run without plastic bags as all the kids have backpacks they can put snacks into Thirdly what can be reduced: Certain products can be swopped out – e.g lollypops(suckers) with paper sticks rather than plastic. Fourthly offer other options: The school can put pressure on the tuck shop to source some more reasonably prices plastic free items which are more healthy such as fruit, home made snacks etc How can you push for change? Look at the structure of the school – is there a governing board – council – find a supportive member to push for a sustainable tuckshop https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/what-do-crisp-packets

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SAVE THE CHILDREN

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children Matthew 7:11 Snacks for school are a challenge, life is very busy and we are looking for something to pop in that lunch box. School snacks are often highly processed and with lots of thin plastic that is unlikely to be get recycled even if we put it in the recycling bin! Think – crisp/chips in plastic wrappers, juices in cartons with plastic straw, wrapped in plastic Firstly get your kids involved, help them to understand why you are trying to reduce plastic and make it a fun challenge for them! What can we do ? Piece of fruit that can be peeled or eaten with the skin on – think banana, apple, pear , tangerine Veggies in strips like cucumber or carrot sticks, Cheese cubes. Buy little metal bottles and put the fruit juice or water with cucumber or lemon in it in the bottle. Wrap your sandwich in waxed paper or in a cloth napkin in the lunchbox. Buy in bulk things like nuts or dried fruit  and put into smaller re-usable  containers Get the kids involved in baking snacks like crunchies  or making popcorn instead of a packet of crisps. Get granny involved in helping bake lunchtime snacks! Start small! Have a plastic free day once a week – make it a fun challenge and then build up . Speak to the teacher, challenge your class to have a plastic free snack day and they can share their home baking with each other

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HOLD THE FOAM

News / /

Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; Job 24:18 Around the world, countries are passing bans on  Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) the latest being Nigeria’s capital Lagos. These countries show that it is not necessary to put our food in this product The Mothers’ Union in the Province of Southern Africa passed  a resolution to stop using Styrofoam at their events. Why did they do this? Styrofoam is one of the most used packaging methods in the food industry. It is convenient, cheap, and provides excellent conditions for storage of food and beverages. Styrofoam is a disposable product made of polystyrene, which is a petroleum-based plastic. Styrofoam has more harmful effects as compared to its convenience.  There is a need to inform people about the environmental and health impacts to poses on people and the planet. The harms are mainly from the plastic Styrofoam is made from. Environmental Impacts Polystyrene is non-biodegradable. A Styrofoam cup can take as long as 500 years to decompose completely. Recycling Styrofoam is very expensive, it is usually disposed of, taking up a lot of space in landfills, even more than paper, and may eventually re-enter the environment when landfills are breached. Styrofoam is harmful for the environment because it is made with petroleum, a non-renewable resource which contributes to air pollution and climate change. When not disposed in a proper manner, Styrofoam can contribute to flooding by clogging drains. When Styrofoam enters our waterways, it can be ingested by aquatic animals, thus harming or killing them. Health Impacts Polystyrene, the main material in Styrofoam, contains the substances Styrene and Benzene, which are both considered carcinogens (cancer causing) and neurotoxins that are extremely hazardous to human health. Hot foods or liquids, alcohols, oils and acidic foods start a partial breakdown of Styrofoam, causing some toxins to be released into our foods, which, when eaten, are absorbed into our bloodstream. The good news is that more and more countries are banning the use of Styrofoam and other products are entering the market.  Have a look at this encouraging list  – see if your country is on it and if not push for a ban – or implementation of the ban!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_polystyrene_foam https://www.news24.com/fin24/climate_future/news/nigerias-polluted-economic-hub-lagos-bans-styrofoam-plastics-20240122

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LEAVE NO WASTE BEHIND

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. Archbishop Tutu One of the key things we can do is to aim to leave the world  a better place than we found it. This means to have an awareness of litter. So when you  go on an outing, or take a walk to the shop, or go for a jog, have a bag with you and aim to pick up a few pieces. There are lots of catchy ideas that can help to make it fun and you can get the kids also involved The Pick up 5! We have five fingers so everytime you are on the way home, pick up five pieces of litter and put a photo on social media. What about dirty hands? Well you can use the bag turned inside out to pick up the litter The Five Rs! The Diocese of Harare in Zimbabwe had a saying of 5 Rs – refuse, reduce, reuse recycle and rejoice! They encouraged parisioners to take a bag to work or school every Friday and fill it up on the way home Plogging! Plogging comes from the Swedish word ‘Plogga” Stockholm Sweden became the first city to host an organized “Plogga” in 2016. This event combined a jog, jogga in Swedish, with picking up litter, plocka up. Plogga is an association and popular movement where the activity itself is about picking up rubbish while jogging. It is also just as easy to walk, skateboard, cycle, swim or other. Plogging is a change of attitude and ploggers are proud garbage collectors who do something for our environment and health before it is too late. Since then, over 3 million people have participated in organized or solo ploggas. Every day, approximately 20,000 people plog in over 100 countries. https://www.plogging.org/ lets do good and feel good!

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OCEAN V PLASTIC

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. Psalm 104: 25 God created the oceans to teem with life and they are awesome and contain so many incredible creatures – but due to human activity marine life is under tremendous threat from plastic. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Plastic is the most abundant type of litter in the ocean, making up 80% of all marine debris. Hundreds of marine species are impacting getting suffocated and entangled in plastic. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fish and turtles mistake plastic waste for food; they die of starvation as their stomachs become filled with plastic. The main sources of plastic debris  in the ocean are land-based, coming from urban and stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, littering, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, tyre abrasion, construction and illegal dumping. Ocean-based plastic pollution comes mostly  from the fishing industry and  aquaculture Under the influence of solar UV radiation, wind and  plastic breaks down into small particles called microplastics which makes them easy for marine life to ingest accidentally. Here is a video so you can see the impact of microplastics in the ocean https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution

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MOTIVATION MONDAY – MUMBAI BEACH

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds: Hebrews 10:24-25 So today is Motivation Monday and we have a really inspiring story about a man in India who saw an absolutely filthy beach and decided to do something about it. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead What is inspiring in this video is that he wasn’t overwhelmed by despair, he took action. And his actions inspired many other people to join in. As you watch this video, think of places that you might despair of , they are just so filthy and take courage. Start with small actions, inspire others and change will come! After you have watched the video please do share on your social media with others

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