Rachel Mash

The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24: 5 Packing-related materials make up more than 30 percent of landfill waste—or around 75 million tons each year. (Of that, nearly two-thirds is food packaging.) Globally, consumer goods generate around 207 million tons of packaging waste annually. During COVID its seems like we are sinking in a sea of plastic. Everything is wrapped and double wrapped in plastic for hygienic purposes. Unfortunately, this has become the new normal. The only way that this is going to change is for us as the consumer to keep asking and pushing for change – at least to return to the pre COVID practices! Here are a few practical tips: When you go grocery shopping, take a box with you – the veggies and fruit can go straight into the box and be weighed ‘naked’ rather than being put into thin plastic. Purchase larger size items if possible – then the amount of packaging per litre or kilo will be less. The more things you cook at home, the less packaging you use – for instance bake treats with your kids for their lunchbox and avoid all that packaging, as well as having quality time together Go for glass rather than plastic whenever possible, for instance if you buy peanut butter or a coke. Recycle at home and at work. If there is no recycling at work, do some research and come with a plan to management of where the boxes would be, and how the recycled waste would be picked up. https://greatist.com/live/reduced-packaging-how-to-reduce-waste-in-your-daily-life#1

“Which of you parents, if your child asks for a fish, will give them a snake instead? Or if they asks for an egg, will give them a scorpion?” Luke 11: 11 We often buy many little gifts for our children, from the bargain store or we pick up a little ‘something’ when we are away. We are trying to show our children that we love them. Often these are made of plastic and break within a few days or even hours. Health impacts of plastic toys on children Twenty five percent of plastic toys contain toxic chemicals. Since most plastic toys are not labelled with the chemicals they contain, parents do not know whether an item is harmful. Chemical additives are used in plastic toys and other plastic products to provide specific levels of hardness or elasticity. While the full effect of plastic chemicals on the body is unknown, they are linked to cancer and infertility. Infants and young children are considered particularly sensitive to chemical exposure due to their rapid metabolic rate, high surface-area-to-body-weight ratio, and fast growth of organs and tissues. Softer plastic toys are more likely to be harmful Production of wasteWe have also seen broken toys lying in the piles of rubbish. The challenge is that toys are very difficult to recycle. So almost all toys that have been made are still out there, gradually breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces, killing marine life and with toxic chemicals leaking into the soil. Mini consumersBy constantly buying items that break and are thrown away we are teaching our children to be mini consumers that do not treat material goods as precious and valuable. Show your loveOften what children are wanting is special time with a parent. So why not gift them an experience (print it out to make it exciting). A lunch picnic with yummy goodies, a visit to the swimming pool, a movie outing. If you want to bring little gifts from a trip away, go for fun art supplies or edible goodies, and for more serious toys, look for wooden toys, dressing up clothes or a gardening kit. If you get stuck post the question on your community Facebook page and you will get loads of ideas!https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2020/11/27/plasticized-childhood-plastics-impact-children/ Referenceshttps://sdg.iisd.org/news/harmful-chemicals-found-in-25-of-childrens-toys-unep-study-finds/

God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1 :31 Everything that God created was good. But sadly, humans have become clever at creating products that speed up our lives but are also bad for the environment and for our health. Certain types of plastics are easily recycled and offer the possibility of being part of a circular economy – there is still a long way to go of course – but the possibility is there. However, other types of plastic, single use plastic, thin plastic straws, Styrofoam, plastic cutlery etc are almost impossible to recycle and cause enormous damage to the environment, marine life, and human health Styrofoam/polystyreneThe World Health Organisation considers Styrofoam a possible human carcinogen (cause of cancer) , with one particular risk when people reheat food in the microwave, the toxins can leach into the food. It is particularly risky for young children. It is extremely difficult to recycle – firstly since it is foamed by gasses being pumped in, the volume per kilo makes it uneconomic to store and recycle. Usually it is used for food, and is not clean enough to recycle. Only 1.3 percent of total polystyrene was recycled in the USA in 2015. Often used in large amounts in disposable packaging (e.g. electronic goods) it creates a huge amount of pollution on land and waterways. It slowly degrades into carcinogenic molecules. Tiny particles of Styrofoam are mistaken by birds and turtles for food (they look very like fish eggs), their stomachs fil up and they die of malnutrition. If Styrofoam is burned for disposal, it releases poisonous gases. We need to find alternatives such as compostable or paper plates, or better still, go back to washing dishes!! Plastic cutlery Maybe you think, “It’s just one fork,” but multiplied by millions upon millions, those plastic utensils are terrible for the environment. Some estimates put the number of individual plastic utensils wasted at 40 billion per year in the United States alone – imagine what the figure is globally! After just one single use, most of them are thrown out and end up in landfills and in our waterways. Plastic cutlery is one of those items that won’t get recycled even when you put it in the recycling. It’s too contaminated. It’s too small. It’s too lightweight. So those 40 billion plastic utensils per year are a complete waste. Say no to plastic cutlery – if you buy food, or order it, indicate that you do not want the cutlery!!

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these Matthew 6: 28-29 We all love a good bargain – we rush to the after Christmas sales, we can buy cheap clothes at the click of a button. But a bargain is not always good news. Almost ten percent of carbon emissions come from the fashion industry, which also uses around 1.5 trillion litres of water every year. Bargain clothes often release microplastics when they are washed. People are buying and wearing more and more clothes as trends change. Because the fashion industry is global, imagine the journey of a bikini – which may have been produced in Bangladesh in an abusive sweat shop, then shipped to the UK for their summer, and then if it is not sold, shipped to South Africa in time for their summer. Fast fashion also uses large numbers of chemicals to treat and dye the textiles. Not only is this dangerous for workers, it goes into wastewater and pollutes rivers and oceans. The fashion industry is dominated by polyester which is non biodegradable and produced from petrochemicals with high carbon emissions. What to do? Here are a few suggestions: When you buy clothes – think of them as a product, not as a once often entertainment (what shall I wear for that party – then I can’t wear it again). Buy the best quantity you can. Lend and borrow clothes freely. Be trendy and embrace vintage clothing! Have clothes swops with your friends. Give away or donate to jumble sales the clothes you haven’t worn for three years! Avoid polyester where possible. Repair, rewear , recycle! https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/apr/07/fast-fashion-speeding-toward-environmental-disaster-report-warns

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12: 33-34 Our reflection today links our Christian Faith to the Sustainable Development Goals, and today we focus on the SDG Goal 12 – “Responsible Consumption & Production” Our earth is drowning in plastic – by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. We buy more and more bargain clothes. We buy junk food which is destroying our bodies and the planet. We need to begin to produce and consume only what we need. There is enough on this planet for everyone – there is enough for our needs, but not for our greed. Luke quotes Jesus saying, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25). We are created to be producers, and to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28, 9:17), (e.g. Exodus 28:3). We can receive satisfaction and material reward from our labours, but primary responsibility is to take only what we need for healthy living and invest any surplus into the wellbeing of our communities and environmental habitats which are for the benefit of wider society and future generations. When the Bible speaks of ‘dominion’ (Gen 1:28-30) it does not refer to dominance or abuse of the Earth, it refers to our guardianship responsibility, to protect and nurture creation (Genesis 2:15), to help our world and everything that lives in it to flourish. To do otherwise is to give in to self-centred human nature that resulted from the corruption event of Genesis 3. A manifestation of that corruption is greed. Jesus spoke powerfully against greed and the unproductive storing and defence of surplus (Luke 12:13-21) as it diverts a person’s devotion away from God. In contrast, followers of Christ participate in God’s shalom kingdom where we are called to remain in constant dependence on God as our provider, receiving from God what we need and freely sharing our surplus for the common good of all (Luke 12:22-34). Produce and consume only what you need! Adapted from WEA The Bible and SDGs https://wea-sc.org/en/biblesdgs

Creation is groaning Romans 8: 22 Today we will consider how we can reduce our transport and energy usage?Here are some pledges you might consider for the month ahead: Commit to turning off all unnecessary lights.We often just get into a habit of leaving lights on, but we can change those habits – turn off lights as you leave the room. Although they are expensive  to start off with, the costs savings of buying motion sensor lights over time are very high! Imagine instead of a light being on all night, it might only be on for a few minutes when you arrive home, or even to help to scare off an unwanted visitor! Use ‘task’ lighting.Turn off the ceiling lights and use table lamps or reading lamps, they use much less energy – They also create a nicer atmosphere. Use less hot waterRemember that water had to be heated, so if you have a shorter shower and especially if you opt for a short shower instead of a bath, you are saving a lot of energy! Also turn off the water when shaving, washing hands, brushing teeth etc. and fix that dripping tap as soon as you can! Unplug your electronicsStandby power can account for 10 percent of your average household’s annual electricity use Lower the thermostatTurn down the heat on your water geyser (heater) or heater in winter, aircon in summer Clothes washingWash clothes in cold water and make sure you use full loads Look after your fridgeRemember to defrost regularly and if the seal is not tight, get it replaced otherwise you are losing heat Be efficient with refrigerationMaintain clean, air-tight refrigerator door seals to keep the cold air in and warm air out. If your freezer is empty, fill it with bottles of water to be more efficient. This will also keep food frozen for longer if you have a power cut. Use the microwave instead of ovenIt might take 15 mins in microwave instead of 1 hour in oven. Save on transportDuring the month of Lent why not decide to carpool or cycle to work one day a week or walk to the shops for small items.Decide what you are going to do about energy and transport this Lent and make a pledge!