Rachel Mash

Gus Speth former advisor to President Bill Clinton said this: “I used to think the top global environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address these problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a spiritual and cultural transformation, and we scientists don’t know how to do that.” In order to have concrete action on a scale that can save this planet we need to start with a transformation of  our values. We need to move away from an extractive view of the Earth as a resource to be used  towards a relationship that recognises natures inherent worth and humanity’s reliance on its well-being”.  Can we dream of world where plastic pollution is a thing of the past , where the oceans and forest flourish again, where no child goes to bed hungry? We do not have another 50 years. Without a massive global movement we will leave a bleak and barren world  for our children and grandchildren to inherit. The challenge for UNEP is to move from being an institution to becoming a movement that brings together politicians, civil society and environmental leaders, faith leaders  and young people  in a vision of the restoration of this planet. The Medium term Strategy says that UNEP will  promote faith communities for two reasons – firstly because of their values based perspective on environmental sustainability and secondly because of their potential reach to billions of people. (We offer Values and Reach) Faith for Earth is making this a reality Faith groups are Accessible –  They are to found in the most remote rural village, in the poorest informal settlement and in the wealthiest suburb. Can you reach an isolated village in South Sudan? A faith leader can. Faith communities  are acceptable: Rooted in the local community and culture they have a high level of acceptability, sometimes higher than state or foreign organisations. They can provide a moral compass. Faith communities  can facilitate a change in values and behaviour In Uganda  96 percent of the population are affiliated  with a faith community. The Scriptures of all major religions have key texts on being stewards of the Earth and the moral dangers of greed and abuse of the poor and the earth. Faith leaders interact with their constituency on a weekly basis. What must be done so that faith communities can  be part of the UNEP movement to translate policies into concrete actions? President Nelson Mandela  said – when you speak to me in language that I understand you speak to my head, but when you speak to me in my own language you speak to my heart  The Church of South India celebrates World Environment day in each of its 15,000 congregations. They translate materials into five local languages, but more importantly they translate them into the language of faith , in songs,  in sermons in prayers in actions. The reach of Faith communities is huge: The Pope has  18.8 million twitter followers UNEP has 1.1) Can UNEP become a movement, can it contribute to the saving of this wonderful blue planet?  ,   The IPCC report is bleak, the situation in Ukraine devastating. I want to end with adapted  words from Christiana Figueres a woman of great faith: ‘When it comes to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, the vast majority of us have a learned reaction of helplessness, we see the direction the world is headed and we throw up our hands. Yes it is terrible, but it is so complex and so big and so overwhelming. We can’t do anything to stop it. This learned response it not only untrue, it is fundamentally irresponsible. Know that you are incredibly lucky to be alive at a time when you can make a transformative difference to the future of all life on earth” You are not powerless. Your every action is suffused with meaning and you are part of the greatest chapter of human achievement in history”  Christiana Figueres “The future we choose” View at 22 mins and     

On Ash Wednesday, 2nd of March a historic agreement was reached by the 174 nations attending the United Nations Environmental Assembly. They recognized the enormous health and environmental impacts of plastic on human life and on eco-systems. This historic agreement is as important for the scourge of plastic as the COP Paris Agreement was for carbon emissions.  On Ash Wednesday we say the words ‘Turn from sin and believe the good news’ We have turned from plastic pollution Over the last few days, nations have highlighted so many impacts of plastic pollution. There are the health impacts when sewerage systems become blocked by plastic waste and the treatment plants don’t work and overflow. There are the economic costs –  when plastic tangles in boats’ propellers and the engine is damaged , or tourists stop coming to a particular site. There are the climate change impacts of the production of virgin plastic (currently six percent of global emissions come from plastic). And there are the devastating effects on marine life from the greatest whale who dies of starvation because her stomach is full of plastic, to the tiniest plankton who becomes polluted. We are believing the good news This is no easy fix, there is a long way as the details of the treaty need to be worked out, especially how to enforce the legally binding treaty that all the Ministers of Environment or their representatives agreed upon. But the good news is that we are beginning the process of reducing the production of virgin plastic, of getting unrecyclable plastics out of the stream, of agreeing on international labelling codes. We have agreed that the pollution must pay, not the taxpayer (this is called extended producer responsibility). And for faith communities we are excited because the role of informal waste pickers has been recognized as important stakeholders in the treaty. No more will governments be able to pretend that the miniscule amounts that people can earn on recycling are ‘job creation’. Subsidies must be paid to create living wages and safe working conditions. Anglicans are part of the good news Anglicans are involved in combatting plastic on so many levels. Churches are organising  local clean ups, and river and ocean clean ups.  The Renew the Elsies River group have put in litter booms to stop plastic from flowing to the ocean. The Anglican Communion Environmental Network  celebrates  Lent by reducing our plastic usage in the Fast for the Earth. The Diocese of Lesotho Mother’s Union make products  such as hats and bags by crocheting with plastic bags. The Diocese of Eswatini has a bring your own bag campaign. In the Church of Uganda they have partnered with Eco Brix to make building blocks from heated plastic with sand. Archbishop Ole Sapit preached at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on Ash Wednesday on the text of  “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and renew a right Spirit within me” (Psalm 51:12) The Diocese of Harare, Zimbabwe had a campaign where clean ups of illegal dumping sites would be followed by planting of succulents and trees to renew what had become desecrated and their slogan was the 4 Rs: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Rejoice!” Amen Rev Dr Rachel Mash Picture Rev Rachel Mash and Nicholas Pande at the UNEA conference in Nairobi, Kenya Find our more here: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/historic-day-campaign-beat-plastic-pollution-nations-commit-develop The resolution can be found here Plastic Pollution resolution

FAITH BASED ORGANISATIONS OFFER VALUES AND REACH   – Speech delivered at UNEA 5.2 on behalf of the Faith Communities   (UNEA-5) is an historic moment for multiple faith traditions to engage with global environmental challenges today. Since the launch of Faith for Earth at UNEA 4, this movement continues to grow exponentially.   Fifty-six Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) are accredited and participate in the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders program.   This year a series of Faith for Earth Dialogues took place with the support of ninety-four FBOs. The series was opened by the Executive Director of UNEP and the President of UNEA alongside ten high-level faith leaders representing 80% of the global population.   As members from unique communities of faith, religious traditions, and spiritual pathways – we affirm with scientists around the world the underlying causes of climate change, pollution, assaults on biodiversity, and ecosystem degradation, that are all tangled in a spiritual crisis of values, ethics and moral responsibility evident human overconsumption.   A fundamental change in policy and practice around the world will require a spiritual transformation for humanity that will be evident in values, attitudes and overall disposition to strengthen action for nature.   We are faith actors, living and practicing our beliefs in every part of the world. We are able to reach billions of people around the world in order to inspire this transformation.   We are rooted in local communities and already provide spiritual, practical, and psychological support to displaced people, vulnerable communities, and to millions affected by calamities.   We play an essential role in assisting communities to respond with resilience in the face of current and coming disasters. Ahead of UNEA-5.2, a coalition of faith actors met in order to reach agreement on a statement that responded to the scourge of plastic pollution in our rivers, oceans and land. This agreement is initially signed by forty-five faith representatives, as more support for the statement arrives.   The distinctive role of faith actors was recognised in UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy. Given our emphasis on values and enormous potential global reach, we stand committed to strengthening our collaboration with UNEP in recognition of a crucial role our constituencies have at the local, national, and international levels.   Collaboration with faith actors at all levels, including to the Faith for Earth Coalition, represents a fundamental opportunity to seek transformational change at the heart of the human relationship to the natural world in which we all live and a hope upon which our future depends. Presented by Shantanu Mandal   https://youtu.be/YBLRDlRfZLM  

In celebration of World Wetlands Day,  the Water Disciples visited the Rondevlei nature reserve in Zeekoevlei Grassy Park. On the visit we had the opportunity to visit the Leonard Gill Field Museum and learn about various aspects of the environment and nature conservation including the many animal species within and out of the reserve. More specifically we learnt that the reserve is a wetland and was originally established to conserve the bird life within it. Not only is the reserve know for the vast bird life but also for the indigenous flora, fauna and other natural features of the area. The most exciting part of the reserve is that it is home to a species of hippopotamus that unfortunately did not show themselves during the visit but definitely made sure we knew they there with a trail of “you know what “ . Zeekoevlei is named from the hippopotamus My experience at the reserve was both educational and also personal. I learnt that in order to become one with God , I need to become one with what he made including myself,. I need to appreciate, protect and educate what I have been blessed with. So to the youth: “ live and learn and appreciate what God has blessed you with” Jamie Plaatjies.. Holy Nativity, Hazendal We are appreciative of the support of WWF SA for this project