Carbon Fast 2015

Action for Today:  Mulch your plants – Add a layer of mulch such as bark, grass clippings, or hay around the base of plants and trees. In addition to boosting your yard’s curb appeal, the mulch slows the rate at which water evaporates, suppresses weed growth, and adds healthy nutrients to the soil as it breaks down. Mulch is referred to as “God’s blanket”  Mulches are not a new concept. For as long as trees have grown in forests, leaves and needles have fallen to the ground, matted together, and formed a natural protective layer over the soil. The English word mulch is probably derived from the German word molsch, meaning soft, beginning to decay. It no doubt referred to early gardeners’ use of straw, leaves, and loose earth spread on the ground to protect the roots of newly planted trees and shrubs. Mulches perform at least three basic functions: Reduce soil water losses. Suppress weeds. Protect against temperature extremes. In one study comparing various mulch materials with bare soil, soil moisture percentages in mulched plots were approximately twice as high, summer soil temperatures were reduced by 8 to 13 degrees, and the average amount of time required to remove weeds was reduced by two-thirds. The use of mulches in landscape plantings provides other benefits as well. When water droplets land on bare soil, the impact causes soil particles to fly in all directions, resulting in soil crusting and slow water infiltration. Most mulches break the impact of the droplets, reducing soil erosion and crusting and increasing the penetration of water into the soil. In addition, mulches improve soil structure in several ways. As organic mulches decompose, they provide organic matter that prompts soil particles to aggregate. Large aggregates increase aeration and improve moisture conditions in the soil. These conditions, in turn, encourage additional root development and biological activity, further enhancing soil structure. And remember its Smart Fish Friday!   Be a gardener. Dig a ditch, toil and sweat, and turn the earth upside down and seek the deepness and water the plants in time. Continue this labor and make sweet floods to run and noble and abundant fruits to spring. Take this food and drink and carry it to God as your true worship. Julian of Norwich (http://www.greenfaith.org/files/prayers-christian.pdf)

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer 17:8 Buy a plant for your office or home. Why not put plants on the altar rather than cut flowers all the time? Plants can remove toxics from the  air of your office or home. Power plants have the ability to remove toxins from the air of your home or office. Much of the research on these beneficial houseplants has been done by the NASA scientists researching ways to create suitable space station habitats. All indoors plants (flowering or not) are able to purify indoor air to some degree through their normal photosynthesis processes. But some were found to be more beneficial than others in removing harmful household toxins, even removing 90% of chemicals in the air in only twenty-four hours! The main household toxins of concern are: Benzene – a known carcinogen found in cigarette smoke, detergents, pesticides Formaldehyde, commonly off-gassed from paints, solvents and other synthetic materials. Trichloroethylene found in solvents Xylene found in varnishes, paints and paint thinners There are many different kinds of houseplants that could be called power plants, but here are a few: select one that is local to your area These types of houseplants may just decrease your risk of cancers, asthma, allergies, auto-immune disorders and other diseases. Aloe Vera, a very common plant in South Africa can remove formaldahyde from the air. English Ivy is known for removing the chemical benzene, and is also fantastic for asthma and allergies and also removes formaldehyde Gerbera Daisy: NASA say that the Daisy is fantastic at removing benzene, and absorbs carbon dioxide and gives off oxygen overnight, which is said to improve your sleep. Definitely one for the bedrooms – baby’s room in particular! Mums (Chrysanthemums):Mums are very effective at removing benzene, and  trichloroethylene (found in solvents and cleaners), formaldehyde and ammonia from the air. The Peace Lily is known for removing benzene, mould spores in the air, (making it great for bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms); purifying the air of trichloroethylene and removing alcohols, acetone, and formaldehyde. Spider Plant: NASA places this the Spider Plant among the top 3 types of houseplants that are great at removing formaldahyde. Also removes carbon monoxide and other toxins or impurities. The Boston fern acts as a natural air humidifier, removes formaldahyde and is reputed to be among the best in air purifying houseplants. http://www.faithful-to-nature.co.za/natural-organic-blog/2012/06/eco-living/house-plants-that-detoxify-your-air

“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”. Rev 22:2 A timber executive once remarked that when he looked at a tree, all he saw was a pile of money on a stump. Compare this with the Biblical view that trees are a gift of the creator “for the healing of the nations” They should be treated with  gratitude and respect. We would then not abuse trees, but rather take what we need to live, but also give back. Because we have forgotten this, we continue to lose forests as deserts grow. Humanity’s well being depends on the  wellbeing of the natural world. Next time you see a tree , take a moment to express gratitude. with each breath you take in , feel the gratitude for the oxygen that the tree is breathing out. Reflect that that tree, by breathing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen, is reducing the greenhouse effect, and cleansing the air for us. Tropical forests do even more they produce oxygen and also  contribute to planetary  cooling by  helping clouds to form. When tropical forests are cut down, the  local climate becomes hotter and drier, making it more difficult for more trees to grow. Commit today to planting a tree. Decide for yourself, or with your family or church members, where will you plant, how many and when… Make that commitment before God today. “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists” Japanese proverb

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Matthew 13:7 Create a natural weed-killer: Mix undiluted vinegar with a squirt of dishwashing soap, and spray weeds until they disappear. You’ll skip the sketchy environmental pollutants in most weed killers, plus, the solution helps keep future generations of weeds at bay. As you are doing your weed killing, reflect on the parable of the Sower. Some of the seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Jesus explained  that this   refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Spend some time reflecting on the balance of your life. Apart from work and sleep – what percentage of your time do you spend on growing your spiritual life, deepening your relationship with your family, staying healthy, experiencing the presence of God in Creation? And what percentage of your life is dedicated to watching programmes that end up making you feel envious of others’ lifestyles, adverts that make you feel inadequate, food that harms your body, stressing about ‘the worries of this life?”

Genesis 2:7 – And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The whole process of living, dying, and then living again starts with Yahweh “breathing into clay,” which then becomes “a living being” (Genesis 2:7) called Adam (“of the earth”). A drama is forever set in motion between breath and what appears to be mere soil or earth (humus, human, adamah). The Formless One forever takes on form as “Adam” (and in Jesus “the new Adam”), and then takes us back to the Formless. Each form painfully surrenders the small self that it has known for a while and returns to its original shape in the Great Self we call God. “I am returning to take you with me, so that where I am you also may be,” says Jesus (John 14:3). This changing of forms is called death and resurrection, and the return is called ascension, although to us it just looks like loss. After the resurrection when Jesus “breathed on” the fearful disciples and said, “Peace be with you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22), he was making a clear connection with the first creation of Adam. Jesus is now re-created. He is mimicking the creation story.. God is again breathing into “the clay of the earth” (Genesis 2:7) and reminding it that it is never just earth and clay. Christians call it incarnation, culminating in death, resurrection, and ascension. Whatever we call it, this process is about all of us, and surely all of creation, coming forth as individuals and then going back into God, into the Ground of all Being. This cyclical wholeness should make us unafraid of all death and uniquely able to appreciate life. (Richard Rohr) To be of the Earth is to know The restlessness of being a seed The darkness of being planted The struggle toward the light The pain of growth into the light The joy of bursting and bearing fruit The love of being food for someone The scattering of your seeds The decay of the seasons The mystery of death And the miracle of birth. John Soos, Earth Prayers, page 288 Remember its Meat Free Monday!

13 March: Grow your church green Genesis 1:11-12 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. Look at your church plant today- what is growing there? Is there space for an indigenous garden or an organic garden.   God was the very first gardener and God ‘Saw that it was good”. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to care for it. It is no wonder that we humans, made in the image of God, find gardens a source of relaxation, peace and tranquility. Does your church offer that space of calmness and peace for troubled souls? Even a small space can be used to create a small garden, or potplants can be placed if the yard is all concreted out. Involve your Sunday School in growing things and see the joy on their faces….   The church can also become a place where parisioners can be encouraged to grow at home, and either donate to the church or have a monthly ‘Farmers market” where people can bring their products to sell. This helps raise some extra income for those who needs it and improves the diet of everyone with fresh vegetables!