Carbon Fast 2015

Smart Fish Friday Arrange a swapping party. Exchange clothes, DVDs, CDs, jewelry and bags so everyone gets something new without an extra trip. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19 Arrange a swapping party! Exchange clothes, DVDS, CDS, jewelry and bags. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, buying new clothes isn’t exactly the kindest thing we can do for our planet. Every piece of new clothing (if not made sustainably) can be the product of countless chemicals, dyes,  all of which can be harmful to the earth, air, groundwater – as well as the people making the clothing. But clothes are something we all need and want and buying eco friendly or fair trade clothes is expensive. Many of us buy second hand, but a fun idea is the clothing swap. A clothing swap is, in its basic form, a meeting or party where people get together to swap clothing, accessories, and the like, all for the sake of getting rid of the stuff you won’t use – and giving it a new life with someone else – and then gaining some great new stuff for yourself, too. Clothing swaps are gaining popularity these days for many reasons, the first reason being, of course, that you get to get together with a bunch of friends and family members and swap things and gain a whole new batch of gently-used stuff that’s now new-to-you. At a basic level, throwing a clothing swap helps save the world because it’s an opportunity for all those clothes to be given at least one more round of life. Good deed done in itself. But if you think even further, clothing swaps are also an opportunity for those of the activist mind frame to spread some great information. Many of those you invite to a clothing swap might be in it more for the new sweater or scarf – and that’s great on its own, but think about how much you could help by taking your next clothing swap one step further! You may want to consider asking for donations – or “charging” attendees a very small “charity fee” to attend the clothing swap with all proceeds going to a group that helps sweatshop and textile workers. If you choose this option, be sure to make the charity element prominent in the swap – so that attendees know the people they’re helping with their donation and the significance of this issue. Then, as a parting gift to clothing swap attendees, consider a thank you note, either pre-printed or handwritten, explaining the impact that recycling and reusing clothing really has on our Earth’ By adding some of these next-step elements, you can take your next clothing swap from a really fun gathering where everyone gets some great new stuff to a truly impactful event that educates people about the true costs of their clothing. By spreading the message, you are taking a love of fashion to another level – one which breaks superficial barriers and makes your life so much more conscious – and can really have a meaningful effect when the message is spread. If you’ve never held a clothing swap, you’ll find some great tips for setting up a clothing swap of your own http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/06/18/dress-yourself-for-free-host-a-clothing-swap/ Bottom of Form   How about organizing  for your Sunday School to arrange a swap party where they bring old toys and games they have grown out of . They can sell them for a few rand and raise money for an outing. And finally have  you heard of the  Recycle Swap Shop ?  Children bring bags of recyclable goods which are weighed. For each kilo they get a voucher and then can go into the “shop” where there are donations of stationary, food or second hand toys.

Lend ladders, mowers, share shopping trips and trade things in your community to reduce unnecessary purchasing. “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42 We fill our houses with too much stuff that we only use very rarely. Rather than buying your own, borrow and lend ladders, mowers, drills and other equipment. Share shopping trips. Look at your cupboards, why not give away or sell on gumtree or ebay those items have been sitting un-used for years. Your rubbish is someone else’s treasure. This is a good way to get to know some of your neighbours as you share equipment. The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy: raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated and then transported to wherever it will be sold. As a result, reduction and reuse are the most effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment, and save money. Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials; Saves energy; Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change; Helps sustain the environment for future generations; Saves money; Reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators; Allows products to be used to their fullest extent. Reducing and Reusing Basics

Precycle! Be aware of packaging, buy glass which can be easily recycled, and avoid excess packaging and keep an eye out for recycled containers “I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.” Jeremiah 2:7 We all know about recycling, but have you considered “pre-cycling?” Rather than producing a load of waste and then trying to recycle it, rather consider how you can buy less packaging. Recycling is a wonderful activity as it allows for all sorts of energy savings- but it’s not a get out of jail free card for our waste. Resources are used, energy is consumed and a degree of pollution follows. The 3R’s of going green – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – are in that order for a reason. The greenest product is the one you don’t buy, but as we can’t live on air alone then we need to make more informed purchase choices and precycling is related to “Reduce” – the most important of the 3R’s, and also to”Reuse” which is sometimes referred to as“Repurposing”. Precycling is about reducing waste by avoiding items that will generate it, or selecting certain items that will generate less, or acquiring items that can be reused for something else. Being an avid precycler can also save you money too!. Here are a few examples: Concentrated products We’re brainwashed to think more is good, but sometimes less is better. Products such as washing detergents are widely available in concentrated forms, packing as much punch as their water heavy counterparts. Concentrated products reduce packaging, weight and as a bonus – less transport related emissions. Wrappings Plastic wrap is a great invention, but one that haunts us once we’re done with it. It ends up in landfill where it’ll slowly decompose for decades if not hundreds of years. A sturdy container with an airtight lid or a washable ziplock bag can take the place of plastic wrap..  Bags, cans and jars Bags can be used for other purposes – particularly breadbags.This also applies to jars and other containers which can be very useful for holding buttons, screws or any other small loose items where you may usually buy a container dedicated to the task. Forward thinking When considering purchasing a product, think ahead to what it could be used for once it’s no longer suitable for the original purpose. For example, instead of buying paper towel or paper napkins, cloth napkins can be purchased then can then be used for general cleanups once they get a little grotty, then as they become even grottier, can be used for jobs such as wiping grease off car engines before they are finally disposed of. Paper Refuse portions of the newspaper that you do not want and ask the shop attendant not to add in all those extra plastic packages. Write to the people sending you junk mail and ask them to stop. Precycle vs. Recycle

Avoid using styrofoam packaging, when buying a take-away use recycled paper or a reusable container “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”. 1 Cor 6:19 Apart from being really bad for your body, junk food produces a vast amount of rubbish. Studies indicate that the biggest source of rubbish is junk food.  Up to thirty percent of that rubbish could be eliminated by re-usable alternatives. Have a look at the amount of rubbish produced by that Big Mac and Coke . The dictionary meaning of the word ‘junk’ is useless, extra or something that is not needed. And all these fast food items that have invaded every nook and corner of our country are called junk because they are not needed. Junk food businesses are dominating the food industry with each huge food chain generating multibillion dollar revenue. Here are some of the effects of junk food apart from producing vast piles of junk: It can cause type 2 diabetes: One of major contributing factors for the emerging diabetes epidemic is unhealthy diet full of junk and fast food. When you eat a healthy diet, your body gets a steady supply of glucose, which helps maintain insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, when you eat only junk food, the excessive stress exerted on your metabolism affects the ability of your body to use insulin properly. Since junk food lacks fibre content, its consumption directly results in a spike in sugar levels. Further, junk food consumption leads to obesity, one of the main reasons for insulin resistance and development of diabetes. It causes fatigue and weakness: Junk food lacks most of essential nutrients like proteins and vitamins required for maintenance of overall health and functioning of all the systems in your body. Although it makes you feel full and satisfied, it fails to provide you with instant energy, making you feel weak and tired after a while. Junk food can lower your energy levels to an extent that it may become difficult for you to even perform your daily tasks. Causes depression among teenagers: A lot of hormonal changes occur in teenagers, which makes them susceptible to mood swings and behavioural changes. And a healthy diet plays an important role in maintaining that hormonal balance. It reduces family time together at the table:. Fast food does not provide family members opportunity to sit and eat at one place. Every one can buy and eat walking in the way, driving a vehicle and during their work in the  office. The satisfaction which a combine meal provide is lacking in junk food. So this Lent, why not be good to your body and the planet and fast from Junk food for forty days. Fast Food Garbage Makes up 50% of Street  Litter Reasons to stop eating junk food right now!  

Meat Free Monday  Think twice about taking a bag if your purchase is small, reuse bags and being a cloth bag or bags Become a bag lady (or gent) DID YOU KNOW Plastic shopping bags are usually not biodegradable. Even the ‘biodegradable’ ones never completely disappear, they break up into little pieces. Plastic is made from petroleum Plastic often ends up in the ocean, killing marine animals or birds who get tangled up in them or swallow them . Watch this video about the impact on baby albatrosses in the middle of the ocean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUM58LIU2Lo The ink used in plastic bags contains cadmium a toxic heavy metal, so when they are incinerated , heavy metals spew into the air. WHAT TO DO Think twice before taking a bag if your purchase is small. Just hold it in your (wait for it…) hands! All plastic shopping bags are reusable many times. Keep one in your handbag for that unplanned purchase Bring cloth bags when you do your grocery shopping. Buy bags made by community upliftment projects and make a difference!