Carbon Fast 2015

Psalms 20:7 -:  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God FAST FOR THE CLIMATE And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away. Acts 13:3 Fasting in the Bible is not associated with inaction. It is associated with drawing close to God in order to make a difference in the world. This week we consider our lifestyle in the area of  ‘moving”. We live in a mobile society where our form of transport is often associated with status.  As we consider a more simple lifestyle, we need to move towards smaller cars, lift sharing, public transport, scooters, bicycles and best of all our feet!! Today is the first of March, we would like to encourage you to join the fast and pray for the climate movement. When Typhoon Haiyan had just devastated the Philippines in November last year, climate commissioner Yeb Saño was at the UN climate talks in Warsaw. His own family was caught up in the disaster that killed thousands and destroyed homes and livelihoods across the country. In a moving speech he said he would not eat until countries at the Warsaw conference delivered actions that would ‘stop the madness’ of the climate crisis. Hundreds of others from around the world chose to fast with him in solidarity. Despite this, the Warsaw meeting saw countries, like Japan, actually winding back their climate commitments, seemingly in denial that all countries will need to commit and contribute to the comprehensive, global climate action plan which is due in Paris in 2015. The Fast For The Climate has grown into global movement with participation of youth groups, environmental groups and faith-based groups, who all want urgent action on climate change by governments this year. FAST FOR THE CLIMATE

Use a smaller plate, you will have leftovers to eat later, will reduce calories and will not provide as much demand on the production of food SHRINK YOUR PLATE “I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough”. Phil 4:12 The global increase in obesity rates over the past 30 years has been paralleled by an increase in the portion size of many foods. A friend of mine who runs a small business making kitchen cupboards says that the cupboards he takes out of older houses can often not be reused, because our modern plates don’t fit! Items available at fast food restaurants are estimated to be 2 to 5 times larger than 2 decades ago! Here are a few suggestions on how to shrink that portion size – Use smaller plates! Use the smallest plates you have in your cupboard. Psychologically the helping will feel bigger! -Fill up your plate with healthy stuff, like vegetables or salad. – Fill the plates and then put the leftovers in the fridge. If you leave them on the table everyone will come for seconds, hungry or not! Enough is enough. Eating too much is bad for your body and bad for the planet…..

Write down what food you throw away this week. Aim to reduce it by a third by eating leftovers and shopping more carefully – using a list and planning your meals. WAR ON WASTE  When all of them had enough to eat, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Gather the leftover pieces,” he said. “Don’t waste anything.” John 6:12 In the feeding of the 5000, Jesus told the disciples to collect up all the food and not to waste anything. I wonder who the people were who received those leftovers? the elderly, the orphans, the physically challenged, who had not been able to walk to where Jesus was preaching. How would Jesus feel about the amount of waste we create and throw away now? At the Rio + 20 conference food waste was highlighted as a key problem. “ Food wasted by consumers in high-income countries (222 million tons) is roughly equal to the entire food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tons).” Here is South Africa a staggering one third of annual food production is wasted! Some of it is on the farms, where products are considered “substandard quality” and are left to rot. Some of it is during transportation from farm to shop. More food is wasted in shops as it passes its sell by date. And then there is me, and you. We buy too much, cook too much, leave too much on our plates. Our challenge today is to write down what food you throw away this week. Commit yourself to shopping more carefully, preserving leftovers, giving to those in need, and composting to improve your garden….

Buy local. Have a dinner with ingredients from only your area and taste the deliciousness from what can be made near you! Ezekiel 47:12 ESV  And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, Buy local, reduce your food miles! Have a diner with ingredients from only your area and taste the deliciousness from what can be made near you! What on earth are food miles? They are the distance that your food travels from the grower to your plate, including travel to and from processor and retailer. Why should I want to reduce them? Because transporting your food long distances involves lorries and aeroplanes. And lorries and aeroplanes use lots of fuel and emit tons of CO2 emissions, contributing to global warming. Buying locally prevents some countries from cutting down forests and losing their own food, because big companies see food as a commodity, rather as a way to feed the people of that country. Locally grown food tastes better. It is usually picked in the last day or two. Produce that has been trucked or flown in is much older. fresh produce loses nutrients quickly Local food supports local people and creates jobs. Buying local food creates community! How to reduce food miles: When shopping in supermarkets, check the labels. Buy food that is grown or produced locally. Eat what’s in season. It won’t have travelled as far as out-of-season fruit and vegetables. Visit your local Farmers’ Market. Find your local farm shops, producers and pick-your-own farms Grow your own. Get an allotment, or start a veggie patch in your back garden. Support your local greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger, and ask them to stock more local produce. Walk or take the busto your local shops. This way you won’t add to the food miles already accrued. As you enjoy your ‘local’ meal, make a list of potentially the number of people that you have contributed something to their well being through the products you bought. 10 Ways to reduce food miles