Fast for the Earth 2022

“He upholds the cause of the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry” Psalm 146: 7 We have to do something about food waste, it is wrong to let food go to waste when there are so many hungry people. Many of us are guilty of letting food go to waste, we buy our fruit, veg and other products, and then busy lifestyles prevent us from cooking it and bruised, or rotting food is thrown away. And this is when an estimated 12 million South Africans go to bed hungry every night. Restaurants and food producers also discard surplus food that is still edible. Some restaurant chains and stores are reluctant to donate unused food to staff members or people in need. We have to do better! DignityIt is important that what we give, we give with dignity. If you have left over food, or food in your cupboards that you won’t use before the best before date, package it nicely, make sure it looks nice and clean and put it in a package for those in need who may pass your gate. HealthPlease be careful that spoiled food may make people sick, so be wary of meat or dairy products if it is a hot day. Connect with a local charity of soup kitchen.You can donate veggies that are looking old to soup kitchens where they can be well used and appreciated. Consider the hungry when you do your food shop.When you are buying for your family, look at those special offers and ‘two for the price of ones’ or bulk buying offers and purchase extras to give away. What else can we do to reduce food waste and give to those in need? Let us share our ideas and suggestions in the comments section. https://www.averda.com/rsa/news/south-africa-wastes-10-million-tonnes-of-food-every-year

“That year they ate the produce of Canaan” Joshua 5:12 What are the advantages of buying local? Fresher food is available at your local market. Fruit and veg that you buy in your supermarket often crosses the entire country, from farm to distribution centre and back to the supermarket! Your local vendor is selling directly from the farm or their small holding to public. The food is fresher. There is way less packaging involved. Buying from your local vendor, you can often reduce use of plastic completely if you bring your own bag or ask for a cardboard box. If you have veggies delivered by a local company, you can have quite a lot of impact in asking them to lose the plastic wrapping. We are almost through COVID now so those COVID related issues of covering everything in plastic must be challenged! Buying local helps the local economy. If you buy from a local vendor, the money goes directly to that family for food and other necessities. If you spend the same amount of money in a supermarket it won’t even, make a ripple. That vendor will then have cash to spend locally, and it keeps the money circulating in the community. You know where your food comes from if you buy it at the market. This is often something that not enough people consider. How is your food produced? What types of pesticides or herbicides are being used on your produce? Does the farmer use any form of permaculture? You can ask these questions directly to the seller. This connects you to your food and allows you to choose healthier choices for yourself. Buying local is better for the planet. Not only does buying locally reduce waste from packaging, but it also reduces the use of fossil fuels. Food miles not only consume energy, but they contribute to poor air quality, and you will be served older food, which could have effects on your health. Reference: One Green Planet https://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/reasons-to-buy-local/

“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” Daniel 1: 12 Carnivore or vegetarian? Think about the mighty plains of the Serengeti, how many lions can they support per square km, and how many buck? The reality is that it takes a lot more land to support a meat diet than a plant based one. Historically, before the time of fridges, meat was a special event, a chicken or goat would be slaughtered when visitors came, or a cow or goat for a great celebration of feast day. Now for the growing middle class, meat is a regular part of daily life, and this is detrimental both for the planet and for our health. Just as we see soaring rates of diabetes, we are also making our planet sick. Animal welfare The drive towards lower-cost meat and milk is leading to intensive farming. To maintain low running costs, some farming practices restrict animal behaviour and compromise their health and welfare. Sustainability A 2020 report from IDTechEx found that the meat industry is unsustainable, since animal livestock uses a disproportionately large amount of land. Despite using 77% of agricultural land, only 17% of global caloric consumption comes from animals. Environmental impacts As outlined in our open step on controversies in the food system, livestock production methods are considered one of the main drivers of environmental damage, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Land use Cattle in particular need a lot more land than crops. We can feed many more people from the same land a vegetarian diet than beef. This has huge implications on global food security. Globally much of the ‘cheap’ beef used in fast foods is contributing to deforestation as forests in the Amazon are turned to cattle ranching or soya production for animal feed. Estimates suggest that around half of the planet’s habitable land is used for agriculture, with roughly 77% of this used by grazing cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock. Greenhouse gas emissions Meat consumption is responsible for releasing greenhouse gases such as methane, CO2, and nitrous oxide. These gases contribute to climate change, such as global warming. Animals such as cows and sheep create large amounts of methane as they digest food. Manure also releases methane. Many fertilisers used in soybean production (for cattle feed) are nitrogen-based, and these produce nitrous oxide emissions. Soil degradation Raising animals often requires a lot of grazing land. However, the intensive nature of this grazing can lead to bare soil, which is then often lost due to wind or rain. As a result, fertile lands become barren, waterways become clogged, and there is an increased risk of flooding. Soil is also a large reservoir for carbon, absorbing it as plants and trees die. As soil is lost, it releases that carbon as CO2 into the atmosphere. It basically takes 7 kilos of grain to produce one kilo of beef. That is why there are far fewer lions than buck in the Serengeti! All of us can move towards a more plant-based diet. Meat free Mondays. Fish on a Friday, go plant based for Lent, take up the Daniel challenge of ten days of vegetarian food. Go vegetarian Mondays to Fridays.. Little steps that can have a big impact. Today’s challenge, find a really yummy vegetarian recipe, with easy to find ingredients which is quite quick to make and share it with us in the comments! We often thing vegetarian food is boring, but there are some really yummy recipes out there – we just need to find them and share. Here is my personal favorite: “Sticky Cauliflower wings” – it is yummy! https://www.easycookingwithmolly.com/2018/09/sticky-spicy-cauliflower-wings/ Find out more Reference: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/eating-meat-bad-for-environment

“You shall not pollute the land in which you live” Numbers 35:33 The major impact of plastic bags on the environment is that they can take up to 300 years to decompose. As they perish in sunlight, they release toxic chemicals into the soil, and if they are burned, these toxins are released into the air. When they are dumped into landfills, plastic bags are often filled with decomposing organic food waste, which releases methane as well as leaching toxins into the soil. This soil is no longer able to be used for agricultural production. They block stormwater drains, which impacts on the sewerage system, causing it to fail and leading to sewage overflows. Animals often confuse the bags for food and consume them, therefore blocking their digestive processes. Cows can swallow them and then die of starvation as their stomachs are full. Marine animals and birds can die of choking. What can we do?The most important is to bring your own bag. Cloth bags are readily available – the challenge is only to remember them each time. Keep some bags in your car and in your handbag for those quick visits to the shop! When you are buying your fruit and veg and taking them for weighing, avoid the thin plastic bags, for much fruit and veg the price sticker can go directly onto the fruit. Or else you can take a paper bag from the bakery department and put the veggies into that. It is always better to bring your own bag – reusing paper bags each time obviously has an environmental impact as they are made from trees (they are also heavier than plastic bags so it takes more petrol to deliver them). Some of the biodegradable/compostable plastic bags are also not the solution as they get mixed up with the recycled goods which then can mess up the system (a bit like chucking a hamburger into your recycling). Apart from bringing your own bag, put pressure on your supermarket to do away with plastic bags totally – many are starting to do so. Ask them to make cardboard boxes available at the till for packing groceries. What other suggestions do you have to deal with the challenge of plastic bags? References:The negative environmental effects of plastic shopping bagshttps://www.ibanet.org/article/76F8D2A9-1A1D-4A2F-8A6F-0A70149FD4D5

“You shall not strip your vineyard bare or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God. ” Leviticus 19:10 Food waste is a huge problem. In South Africa, 10 million tonnes of food go to waste every year. That’s a third the 31 million tonnes produced annually in South Africa. Of this, fruits, vegetables and cereals account for 70% of the wastage and loss primarily throughout the food supply chain – from farm to fork. About 90% of waste in SA is disposed of to landfills, where the food-waste component leads to the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide. Successfully cutting food loss and waste is a chance to turn around severe food insecurity felt by significant portions of the population. When waste food is mixed in with the rubbish, it means that it cannot be eaten and also makes the job of waste pickers very unpleasant, as they have to scratch through mouldy food and maggots to find anything they can sell. What we can all do is separate our recyclables, and rinse them out, before putting in a bag outside on bin day. In this way the waste pickers can take those recyclables with dignity. What about left over food? Here are some suggestions, see what works in your context – and remembering food will spoil quickly in the heat! Hang bread , baked goods etc in a closed bag on your gate to keep them away from animals and flies If you have left over cooked food, freeze it over night and put it out in a cardboard takeway packet. (check what time the waste pickers come so that it is not sitting for very long) Check your tinned and packaged goods regularly and leave those you are not going to use out before they are expired. If you have bought too much of a certain fruit or vegetable put it out for the waste pickers before it goes off! Please share your ideas we are all learning together!!

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth.” Genesis 1: 29 Growing herbs is a fun way to develop green fingers, and a lovely activity to do with children as well. You will really appreciate the fresh flavours in your food and realise you are saving quite a bit of money! – and you can share or sell to neighbours too! They need good sunlightHerbs will grow much better in a sunny spot, the more sun the better the flavour, so put them on your sunniest windowsill. Check out your windows to find which one gets the most hours of sunlight. If it is not very sunny, then start with mint, parsley and chives which do better with less sunlight. Room temperatureThe ideal temperature is around room temperature. Do take care when placing herbs directly next to the window. If the leaves are touching the glass, they could burn as the glass heats up with the reflected sunlight. In homes with drafty windows, it may get too cold directly next to the window. Make sure you block the draft. Don’t try Basil if it is very cold, it won’t do well. WateringThe herbs will do better if the pots dry out a bit between watering. Test the soil with your finger, it should be dry at the top, when it is dry an inch or so down, then water. The goal is to get the roots to grow down hunting for water, which makes the root system strong. Also, water your herbs slowly. If you water too quickly, the water may run straight through the pot and out the drainage holes before the soil has a chance to absorb it. A slow thorough watering is best for indoor plants. Two to three times a week should be sufficient, depending on the moisture level in your home. If you find you need to water daily, this could mean one of several things: The pot is too small for the herb plant. Tip the plant out & check the roots. Are the roots taking up the whole pot? Move it to a larger pot size. The humidity level in your home may be too low. In the same area as your indoor garden, add a tray filled with small pebbles. Pour enough water to just cover them. The water will evaporate around your plants giving them the extra moisture they need to stay healthy. It is too hot. The heat of the sun can dry out pots quicker. If your herbs seem to be drooping & consistently getting too dry you could move them back from the window a bit. Choose the best herb pot- make holesEach herb should be in a separate pot, you can use yoghurt pots or tins, but make sure you make draining holes and put them on saucers so as not to stain your windowsills. Self-made pots are great, but make sure to include drainage holes and saucers. The herbs must not be left sitting in water or the roots will rot, so make sure there are always small holes in the container. Make sure to have a saucer for every pot you use to grow herb indoors. You can very quickly damage a table or make a mess if you don’t have a container for the water to drain into. Have fun with the design. Use this opportunity to spice up your kitchen or living room with some colorful pots. And don’t limit yourself to the traditional pots. You can re-purpose many household items and turn them into unique herb planters. Get the kids involved in painting them. Compost or potting soilIf you can, do buy potting soil or compost from a nursery, one bag will last you for a very long time. It needs to drain well, so if you buy compost then do add coarse sand so that it is not too compact. If you use soil from your garden, if it is clay-ish then add some small pebbles at the bottom of your pot for drainage. FertilizerBoiling potatoes and other vegetables or hard-boiling eggs release nutrients into the water. Let that cool, and you can use it to water your herbs. Used coffee grounds, too, give plants a nice bit of nutrition. Just work them into the soil around your herbs. Adapted fromhttps://howtoculinaryherbgarden.com/indoor-herb-garden/