Fast for the Earth 2022

“Give us this day our daily bread” Matthew 6: 11 According to the United Nations Food Security report of 2021, between 700 and 800 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020. While an estimated 22% of children under 5 were stunted (too short for their age), 6.7% were wasted (too thin for their height), and at the same time 5.7% were overweight. Nearly one in 10 people in the world go to bed hungry each night. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35), it was not merely a metaphor. He promises to provide for those who would believe in Him (John 5:36). The regular provision of our collective “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:3) is a promise of sustenance as part of the life in all fulness that Jesus imparts to those who follow Him (John 10:10) and remain in Him (John 15:4, Philemon 1:6). This promise is as real today as the day Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loves and two fish (Matthew 14:15-21 etc.). God provides (Psalm 107:9, 147:14), but a new covenant rendering of the Deuteronomic principle (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:3) applies here: the promise is contingent on obedience—to Christ. The promise of provision under the new covenant is to the Christ-centred community of God’s people. Yet, as God supplies so we are obligated to share, not just with one another but with our neighbours in need. In our new covenant shalom reality, Christ-followers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfil God’s injunction through Isaiah 58:6-14, which includes “Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them…” (Isaiah 58:7). Generously sharing God’s provision to us with those in need in wider society is a beacon of God’s light in a world grappling with darkness (Isaiah 55:1-3). Give us this day our daily bread is a communal prayer. I do not pray for myself and my family, I pray for my whole community. And so, it is also a call to action. “For those who are hungry, we pray for food, and for those who have food we pray for a hunger for justice” Adapted from the Bible and SDGShttps://wea-sc.org/en/biblesdgs

“The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.” Isaiah 24:5 Humans are generating way too much rubbish; it is filling our oceans and landfills. Only 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled. Even those items you put in a recycling bin – only about 50% end up being recycled. The amount is not dropping, it is growing, especially under COVID, plastic levels are soaring. Climate ChangeTrash that is dumped in landfills releases methane gas – a potent greenhouse gas. The burning of piles of trash creates carbon dioxide, and releases toxic gases – approximately 40 percent of the worlds trash is burned in this way. Health impactsBacteria, vermin and insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes. Plastic leaches into the soil and into our drinking water. It is estimated that each human being is ingesting plastic the weight of a bank card every week! Impact on WildlifeOne of the most oversized consequences of our global waste problem manifests itself in relation to our marine life and waterways. Simply put, it affects the people who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. They cannot distinguish between what is or isn’t food. They consume the trash, which results in death because the aquatic animal could not process it. This affects fish, seals, turtles, whales, and many other aquatic animals, as scientists have also found many plastic fragments in over a thousand species. Due to ingestion of trash or plastics, starvation is usually the next step because some species do not have high acidic levels in their stomach to break down the object that they ingested. So, what can we do?The first thing is to recognise that – it is not my rubbish – but it is my street, my community, my beach, my river. Everyone of us needs to be part of the solution and inspire others. In your street: Make a habit of taking a bag with you when you walk or jog and pick up litter that you see on the last part of your walk. Get the local kids together and have a clean up In your community: Can you put pressure on your municipality to provide a recycling service? Make sure you have the contacts of the cleaning department so that you report quickly when rubbish has not been collected (otherwise the dogs break the bags open). In your church: Adopt your local street, or park and have clean ups and plant trees/succulents to beautify the area. Organise a beach or river clean up with your youth or join in an existing one. Clean ups can be great fun!! Celebrate Plastic Free July! https://www.earthday.org/how-our-trash-impacts-the-environment/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/11/health/microplastics-ingestion-wwf-study-scn-intl/index.html #Lent2022 #fast4earth #carbonfast #pollution #litter #mylittlebitofgood

“The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.” Isaiah 24:5 Single use plastic bottles are everywhere! Each year around 22 billion water bottles are used, the majority end up on landfill and the ocean. For every six bottles that are bought, only one is recycled. Water bottles do not biodegrade, they break down into tiny microplastics. It can take up to 1000 years for a single bottle to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water along the way. Landfills are overflowing with discarded bottles. Plastic bottles are made from oil, and currently 6 percent of the global carbon emissions comes from plastic production. The production of bottled water uses 17 million barrels of oil a year. That’s slightly more than it would take to fill one million cars a year with fuel. If you fill a plastic water bottle so it is about 25% full, that’s about how much oil it took to make the bottle. It takes almost 2,000 times the energy to manufacture a bottle of water than it does to produce tap water. Out of everything we put in our recycle bins at home, approximately 50 percent of it is never recycled. 80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills. What can I do? Ditch the habit: Make sure you have enough reusable water bottles for each member of the family. Invest in a filter: If you do not have access to clean safe water considering putting a water filter on your tap. When you look at the savings you make from not buying bottled water over the year you can see if you can afford it. Raise awareness: Tell your friends and family about the impact bottled water is having on our environment. Encourage your workplace to ban plastic water bottles, and educate your children about the positive impact they have on the environment when they use reusable bottles. Recycle: When you do use a plastic bottle, make sure that you recycle it. When you see an empty, used water bottle sitting on the street or in a park, pick it up and recycle it. Use water fountains: Ask at work if they can install a water fountain. Change is coming! The good news is that at the UN Environmental Assembly a resolution was passed and agreed to by 175 countries that there will be a global, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. There are many details to work out before it will come into action, but it is exciting that the world has now recognised the problem. The details of the treaty will include putting a cap on the production of virgin plastic, banning of certain non-recyclable items and universal labelling on products. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-you-need-know-about-plastic-pollution-resolution.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3: 6  Watering of gardens takes a lot of water, which is often not sustainable. There is a lot that we can do to make a difference. Use Gray waterRather than using municipal water (which is usually purified drinking water!), reuse water as much as possible. It is easy to keep a bucket in the shower and to reuse that water on plants (rather not use on your green vegetables). Take out alien plants and shift to indigenous plants or succulentsAlien plants are usually very heavy on water, local indigenous plants are much more water wise, and they will flourish in your eco-system. Reduce your grass!Grass is very water intensive, so one of the best things that you can do is to reduce your lawn area. This will immediately reduce the amount of water that you need to use Give your plants the right amount of water.Some prefer consistent moisture; others are drought-tolerant. (Tip: Grouping plants with similar drinking habits together in a garden makes for more efficient watering.) And, when it comes time to water, there’s a proper way to do it: not too long (or you could create a boggy situation where fungus and rot can happen) and not too quickly (or you could encourage shallow roots that are vulnerable to drought conditions). Ideally, you should water deeply and at longer intervals in between so that the water reaches the longer roots. Make watering part of your morning routine.Be choosy about your watering schedule and give your plants a long drink early in the morning when sunlight is less strong, the ground is cooler, and the foliage has time to dry before dusk. Also morning is when it tends to be less windy. Aim for between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Oh, and avoid watering in the evening when the damp foliage can attract insects, fungus, and disease. Water at the correct height.When you water from too high, a big portion of the moisture is lost either to evaporation or to foliage blocking the water from reaching the soil. The best method is direct watering, in which you aim the water at the base of a plant (avoiding wetting the foliage, which invites fungus.) Use MulchMulch around your plants to prevent runoff and keep soil wet longer. You can make your own mulch from gathering twigs, leaves and other organic materials Use a watering can and not a hose.An open hose is notorious for wasting water. Rather use a watering can. https://www.gardenista.com/posts/water-wisely-tips-water-garden-plants-best-method/

“May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below” Deuteronomy 33:13 What is Groundwater?Groundwater is the hidden water under our feet. When many people think of a water source, they think of lakes, rivers and streams; in other words, surface water. However, of all the usable freshwater in the world, approximately 97 percent of it is ground water. It is very necessary for life. For instance, during the drought in Cape Town when the entire city was threatened with “Day Zero” when we would have to turn off our taps, schools, hospitals and private homes dug boreholes to access the groundwater. This enabled the city to make it push back Day Zero until the rains came. However, the danger is that if groundwater is removed in an unsustainable manner, then the water table drops and trees and plants will then begin to die. There is also a danger of using water resources that future generations will need desperately as rain reduces with climate change. Where is groundwater found?It is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand, and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers. Different types of rocks and dirt can contain different amounts of water. The saturation zone is the portion of the soil and rock that is saturated with water, while the unsaturated zone is the portion of the soil and rock that is not saturated. The top of the saturated zone is called the water table. When it rains, the water infiltrates the soil and percolates downwards until it reaches the water table. Some types of soils allow more water to infiltrate than others. Permeable surfaces, such as sand and gravel, allow up to 50 percent of precipitation to enter the soil. How can we protect out groundwater and aquifers?Remember that pollution will seep down into the groundwater, so we need to be careful where we throw oil or paint etc. The aquifers also need to recharge, so we need to protect our wetlands and make sure that we do not pave over open spaces. But rather use gravel.

“If anyone is thirsty let them come” John 7:37 Water is life Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Clean Water & Sanitation Cultures around the world view water with a sacred respect. It is known for its life giving and cleansing abilities. Little wonder then that Jesus promises to “give freely from the springs of the water of life” (Revelation 21:6) to all who are thirsty. In his gospel, John clarifies that the living water Jesus offers refers to the Spirit of God (John 7:39), but the association with physical water should not be dismissed. Without clean water there can be no life (Exodus 17:3). The free provision of abundant water is a sign of the shalom goodness of the reign of God (Deuteronomy 8:7, Psalm 65:9, Isaiah 55:1, Ezekiel 47:9, Revelation 22:1-2). Access to clean water is an inalienable right under God for all humans (Matthew 5:45), it should not be denied, and it should not be commoditized and sold unjustly. Similarly, the provision of hygienic disposal of waste. It is for good reason that unholy sites in Scripture were used as places to discard waste (e.g. 2 Kings 10:27). Gehenna (the valley of Hinnom) outside of Jerusalem was one such place (often translated “hell” as in Matthew 5:22,29-30 and 10:28). Once the site of perpetual child sacrifice by burning, the valley became the rubbish dump of the city, synonymous with the destiny of the wicked. “Cleanliness is next to godliness” (John Wesley) is a well-known saying, but the idea is associated with the purification rites of many religions, Biblical religious observance among them. We should not take modern sanitation conveniences for granted but work to make cleanliness possible for all. What You Can Do? Count how many times you used water during the day (whether it is to brush your teeth, wash the dishes, wash your hands, flush the toilet or even to drink). Share that number on social media and based on your number make a post about how important water is in our daily lives. From “The Bible and Sustainable Development Goals”https://wea-sc.org/en/biblesdgs