Fast for the Earth 2022

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed” Proverbs 31: 8 Many of the actions for this Fast for the Earth are around our individual actions. But it is also important that we use our power as a consumer and a citizen to push for change higher up the ladder.  One of the greatest challenges that we face is that, even though the science tells us that we can no longer afford as a global community to use the gas and oil reserves that we already have, fossil fuel companies continue to prospect for more oil and gas. The impacts are huge – the pattern is the same wherever you look. Generally rural people do not have documentation showing that they own the land, so they are forced off the land. This might be when a governor or chief is given a bribe or incentives (eg bursaries). Then the drilling starts, leading to environmental damage, pollution of water etc. But this often happens far from the capital city, so politicians, with their eye on the big bucks, and often greased with back handers, turn a blind eye. Civil society begins to protest, the media gets sued or slapped with court cases. Environmental legislation is sidestepped or fast tracked. In our African context the rate of fossil fuel explorations in increasing. We are faced with the Canadian Company Recon Africa who are drilling in the Kavango region, pushing people off their land, polluting water sources and threatening the World Heritage site of the Okavango and a migration route for endangered elephants. Read more at : https://savetheokavango.com/ In Northern Mozambique, oil companies such as Total have pushed local people off the land, created jobs for people from the capital city thousands of km away, as well as foreigners. So, the young people became frustrated and joined the Al Shabab, and started a wave of terror attacks, even beheading people. There are now 750,000 displaced people. https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/gas-fields-and-jihad-mozambiques-cabo-delgado-becomes-a-resource-rich-war-zone/ In Tanzania and Uganda they are planning a 1400 km East African Crude Oil pipeline which will run through the basin of Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria, which more than 40 million people depend on for water and food production. It will cross more than 200 rivers and run through thousands of farms and multiple game parks. Just one spill or leak could have absolutely catastrophic effects on these vital freshwater sources and the millions of people that depend on them. Read more at : https://www.stopeacop.net/ So what can I as an individual do?There is lots Firstly, consider your bank, who are they investing in? If they are investing in new fossil fuel developments write to them, say you will change your bank Secondly – divest your money. Have a meeting with your financial advisor tell them you do not want to make a profit from destroying the planet Thirdly – get your church or Diocese to divest from fossil fuels Fourthly – use your social media to raise awareness about these issues

You young people should enjoy yourselves while you’re young. You should let your hearts make you happy when you’re young. Ecclesiastes 11:9 It has become the norm that we live on our electronic gadgets, we often see people sitting together at a table or next to each other on a bench and both are lost in their separate phone conversations. This is known as ‘phubbing’ (snubbing another person in favour of our mobile phones). Phubbing affects our relationship with friends and loved ones. When someone’s eyes wander we feel unheard, disrespected, unloved. This can lead to a loss of sense of worth and depression. Just having a phone out and present during a conversation (say, on the table between you) interferes with your sense of connection to the other person, the feelings of closeness experienced, and the quality of the conversation. Conversations with no smartphones present are rated as significantly higher-quality than those with smartphones around. When we are on our phones, we are not looking at other people and not reading their facial expressions (tears in their eyes or smiles). We don’t hear their tone of voice (anxious or afraid?) or notice their body posture (sad or excited and enthusiastic?). Why do people get into the phubbing habit in the first place? Not surprisingly, fear of missing out and lack of self-control lead to phubbing. However, it is also a sign of addiction—to social media, to the cell phone, and to the Internet. Internet addiction has similar brain correlates to physiological forms like addiction to heroine and other recreational drugs. Perhaps even worse than disconnecting from others, however, Internet addiction and phubbing disconnect us from ourselves. Plunged into a virtual world, we hunch over a screen, strain our eyes unnecessarily, and tune out completely from our own needs—for sleep, exercise, even food. A disturbing study indicates that for every minute we spend online for leisure, we’re not just compromising our relationships, we are also losing precious self-care time (e.g., sleep, household activities) and productivity. So, the next time you’re with another human and you feel tempted to pull out your phone—stop. Put it away. Look them in the eyes, and listen to what they have to say. Do it for them, do it for yourself, do it to make the world a better place. Use this Lent to take a fast from electronic gadgets and to have fun with your friends. Organise a games night instead of a movie night. Challenge your friends to turn off their cell phones and be present with the company. Borrow a set of 30 seconds or a game of monopoly and get some snacks. Afterwards reflect with your friends how it felt like not to be on the electronics. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_is_your_phone_doing_to_your_relationships#:~:text=A%20set%20of%20studies%20actually,the%20quality%20of%20the%20conversation.

They planted a pine and the rain made it grow. It serves as fuel for people. They take some of it and warms themselves, also they kindle a fire and bake bread. Isaiah 44:14-15 How can we reduce our carbon emissions with our household gadgets? Water heater/geyserThis is one of the largest uses of electricity in the home. There are several things we can do to reduce electricity use: A short shower instead of bathing. The less hot water you use the less energy you need (double saving as your water bill will be less). Install a timer so that you only heat up water just before you need it Turn off the geyser completely when you go away. Put on a blanket for insulation Turn down the temperature on the water heater. Washing machine 1.Run a full load. But don’t over fill as the clothes need to move around else they wont get cleaned properly Use cold water – imagine how much you save by washing at 60°C (instead of 90°C) Use the soak facility rather than pre-wash. Soak facility gets rid of those stubborn dirts without using any electricity! Air dry your clothes or use a rack. Tumble dryers use a huge amount of electricity Iron a big batch of clothes in one time. Don’t switch on iron just to do a shirt – do a whole load in one go Use boiled water in your iron – this will reduce build-up of sediment and keep your iron efficient. Heating /airconGet used to just being a little warmer or cooler – put on sweaters instead of turning up the heat immediately.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.  Ecclesiastes 4:9 If you look at the traffic you will see that majority of cars have one person driving. This is unsustainable, as it uses a lot of fuel and clogs our roads with traffic. We are very used to the convenience of driving our own car, but for today take the challenge to lift club, or take public transport. Yes, you may have to go out of your way to drop someone, or they may make you wait if they are not ready. But take it as your gift to the planet! What are the carbon emissions of various types of transport? It depends on the source of fuel – for instance, is a train diesel or electric and how full the bus or train is. Generally, buses score better than trains (though modern fuel-efficient trains such as Eurostar are better than buses). We can reduce the impacts of driving; a key question is the type of car you drive. When next you purchase a car, make that the first question – which is the most fuel-efficient car? You will save a lot of money on fuel in the years ahead. Car sharing and lift clubs can reduce your carbon emissions by a quarter if you travel with four people. This is a great way to save money and build up friendships with people who work and live in the same area as you. Hybrid cars and Electric vehicles can cut your fuel costs hugely, but they are an expensive buy up front. Eco-drivingOptimal driving techniques can also help you cut emissions and save money in a petrol-powered car. Hard acceleration and braking can waste fuel and lower your mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). For every 5 miles (8kms) per hour you drive over 60 miles (96kms) per hour, fuel economy is lowered by 7 percent, so go easy on the brakes and gas pedal. You can also lower impacts by reducing time spent idling and using overdrive and cruise control. And because a properly maintained vehicle can improve your gas mileage and fuel economy by 4 percent, remember to have your vehicle tuned up, tires inflated, and oil and air filter cleaned out regularly. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49349566

The girls who were wise answered, “There’s not enough oil for all of us! Matthew 25:9 Commit to switching off devices One of the quickest ways to reduce your carbon emissions and your electricity bill is to turn off all devices. Did you know that 10-15% of the electricity consumed at home is used by appliances in standby mode? (TV, radio, computers, microwaves, dishwasher…) If not in use, switch off the electronics in your house, by unplugging them or by turning off at the wall. You will make some good savings! Easy! It is all about changing our habits. We need to get into the habit of turning off lights as we move from one room to another. For outdoor security lights, a motion sensor can lead to very large savings, as your light will just be on for a moment or two for a passing cat or dodgy character, instead of staying on all night long. Which is better between LED bulbs or regular (incandescent) bulbs? LED bulbs are initially more expensive to buy but do not waste energy. No heat is emitted, whereas a classic lightbulb will release 90% of its energy as heat. An LED bulb will also last between 12 and 25 times more than a classic incandescent bulb. The price of the bulb is quickly compensated by the savings you can make in electricity. In a year a regular bulb will cost you 7 times more in electricity and then you will have to replace them much more frequently. Because the LED bulb requires less energy and has a longer life span, it generates much less CO2 emissions! An LED bulb will generate in average 28kg CO2 per year, whereas a classic lightbulb will generate 172kg! Why not switch your bulbs to LED bulbs? It might be a bit more expensive to buy, but the electricity savings will make it worth, and the environment will say thank you! LED vs. Incandescent

“You will receive power!” Acts 1:8 Hydrogen is the buzz word right now. How is it made and what are the environmental impacts? It’s complicated! From school you will remember that the symbol for Hydrogen is the letter H. The beauty of hydrogen is that when it burns it combines to make H2O, which is water, rather than CO2 which comes from burning fossil fuels.  The big challenge however of hydrogen is how it is produced. It is rarely found as a gas so needs to be separated from other elements. It requires a vast amount of energy, and the question is – where does that energy come from? The different methods that lead to hydrogen begin with the names of different colours. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in cars (Fuel cell electric vehicles). The fuel cell takes chemical energy, in the form of hydrogen, and turns it into electricity that can power an electric motor, just like a battery. The advantage over electric cars is that they can be charged in minutes. Green Hydrogen Green hydrogen is the only variety produced in a climate neutral manner which means it could be vitally important in our goals of reducing carbon emissions. It is produced by using solar energy or wind energy. Water is split into two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom through a process called electrolysis. Renewables cannot always generate energy at all hours of the day and green hydrogen production could help use the excess generated during peak cycles. It currently makes up about 0.1% of overall hydrogen production, but this is expected to rise as the cost of renewable energy continues to fall. Many sectors also now see green hydrogen as the best way of harmonizing the intermittency of renewables – storing excess energy at times of low demand to be fed back into the grid when demand rises – while decarbonizing the chemical, industrial and transportation sectors. Black, brown and grey hydrogen Grey Hydrogen is hydrogen produced using fossil fuels such as natural gas. Methane from natural gas is heated, with steam, usually with a catalyst, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used in organic synthesis and as a fuel. Unfortunately, this accounts from roughly 95% of the hydrogen produced in the world today. Even worse than grey hydrogen are black and brown hydrogen. They use black (bituminous) coal or brown (lignite) coal in the process. Emissions of CO2 and carbon monoxide are produced. Blue hydrogen Blue hydrogen is also produced from fossil fuels, but the carbon emissions are captured and stored underground through industrial carbon capture and storage (CSS). Although it is called “carbon neutral’, this is not true as about 10-20 percent of the generated carbon cannot be captured. Currently, clean ‘green’ hydrogen isn’t scaling fast enough to deliver on its potential, in part due to challenges like COVID-19 and lower fossil fuel and CO2 prices. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/clean-energy-green-hydrogen/