Fast for the Earth 2022

“some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” Psalm 20:7 Today we will be looking at the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) affordable and clean energy. Aside from the physical energy available from most human bodies, the earliest forms of energy available to humanity were fire, flowing water, wind and domesticated animals. Harnessing these forms of energy enabled humanity to develop, create and construct. The earliest Biblical record of the use of fire was to make bricks to construct the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:3). This is a prime example of the potential for the use of energy to be corrupted and applied to something contrary to God’s right ways. As time progressed, humans found increasingly inventive ways to harness energy and to (now) store it—for the good of all but also for the oppression of others. Creating energy for the convenience of the masses has come at a terrible cost to God’s good creation. Carbon emissions are one example. Wrongly applied nuclear energy can also have terrifying consequences on creation and its inhabitants. Even ‘renewable energy’ comes at a cost. The batteries for electric cars can be problematic as the minerals used such as lithium may be mined in ways that are damaging to the environment and abusive of workers. Clean energy such as hydro energy often comes from the construction of massive dams, which are built by evicting communities and destroying biodiversity.All humans have a responsibility to care for the domains that we inhabit as a gift from God. That means we must balance our use of energy from the material world with care for the material world (Genesis 1:26-30). Furthermore, good stewardship of the gifts of God extend to ensuring that everyone benefits from those gifts equitably (Psalm 115:16), so Jesus-followers not only need to be concerned about how we create and use energy but also how we ensure it is available for the good use of all. The most effective thing that Christians can do is to reduce our electricity use, by turning down our air con or heating, and wearing an extra layer of clothingFor domestic users, heating water is a high percentage of the energy bill and installing a solar water heater can pay itself off in as little as three months. Adapted from The Bible and the Sustainable Development Goalshttps://wea-sc.org/en/biblesdgs

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11 The reality of modern life is that we have many more clothes than previous generations. According to data published by the World Resources Institute, the average consumer purchased 60% more clothing in 2014 than they did in 2000, yet they kept each garment half as long. This trend is partly driven by the young generation’s hunger for newness, while embracing sustainability. For example, a survey done in Britain found that one in three young women consider clothes “old” after wearing them once or twice. One in seven consider it a fashion faux-pas to be photographed in an outfit twice. It is so easy now to buy cheap clothing online, or in bargain sales. So, this leads to impulse shopping. Not only is impulse shopping a huge waste of money; it’s also terrible for the environment. It requires an enormous amount of energy to produce clothing. Think about a simple cotton t-shirt: the cotton must be planted, fertilized, watered, and harvested by heavy, diesel-powered farm machines. It must then be cleaned and shipped to another location, often thousands of miles away. Finally, it’s spun into cloth, dyed, and formed by workers who work in appalling conditions and typically earn less than $2 per day. What is the best way to give away clothes?Firstly, start with your children’s clothes. Children easily become frustrated trying to put their clothes away into drawers that are already full of clothing they have outgrown. Young families would love to be given those clothes which are often in good condition. With your own clothes, start by sorting your clothing into three piles: clothes you love and wear all the time, clothes you definitely don’t love and don’t wear, and the in-betweens. These might be expensive pieces you can’t bear to get rid of, clothes that don’t fit or that you’re not sure about, or gifts you can’t part with yet. Leave the clothes you love in place. Bag up all the clothing you don’t wear and set it aside for donation. Take all the in-betweens to another closet and hang them up. Once you haven’t visited your “in-between” closet for several months, donate or sell those clothes.  Please remember to maintain the dignity of the person you are giving to. Old underwear or clothes with horrible stains under the armpits, or unwashed clothes is not the way to give with love. Wash the clothes and tear up the stained ones to be used for rags for cleaning.

But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice. Luke 18:4-5 Sometimes we feel like we are powerless to bring about change, but because we are consumers, we do have a lot of power.  Start with your local supermarket and get a few other neighbours involved. What products do you want to see in the shop that are not there (eg. a plastic free aisle, ‘naked’ veggies, alternatives to plastic bags/no plastic bags). Then ask to speak to the manager and explain why this is important to you. Follow up with letters and emails, you can let them know that you are willing to take your shopping and fellow customers elsewhere if you don’t see change. Then look at the companies who are producing certain products. Why is their packaging non-recyclable? Use social media to name and shame, you can post a complaint on Facebook or Twitter and tag the company. Especially if you see a container or bag lying by the river or beach, you can take a photo, post to your social media, and tag the company that produces it. Tearfund have got a great campaign challenging some of the worst offenders such as Coca Cola called the Rubbish Campaign, check them out here: https://www.tearfund.org/get-involved/resources?Campaign=Rubbish%20Campaign We can all make a difference!A five year old called Ava was so upset when she heard about turtles being hurt when straws went up their noses that she wrote to pizza hut express and asked them to stop selling straws that hurt animals. They were so touched that they decided to stop using plastic straws… If Ava can do it. so can we! https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/five-year-old-girl-writes-1127696

The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24: 5 Packing-related materials make up more than 30 percent of landfill waste—or around 75 million tons each year. (Of that, nearly two-thirds is food packaging.) Globally, consumer goods generate around 207 million tons of packaging waste annually. During COVID its seems like we are sinking in a sea of plastic. Everything is wrapped and double wrapped in plastic for hygienic purposes. Unfortunately, this has become the new normal. The only way that this is going to change is for us as the consumer to keep asking and pushing for change – at least to return to the pre COVID practices! Here are a few practical tips: When you go grocery shopping, take a box with you – the veggies and fruit can go straight into the box and be weighed ‘naked’ rather than being put into thin plastic. Purchase larger size items if possible – then the amount of packaging per litre or kilo will be less. The more things you cook at home, the less packaging you use – for instance bake treats with your kids for their lunchbox and avoid all that packaging, as well as having quality time together Go for glass rather than plastic whenever possible, for instance if you buy peanut butter or a coke. Recycle at home and at work. If there is no recycling at work, do some research and come with a plan to management of where the boxes would be, and how the recycled waste would be picked up. https://greatist.com/live/reduced-packaging-how-to-reduce-waste-in-your-daily-life#1

“Which of you parents, if your child asks for a fish, will give them a snake instead? Or if they asks for an egg, will give them a scorpion?” Luke 11: 11 We often buy many little gifts for our children, from the bargain store or we pick up a little ‘something’ when we are away. We are trying to show our children that we love them. Often these are made of plastic and break within a few days or even hours. Health impacts of plastic toys on children Twenty five percent of plastic toys contain toxic chemicals. Since most plastic toys are not labelled with the chemicals they contain, parents do not know whether an item is harmful. Chemical additives are used in plastic toys and other plastic products to provide specific levels of hardness or elasticity. While the full effect of plastic chemicals on the body is unknown, they are linked to cancer and infertility. Infants and young children are considered particularly sensitive to chemical exposure due to their rapid metabolic rate, high surface-area-to-body-weight ratio, and fast growth of organs and tissues. Softer plastic toys are more likely to be harmful Production of wasteWe have also seen broken toys lying in the piles of rubbish. The challenge is that toys are very difficult to recycle. So almost all toys that have been made are still out there, gradually breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces, killing marine life and with toxic chemicals leaking into the soil. Mini consumersBy constantly buying items that break and are thrown away we are teaching our children to be mini consumers that do not treat material goods as precious and valuable. Show your loveOften what children are wanting is special time with a parent. So why not gift them an experience (print it out to make it exciting). A lunch picnic with yummy goodies, a visit to the swimming pool, a movie outing. If you want to bring little gifts from a trip away, go for fun art supplies or edible goodies, and for more serious toys, look for wooden toys, dressing up clothes or a gardening kit. If you get stuck post the question on your community Facebook page and you will get loads of ideas!https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2020/11/27/plasticized-childhood-plastics-impact-children/ Referenceshttps://sdg.iisd.org/news/harmful-chemicals-found-in-25-of-childrens-toys-unep-study-finds/

God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1 :31 Everything that God created was good. But sadly, humans have become clever at creating products that speed up our lives but are also bad for the environment and for our health. Certain types of plastics are easily recycled and offer the possibility of being part of a circular economy – there is still a long way to go of course – but the possibility is there. However, other types of plastic, single use plastic, thin plastic straws, Styrofoam, plastic cutlery etc are almost impossible to recycle and cause enormous damage to the environment, marine life, and human health Styrofoam/polystyreneThe World Health Organisation considers Styrofoam a possible human carcinogen (cause of cancer) , with one particular risk when people reheat food in the microwave, the toxins can leach into the food. It is particularly risky for young children. It is extremely difficult to recycle – firstly since it is foamed by gasses being pumped in, the volume per kilo makes it uneconomic to store and recycle. Usually it is used for food, and is not clean enough to recycle. Only 1.3 percent of total polystyrene was recycled in the USA in 2015. Often used in large amounts in disposable packaging (e.g. electronic goods) it creates a huge amount of pollution on land and waterways. It slowly degrades into carcinogenic molecules. Tiny particles of Styrofoam are mistaken by birds and turtles for food (they look very like fish eggs), their stomachs fil up and they die of malnutrition. If Styrofoam is burned for disposal, it releases poisonous gases. We need to find alternatives such as compostable or paper plates, or better still, go back to washing dishes!! Plastic cutlery Maybe you think, “It’s just one fork,” but multiplied by millions upon millions, those plastic utensils are terrible for the environment. Some estimates put the number of individual plastic utensils wasted at 40 billion per year in the United States alone – imagine what the figure is globally! After just one single use, most of them are thrown out and end up in landfills and in our waterways. Plastic cutlery is one of those items that won’t get recycled even when you put it in the recycling. It’s too contaminated. It’s too small. It’s too lightweight. So those 40 billion plastic utensils per year are a complete waste. Say no to plastic cutlery – if you buy food, or order it, indicate that you do not want the cutlery!!