Fast for the Earth 2024

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Today’s challenge is to commit to recycling both at home and at work. 1. Be the change you want to see! Many of us have had a bad experience with recycling leaving us to think that recycling is hard, a mission or time consuming. If in place of one rubbish bin you have two, all it boils down to is shifting your focus to awareness and tossing that coke can in this bin over that. 2. Keep ’em separated Find a spot in your kitchen for one large bin. It can even be where your old ‘all in one’ bin used to stand. We suggest making this your primary mixed recycling bin. Most recycling services separate the glass, cans, plastic and paper on site so collecting them integrated in one bag is often A-okay. If  you plan on taking it down to a depot near you, you’ll find people working there willing to help you sort it. If you have the space, by all means create a dedicated crate for glass, a bin for paper, one for cans and one for plastics. They’ll take longer to fill up though before you can dispose of them, which is why many opt for the all in one option. That being said, it’s a great way to teach your kids about recycling Now all you need is a plastic shopping bag for your meat scraps and non recyclable materials like cling wrap (which if you’re conscientious about it, you can keep to a minimum when you buy veggies). 3. Rinse it Think of the folks who take on the job of sorting all the recycling. A can of tuna becomes rather unpleasant after a long hot journey in the sun. Give it a quick rinse when you’re done with it and no food scraps are left to stink up your kitchen either. Same goes for the polystyrene that housed your rib-eye steak and that yoghurt container. 4. Composting! Your compostable food scraps should make their way into a container with a tightly sealed lid. You’re paying for the whole fruit or vegetable, so you may as well make all of it work for you. Churning the kitchen scraps back into your garden not only provides great nutrients for your plants but also saves space in landfills. And if you’re thinking that the banana skin will decompose in the landfill, remember that it probably ends up in plastic with the rest of your rubbish. . In your garden however it makes for some great plant love. From Yuppiechef:  https://www.yuppiechef.com/spatula/how-to-recycle-at-home-in-5-easy-steps/#:~:text=Keep%20’em%20separated,bag%20is%20often%20A%2Dokay.

This weeks motivation comes from SEEDS as they help colaborate and work with people to create a circular economy. Repurposing waste and creating an income for others.  What motivation do you get from this video?

You defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination  Jeremiah 2:7 What examples do you see in your context of this environmental abomination? What is the translation of abomination in your mother tongue? What other words come to mind when you say ‘abomination’? What heritage are we leaving for the next generation? What actions is God calling you to do for the sake of the generations to come?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” . Matthew 7:12 Seek to understand the challenges of waste in your locally area and globally. The story of waste is often a tale of two cities – suburban areas with regular pick ups, even curb side recycling services and peri-urban areas with illegal dumping, plastic being burnt creating toxic fumes, because there is inadequate waste pick ups. Globally we’re facing mountains of plastic pollution. 2 billion people have no safe way to dispose of rubbish, and it’s people in poverty who are suffering the worst impacts of this rubbish problem. They are forced to live and work among piles of waste, which is making them sick, releasing toxic fumes, flooding communities and causing up to a million deaths each year. Burning the waste will release toxic fumes that you and your family will inhale. Burning also releases carbon emissions, contributing to climate change and pollution of the environment. Some of the waste will end up clogging drains, rivers and streams in your community, making flooding worse and damaging homes and infrastructure. Waste also affects livelihoods as it depletes fish stock, creates hazards for livestock, and hinders tourism. And gathered waste will attract pests that carry diseases. The diseases caused by mismanaged waste are resulting in the death of up to a million people each year: that’s one person dying every 30 seconds.  Crucially, those who are dying are most likely to be people living in poverty. This too is a broken system. (Tearfund Rubbish Campaign) Watch this Tearfund short video clip https://vimeo.com/791870301 Do some research today and find out more There are resources for church talks and children  on this great Tearfund site https://www.tearfund.org/campaigns/rubbish-campaign/rubbish-campaign-resources