Fast for the Earth 2024

SAVE THE CHILDREN

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children Matthew 7:11 Snacks for school are a challenge, life is very busy and we are looking for something to pop in that lunch box. School snacks are often highly processed and with lots of thin plastic that is unlikely to be get recycled even if we put it in the recycling bin! Think – crisp/chips in plastic wrappers, juices in cartons with plastic straw, wrapped in plastic Firstly get your kids involved, help them to understand why you are trying to reduce plastic and make it a fun challenge for them! What can we do ? Piece of fruit that can be peeled or eaten with the skin on – think banana, apple, pear , tangerine Veggies in strips like cucumber or carrot sticks, Cheese cubes. Buy little metal bottles and put the fruit juice or water with cucumber or lemon in it in the bottle. Wrap your sandwich in waxed paper or in a cloth napkin in the lunchbox. Buy in bulk things like nuts or dried fruit  and put into smaller re-usable  containers Get the kids involved in baking snacks like crunchies  or making popcorn instead of a packet of crisps. Get granny involved in helping bake lunchtime snacks! Start small! Have a plastic free day once a week – make it a fun challenge and then build up . Speak to the teacher, challenge your class to have a plastic free snack day and they can share their home baking with each other

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LEAVE NO WASTE BEHIND

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. Archbishop Tutu One of the key things we can do is to aim to leave the world  a better place than we found it. This means to have an awareness of litter. So when you  go on an outing, or take a walk to the shop, or go for a jog, have a bag with you and aim to pick up a few pieces. There are lots of catchy ideas that can help to make it fun and you can get the kids also involved The Pick up 5! We have five fingers so everytime you are on the way home, pick up five pieces of litter and put a photo on social media. What about dirty hands? Well you can use the bag turned inside out to pick up the litter The Five Rs! The Diocese of Harare in Zimbabwe had a saying of 5 Rs – refuse, reduce, reuse recycle and rejoice! They encouraged parisioners to take a bag to work or school every Friday and fill it up on the way home Plogging! Plogging comes from the Swedish word ‘Plogga” Stockholm Sweden became the first city to host an organized “Plogga” in 2016. This event combined a jog, jogga in Swedish, with picking up litter, plocka up. Plogga is an association and popular movement where the activity itself is about picking up rubbish while jogging. It is also just as easy to walk, skateboard, cycle, swim or other. Plogging is a change of attitude and ploggers are proud garbage collectors who do something for our environment and health before it is too late. Since then, over 3 million people have participated in organized or solo ploggas. Every day, approximately 20,000 people plog in over 100 countries. https://www.plogging.org/ lets do good and feel good!

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OCEAN V PLASTIC

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. Psalm 104: 25 God created the oceans to teem with life and they are awesome and contain so many incredible creatures – but due to human activity marine life is under tremendous threat from plastic. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Plastic is the most abundant type of litter in the ocean, making up 80% of all marine debris. Hundreds of marine species are impacting getting suffocated and entangled in plastic. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fish and turtles mistake plastic waste for food; they die of starvation as their stomachs become filled with plastic. The main sources of plastic debris  in the ocean are land-based, coming from urban and stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, littering, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, tyre abrasion, construction and illegal dumping. Ocean-based plastic pollution comes mostly  from the fishing industry and  aquaculture Under the influence of solar UV radiation, wind and  plastic breaks down into small particles called microplastics which makes them easy for marine life to ingest accidentally. Here is a video so you can see the impact of microplastics in the ocean https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution

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MOTIVATION MONDAY – MUMBAI BEACH

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds: Hebrews 10:24-25 So today is Motivation Monday and we have a really inspiring story about a man in India who saw an absolutely filthy beach and decided to do something about it. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead What is inspiring in this video is that he wasn’t overwhelmed by despair, he took action. And his actions inspired many other people to join in. As you watch this video, think of places that you might despair of , they are just so filthy and take courage. Start with small actions, inspire others and change will come! After you have watched the video please do share on your social media with others

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BREAKING THE LAWS

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

BIBLE STUDY The earth is also defiled by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes and broke the everlasting covenant: Isaiah 24:5 BIBLE STUDY Please take part in this Bible study as a personal reflection or with others, and share your thoughts on the Facebook Group! Question One:Read the verse in these different translations, which words jump out at you and what difference to you see? New Living TranslationThe earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24: 5 New Revised Standard Version The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. The Message Earth is polluted by its very own people, who have broken its laws, disrupted its order,  violated the sacred and eternal covenant. (The Message) Question two: What do you understand by “the people of the Earth?”  how does this challenge us to see our relationship with the Earth? Question three: Which laws and instructions have we as humans violated and twisted? Question four: How does this verse inspire you to act?

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ADAM AND EVE – NAKED VEGGIES

Fast for the Earth 2024 / /

There was no plastic in the garden of Eden! But now it is extremely difficult to find a naked cucumber or a green pepper that is not covered in plastic. This is damaging our planet and our health. We already know that microplastics are entering our food system so having veggies and food touching plastic sometimes in the heat is not good for our health Stopping food waste? The argument that the plastic producers use is that covering veggies in plastic is to save food waste. However the reality is that putting food in packaging forces you to buy more than you need which leads to more waste , both of the food and the plastic packaging – you end up buying a kilo of tomatoes when you only need 300 g. for example So our challenge today is – ask for naked veggies in your local supermarket. Most supermarkets have at least a few – apples etc that you can buy by weight. Ask to speak to the manager and ask if they can please extend the naked veggie section. If you have a community whatsapp group or facebook page, encourage others to do the same. Once the supermarket manager starts getting multiple requests they will quickly change – especially if you hint you will shop elsewhere in a shop with less plastic!! How to keep veggies for longerAnd while we are on the subject – how can we keep our fruit and veggies for longer before they go off?  Here are some tips from food24.com! Starting with : Take fruit and veggies out of the plastic packaging (they sweat!) In a cool, dry place: In the fridge: https://www.food24.com/throw-that-plastic-packaging-away-how-to-store-fruit-vegetables-and-herbs-properly/ https://www.foodbeverageinsider.com/sustainability/study-shows-single-use-plastic-packaging-increases-food-waste

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