Fast for the Earth 2025

 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” – Daniel 1:12 Why a Plant-Based Diet is Good for You and the Planet Thinking about going plant-based? Whether it’s for a meal, a day, or a lifetime, eating more plants has huge benefits—not just for your health but also for the environment. Better for Your Health A plant-based diet is packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that keep your body strong. It can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains fuels your body with clean energy, improves digestion, and can even give you clearer skin! Plus, plant-based diets have been linked to a longer life—who wouldn’t want that? Saves the Planet Animal farming is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, deforestation, and water pollution. Producing meat and dairy requires huge amounts of land, water, and energy, while also releasing greenhouse gases like methane. By choosing more plant-based meals, you reduce your carbon footprint, save water, and help protect forests and wildlife. Less Waste, More Impact A plant-based diet can also help fight food waste. It takes way more resources to produce animal-based foods than it does to grow plants. For example, it takes 1,800 litres of water to produce just one kg of beef! Imagine how much water we could save by eating more plant-based meals. Small Changes, Big Difference Every plant-based meal makes a difference. Try Meatless Mondays, swap dairy for plant-based milk, or load up your plate with veggies. Your body (and the planet) will thank you! Are you ready to take the first step? Rev Charlotte Brown, is the deacon at St Thomas Church Rondebosch in the Diocese of Cape Town. Here she is enjoying a veggie burger meal. Charlotte identifies as a vegetarian.  Below is one of her favourite meals to make for her family. Penne with smoked trout .. Or tinned tuna ( almost as nice ) 4 large leeks 250 mascarpone cheese Zest and juice of one lemon 200g smoked trout, sliced Or 2 x tins drained tuna Rocket Penne Cut the leeks into R5 rounds and sauté in oil until soft. Add lemon zest then juice S&P. Stir wellAdd mascarpone and blend into the leeks etc.Remove from heat and add trout / tuna and stir. Spoon onto cooked penne and garnish with rocket.

What Is a Carbon Footprint? A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO₂), that a person, product, or activity releases into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, leading to climate change. Almost everything we do—driving a car, using electricity, eating food, or even buying clothes—adds to our carbon footprint. For example, when you eat a burger, carbon is released from raising the cows, transporting the meat, and cooking it. The same goes for using a smartphone, which requires energy to make, charge, and use. Even streaming videos online has a footprint because it requires massive data centers running on electricity. Plastic has a big carbon footprint because it’s made from fossil fuels like oil and gas. Making just 1 kg of plastic releases 2.5 to 6 kg of CO₂. Transporting, using, and throwing it away adds even more pollution. Reducing plastic use helps protect the planet from climate change!Reducing your carbon footprint means making choices that create less pollution, like walking instead of driving, eating less meat, recycling, and using renewable energy. Every small change helps slow down climate change. Your choices today can make a big impact on the future of our planet! If you would like to measure your carbon footprint there are some great sites to do so. We like the one from WWF Australia – check it out!https://wwf.org.au/get-involved/ecological-footprint-calculatorhttps://wwf.org.au/get-involved/ecological-footprint-calculator Here is another good one from the Nature Conservancyhttps://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator Think about what changes you would like to make in your life and share your pledge with us on Saturday! The Church of the Holy Spirit, Hazendal held an eco-audit – to measure their use of electricity and water. They mended leaks and changed their light bulbs