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Meat Free Monday Use non-toxic products, like natural fibres and home remedy cleaners Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7) Many popular household cleaners are dangerously toxic. The majority of indoor air pollution comes from cleaning products. Long term effects can include. The respiratory diseases, heart disease, and even cancer Non-toxic homemade cleaning products aren’t only better for us; they can also help save us money and protect the environment. Here are some suggestions! Bathroom Toilets For a heavy-duty toilet scrub that deodorizes while it cleans, pour ½ cup of baking soda and about 10 drops of tea tree essential oil into the toilet. Add ¼ cup of vinegar to the bowl and scrub away while the mixture fizzes. Bath and Shower To get rid of mildew, spray pure white vinegar , let it sit for at least 30 minutes, and then rinse with warm water with a sponge. Disinfectant: Skip the bleach and make a homemade germ-killer instead. Just mix 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap, and 20-30 drops of tea tree oil. Voila! Kitchen Countertops: For a simple, all-purpose counter cleaner, mix together equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. If your countertop is made from marble, granite, or stone, skip the vinegar (its acidity is no good for these surfaces) and use rubbing alcohol or the wondrous power of vodka instead. Cutting Boards: All that’s needed to clean and sanitize cutting boards (wood or plastic) is… a lemon! Cut it in half, run it over the surfaces, let sit for ten minutes, and then rinse away. If you need some serious scrubbing power, sprinkle some coarse salt over the board, and then rub with ½ a lemon. Oven: To clean caked on food, heat the oven to 125 degrees. Once the oven is warm, spray the caked-on stuff with vinegar and then pour salt directly onto the affected areas. Turn off the oven, let it cool, and then use a wet towel to scrub away at the mess. Microwave: Pour some vinegar into a small cup and mix in a little lemon juice. Put the cup in the microwave, let the microwave run for 2 minutes, and leave the door closed for several more minutes. Open the door and wipe down the sides with a warm cloth — no scrubbing required! Sink Drain: To unclog a stuffed-up drain, boil 2 cups of water. Pour ½ cup of baking soda into the drain, and then add the water while it’s still hot. If that doesn’t do the trick, follow the baking soda with ½ cup of vinegar, cover it up tightly (a pot lid should work ), wait until the fizzing slows down and then add a litre of boiling water. Pan De-Greaser: To cut through the grime on frying pans, simply apply some salt (no water necessary) and scrub vigorously. Refrigerator Cleaner: . Add about ½ cup of the baking soda to a bucket of hot water. Dip a clean rag in the mixture and use it to wipe down the fridge’s insides. Floors: For a tile cleaner , simply combine one part white vinegar with two parts warm water in a bucket. Use a mop or rag to scrub down the floors with the solution. No need to rinse off! (not recommended for wood floors). Walls:To scrub down walls, mix ¼ cup white vinegar with 1 quart warm water, then use a rag to scrub those walls down. To remove black marks, simply scrub at the spot with a little bit of baking soda. Windows and Mirrors: For an all-purpose window cleaner, combine 1 part white vinegar with 4 parts water (with some lemon juice for smell), then use a sponge or rag to scrub away. Furniture Polish :Combine ¼ cup vinegar with ¾ cup olive oil and use a soft cloth to distribute the mixture over furniture. For wood furniture combine ¼ cup lemon juice with ½ cup olive oil. Read more: Chemical free products 

Shop second hand. Save money on the products you buy, and save the transport and production costs. Great for items quickly outgrown!  “The traders of the world will weep and mourn over her. No one buys what they sell anymore.  Here is what they had for sale. Gold, silver, jewels, pearls. Fine linen, purple, silk, bright red cloth. Every kind of citron wood. All sorts of things made out of ivory, valuable wood, bronze, iron, marble” Rev 18:11 Save money on the products you buy and save the transport and production costs. Great for items which are quickly outgrown! Reasons to shop second hand Much more Affordable When you shop at thrift stores, yard sales, and other second-hand venues, your money stretches much farther. You Get to Experience the Thrill of the Hunt At a second hand store, you deal in the unknown. Scouring flea markets and rummage sales until you have found that have-to-have item at an unbeatable price can be exhilarating. In this way, second-hand shopping is much more rewarding in a way retail shopping could never be. Your Money Stays in the Community Second-hand perusing ensures your money stays in the community where it can benefit local businesses and charities. It’s Easier to Spot Quality Since most of the merchandise you come across has already been broken in, you can see what has quality and what does not. Practical and affordable. It’s Green! Buying used goods cuts down on manufacturing demands and keeps more items out of the landfill! Because a large amount of man-made goods are routinely thrown away, re-using gives a longer life to common household items another family could use, saving the Earth in effect. Inspire to Recycle The flow of second-hand giving goes both ways. Items or clothes you no longer use, you can donate back offer up goods another may be searching for. The act of recycling not only enables us to feel good about our actions but, again, keeps money in the local economy and supports the green living movement. Brand Names If you’re an individual who worships the tag, you’re likely to find many recycled, brand-name clothes available. It’s a great way to suit your stylish needs while saving a bundle and helping the environment. New Merchandise Arrives Daily Second hand shops receive donations daily, so the hunt for that unique item is always new and fresh. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, chances are in a couple of days it might be present. Shop online! use Ebay and Gumtree and find that item you are looking for easily and without wasting petrol hunting for it.! Read More: 9 Reasons to shop second hand 

Smart Fish Friday Arrange a swapping party. Exchange clothes, DVDs, CDs, jewelry and bags so everyone gets something new without an extra trip. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19 Arrange a swapping party! Exchange clothes, DVDS, CDS, jewelry and bags. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, buying new clothes isn’t exactly the kindest thing we can do for our planet. Every piece of new clothing (if not made sustainably) can be the product of countless chemicals, dyes,  all of which can be harmful to the earth, air, groundwater – as well as the people making the clothing. But clothes are something we all need and want and buying eco friendly or fair trade clothes is expensive. Many of us buy second hand, but a fun idea is the clothing swap. A clothing swap is, in its basic form, a meeting or party where people get together to swap clothing, accessories, and the like, all for the sake of getting rid of the stuff you won’t use – and giving it a new life with someone else – and then gaining some great new stuff for yourself, too. Clothing swaps are gaining popularity these days for many reasons, the first reason being, of course, that you get to get together with a bunch of friends and family members and swap things and gain a whole new batch of gently-used stuff that’s now new-to-you. At a basic level, throwing a clothing swap helps save the world because it’s an opportunity for all those clothes to be given at least one more round of life. Good deed done in itself. But if you think even further, clothing swaps are also an opportunity for those of the activist mind frame to spread some great information. Many of those you invite to a clothing swap might be in it more for the new sweater or scarf – and that’s great on its own, but think about how much you could help by taking your next clothing swap one step further! You may want to consider asking for donations – or “charging” attendees a very small “charity fee” to attend the clothing swap with all proceeds going to a group that helps sweatshop and textile workers. If you choose this option, be sure to make the charity element prominent in the swap – so that attendees know the people they’re helping with their donation and the significance of this issue. Then, as a parting gift to clothing swap attendees, consider a thank you note, either pre-printed or handwritten, explaining the impact that recycling and reusing clothing really has on our Earth’ By adding some of these next-step elements, you can take your next clothing swap from a really fun gathering where everyone gets some great new stuff to a truly impactful event that educates people about the true costs of their clothing. By spreading the message, you are taking a love of fashion to another level – one which breaks superficial barriers and makes your life so much more conscious – and can really have a meaningful effect when the message is spread. If you’ve never held a clothing swap, you’ll find some great tips for setting up a clothing swap of your own http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/06/18/dress-yourself-for-free-host-a-clothing-swap/ Bottom of Form   How about organizing  for your Sunday School to arrange a swap party where they bring old toys and games they have grown out of . They can sell them for a few rand and raise money for an outing. And finally have  you heard of the  Recycle Swap Shop ?  Children bring bags of recyclable goods which are weighed. For each kilo they get a voucher and then can go into the “shop” where there are donations of stationary, food or second hand toys.

Lend ladders, mowers, share shopping trips and trade things in your community to reduce unnecessary purchasing. “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42 We fill our houses with too much stuff that we only use very rarely. Rather than buying your own, borrow and lend ladders, mowers, drills and other equipment. Share shopping trips. Look at your cupboards, why not give away or sell on gumtree or ebay those items have been sitting un-used for years. Your rubbish is someone else’s treasure. This is a good way to get to know some of your neighbours as you share equipment. The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy: raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated and then transported to wherever it will be sold. As a result, reduction and reuse are the most effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment, and save money. Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials; Saves energy; Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change; Helps sustain the environment for future generations; Saves money; Reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators; Allows products to be used to their fullest extent. Reducing and Reusing Basics

Precycle! Be aware of packaging, buy glass which can be easily recycled, and avoid excess packaging and keep an eye out for recycled containers “I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.” Jeremiah 2:7 We all know about recycling, but have you considered “pre-cycling?” Rather than producing a load of waste and then trying to recycle it, rather consider how you can buy less packaging. Recycling is a wonderful activity as it allows for all sorts of energy savings- but it’s not a get out of jail free card for our waste. Resources are used, energy is consumed and a degree of pollution follows. The 3R’s of going green – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – are in that order for a reason. The greenest product is the one you don’t buy, but as we can’t live on air alone then we need to make more informed purchase choices and precycling is related to “Reduce” – the most important of the 3R’s, and also to”Reuse” which is sometimes referred to as“Repurposing”. Precycling is about reducing waste by avoiding items that will generate it, or selecting certain items that will generate less, or acquiring items that can be reused for something else. Being an avid precycler can also save you money too!. Here are a few examples: Concentrated products We’re brainwashed to think more is good, but sometimes less is better. Products such as washing detergents are widely available in concentrated forms, packing as much punch as their water heavy counterparts. Concentrated products reduce packaging, weight and as a bonus – less transport related emissions. Wrappings Plastic wrap is a great invention, but one that haunts us once we’re done with it. It ends up in landfill where it’ll slowly decompose for decades if not hundreds of years. A sturdy container with an airtight lid or a washable ziplock bag can take the place of plastic wrap..  Bags, cans and jars Bags can be used for other purposes – particularly breadbags.This also applies to jars and other containers which can be very useful for holding buttons, screws or any other small loose items where you may usually buy a container dedicated to the task. Forward thinking When considering purchasing a product, think ahead to what it could be used for once it’s no longer suitable for the original purpose. For example, instead of buying paper towel or paper napkins, cloth napkins can be purchased then can then be used for general cleanups once they get a little grotty, then as they become even grottier, can be used for jobs such as wiping grease off car engines before they are finally disposed of. Paper Refuse portions of the newspaper that you do not want and ask the shop attendant not to add in all those extra plastic packages. Write to the people sending you junk mail and ask them to stop. Precycle vs. Recycle

Avoid using styrofoam packaging, when buying a take-away use recycled paper or a reusable container “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”. 1 Cor 6:19 Apart from being really bad for your body, junk food produces a vast amount of rubbish. Studies indicate that the biggest source of rubbish is junk food.  Up to thirty percent of that rubbish could be eliminated by re-usable alternatives. Have a look at the amount of rubbish produced by that Big Mac and Coke . The dictionary meaning of the word ‘junk’ is useless, extra or something that is not needed. And all these fast food items that have invaded every nook and corner of our country are called junk because they are not needed. Junk food businesses are dominating the food industry with each huge food chain generating multibillion dollar revenue. Here are some of the effects of junk food apart from producing vast piles of junk: It can cause type 2 diabetes: One of major contributing factors for the emerging diabetes epidemic is unhealthy diet full of junk and fast food. When you eat a healthy diet, your body gets a steady supply of glucose, which helps maintain insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, when you eat only junk food, the excessive stress exerted on your metabolism affects the ability of your body to use insulin properly. Since junk food lacks fibre content, its consumption directly results in a spike in sugar levels. Further, junk food consumption leads to obesity, one of the main reasons for insulin resistance and development of diabetes. It causes fatigue and weakness: Junk food lacks most of essential nutrients like proteins and vitamins required for maintenance of overall health and functioning of all the systems in your body. Although it makes you feel full and satisfied, it fails to provide you with instant energy, making you feel weak and tired after a while. Junk food can lower your energy levels to an extent that it may become difficult for you to even perform your daily tasks. Causes depression among teenagers: A lot of hormonal changes occur in teenagers, which makes them susceptible to mood swings and behavioural changes. And a healthy diet plays an important role in maintaining that hormonal balance. It reduces family time together at the table:. Fast food does not provide family members opportunity to sit and eat at one place. Every one can buy and eat walking in the way, driving a vehicle and during their work in the  office. The satisfaction which a combine meal provide is lacking in junk food. So this Lent, why not be good to your body and the planet and fast from Junk food for forty days. Fast Food Garbage Makes up 50% of Street  Litter Reasons to stop eating junk food right now!