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(Scroll down for English Version) ‘ REFLORESTAMENTO DE MANGAL NA ORLA MARÍTIMA DA MISSÃO CHAMBONE. Os Anglicanos Verdes da Diocese Anglicana de Inhambane em colaboração com os Jovens Adultos e Conselho Municipal da Cidade da Maxixe realizou duas actividades ( Reflorestamento do Mangal ” 200 mudas” e criação de barreira para contenção de deslizamento de terra na Orla Marítima da Missão Chambone usando pneus). Estas actividades marcaram o encerramento para 2022, apesar de que no próximo sábado 17/12 iremos dar continuidade, pois a intenção e plantar 300 mudas de mangais. Actividade esta contou com a presença da Sua Revma. Dom Emanuel Capeta ( Bispo Diocesano). MANGAL REFORESTMENT AT CHAMBONE MISSION SEASIDE The Green Anglicans of the Anglican Diocese of Inhambane in collaboration with the Young Adults and the Municipal Council of Maxixe City conducted two activities (Reforestation of Mangal “200 seedlings” and creation of barrier to contain slide Chambone Mission Seaside using tires) These activities marked the closure for 2022, although next Saturday 17/12 we will continue, as the intention is to plant 300 mango seedlings. This activity was in the presence of Bishop . Dom Emanuel Capeta (Diocesan Bishop of Inhambane) Mangroves enable this through the provision of ecosystem services while providing fish, timber, clean water and supporting tourism. Rev Aurelio Uquieo #cop15 #ecosystemrestoration

Green Anglicans call for  an end to plastic sucker sticks On Saturday the 3rd of December 2023 members of the Green Teens program and Young People’s Ministry from Diocese of Cape Town joined the Cape Town Beach clean-up initiative by cleaning Milnerton Beach on a Saturday morning. Young people gave  their time to fill up waste bags with all forms of litter they could find on the beach, of which most was domestic single use plastic, which could easily be replaced with other forms of biodegradables leading up to cleaner and safer oceans  for all creatures. Ms Liko Qokela  from the  Catholic church joined the clean up as a guest speaker and gave a short but powerful message to the group of those gathered saying ” it might look like a waste of time and just a small thing we did however it is through small initiatives like that of beach clean ups we not only get to take care of our environment but also learn how things we take for granted end up destroying our sea life”. In terms of the items that were collected the most numerous were sucker (lolly) sticks and the young people demanded that we call out companies to stop making plastic sucker sticks but rather return to paper ones. Plastic sucker sticks were all over the beach, they are very light so can float out to sea and be eaten by God’s marine creatures. The day ended with a picnic on the beach and swimming   Bino Makhalanyane  

Anglican Church forms partnership with Department of Environment,  Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) in tree planting drive The Anglican Communion has launched a tree growing and eco- system restoration drive called the “Communion Forest”. As part of the Communion Forest, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa has formed  a partnership with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment who are donating trees to churches. The Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist in the very dry Province of Limpopo, which is one of the areas of South Africa most impacted by climate change. Only indigenous trees are being donated and the  parishes are committing to water the trees for two dry seasons until the roots can reach the water table. Fetching and delivering the trees  took some organising! Volunteers who own vans offered to collect them. They first went to the DEFF ‘ office to sign for the trees then they went to collect them at Retsini Nursery and delivered them to chapelries that asked them to assist. Mr. Josias Moraope from the department was present both at St. Mary and St. Wilfrid.. He gave a talk, partly a sermon about our responsibility towards God to care for nature especially trees. He also explained that the 40 trees pledged to the Anglican Church  has to be planted as early in the new year, urging the congregation to go out in the community and encourage tree planting. It was so interesting. He will also  take rounds to check on us and our trees took the contact numbers of coordinators in each chapelry. Acting Archdeacon Olive Senyatsi   The Anglican Church of Southern Africa is very grateful for the donations from DEFF and is committed to looking after them and raising them.  

The General Synod of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil was held in the city of Belém from 11 to 14 November 2022 and during the meeting a motion for the environment was approved : (Version in English follows the version in Portuguese)   Moção sobre Meio Ambiente «O SENHOR Deus, colocou o ser humano no jardim do Éden, para o cultivasse e guardasse.» (Gn 2,15) “E vi um novo céu e uma nova terra (…) Esta é a tenda de Deus entre os seres humanos, pois com eles habitará e eles serão os seus povos e o próprio Deus-com-eles será seu Deus (…) e Deus limpará as lágrimas dos seus olhos e a morte já não existirá (…) Agora faço novas todas as coisas” (Ap 21.1a,3b,4a,5b).   Amazônia é um dos mais importantes biomas do planeta. Sua preservação é fundamental para a vida da nossa Mãe Terra. Além de sua rica biodiversidade, lá vivem milhões de pessoas, em particular comunidades indígenas, quilombolas, ribeirinhos e outras populações tradicionais, as principais guardiãs da floresta, e também milhões de pessoas em situação de vulnerabilidade e pobreza, principalmente nos centros urbanos. Essa realidade é originada por um modelo insustentável de desenvolvimento que prevalece no Brasil e no mundo, agravado por quatro anos de desmonte das políticas públicas e do aumento do desmatamento na região. Nesse momento crucial do Brasil e da humanidade, onde a crise climática é a face mais perversa de um sistema geopolítico não valoriza a vida e põe em primeiro lugar a acumulação de riquezas em detrimento da preservação dos ecossistemas, o Sínodo da Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, reunido nos dias 11 a 14 de novembro de 2022, em Belém do Pará, na Amazônia brasileira, reitera: 1- Seu compromisso com a defesa da vida com a preservação da Amazônia e de seus povos, em particular os povos indígenas e tradicionais, tão perseguidos e ameaçados pela iniquidade vigente; 2- O apoio às iniciativas de combate ao desmatamento da Amazônia e de outros biomas, compreendendo que o desmatamento zero é parte fundamental do enfrentamento às mudanças climáticas, a manutenção das florestas em pé  e a manutenção da vida, em toda sua plenitude. 3-   A implementação de políticas públicas comprometidas com a vida que promovam a sustentabilidade da Amazônia e de seus povos, de imediato isso significa reverter todos os retrocessos nos últimos quatro anos implementados pelo governo que finda agora no Brasil. Apoiamos a reivindicação dos povos indígenas, das populações tradicionais e dos movimentos ambientalistas de que o novo governo eleito estabeleça a revogação de todas as medidas que prejudicaram o meio ambiente e os povos das florestas. 4- Continuamos orando e apoiando para que o novo governo estabeleça políticas públicas de defesa da Amazônia, a partir do compromisso do Desmatamento Zero e de enfrentamento às mudanças climáticas, numa perspectiva socioambiental, tendo como foco o apoio à sobrevivência dos nossos povos indígenas e das populações mais vulnerabilizadas na região. 5- Reafirmamos o compromisso da Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil de seguir apoiando os povos indígenas e amazônicas, comprometida com a missão de defesa da Integridade da Criação e a Renovação do Mundo. A Motion for the Environment   “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen 2:15 NIV) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth”, (…) God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (…) ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ (…) I am making everything new.”(Rev 21.1a,3b,4a.5b NIV). The Amazon is one of the most important biomes on the planet. Its preservation is essential for the life of our Mother Earth. In addition to its rich biodiversity, millions of people live there, in particular indigenous communities, Quilombolas, Ribeirinhos and other traditional populations, the principal guardians of the forest, as well as millions of people in situations of vulnerability and poverty, primarily in urban centers.   This reality is caused by an unsustainable model of development that prevails in Brazil and in the world, aggravated by four years of the dismantling of public policies and the increase in deforestation in the region. At this crucial moment for Brazil and humanity, where the climate crisis is the most perverse face of a geopolitical system that does not value life and puts the accumulation of wealth in first place at the expense of preserving ecosystems, the Synod of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, meeting from November 11 to 14, 2022, in Belém do Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, reiterates: 1- Its commitment to the defense of life, to the preservation of the Amazon and its peoples, in particular the indigenous and traditional peoples, so persecuted and threatened by the current iniquity; 2- Support for initiatives to combat deforestation in the Amazon and other biomes, understanding that zero deforestation is a fundamental part of fighting climate change, for keeping forests standing and maintaining life in all its fullness. 3- The implementation of public policies committed to life that promote the sustainability of the Amazon and its people, in the short term this means reversing all the setbacks in the last four years implemented by the government that is now ending in Brazil. We support the demand of indigenous peoples, traditional populations and environmental movements that the newly elected government repeal all measures that have harmed the environment and forest peoples.   4- We continue to pray for and support the new government to establish public policies that defend the Amazon, based on the commitment to Zero Deforestation and to fight climate change, from a socio-environmental perspective, focusing on supporting the survival of our indigenous peoples and vulnerable populations in the region.   5- We reaffirm the commitment of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil to continue its support of the indigenous and Amazonian peoples, and being committed to the mission of

LOST SPECIES DAYThe Remembrance day for Lost Species is held on the 30th of November and is a chance to explore the stories of extinct and critically endangered species, cultures, lifeways and ecological communities. It is also a day to renew commitments to change our lifestyles and be protectors of the Earth. Extinction Rebellion Cape Town held a memorial to the lost Species on St James Beach.  The programme included poetry readings, a wreath laying ceremony and the launching of paper boats with commitments. The Red Rebels used “artivision” (artistic activision) to bring home the powerful moment of mourning Rev Rachel Mash from Green Anglicans brought the reflection. Here is her talk: According to the WWF report, called the living planet – which should be called the dying planet,  in my lifetime alone  two thirds of the populations of  living wild creatures  have been extinguished.  This flagship WWF publication of 2021  reveals an average decline of 68% in species populations since 1970. When I looked at the just released 2022 report it says that it has now declined by 69%- another one percent just in a year! And not just mammals and birds and reptiles, As we come up to the holiday season you may remember when you were small how the windscreen would get covered with dead insects on long journeys – now it is rare to see insects on your screen. A recent report frm Germany said   flying insects had declined by 75 percent in weight in just 25 years. A million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, we have lost half of the world’s corals and with all the focus on the World cup – consider this – we  lose forest areas the size of 27 football fields every minute. Climate change, pollution, deforestation, landuse change,  our unsustainable food systems- The combined weight of cattle, chickens, and pigs exceeds the weight of all wild animals and humans combined.  22 billion chickens,  1,5 billion cattle The oceans are becoming acidic, overfishing, invasive species It is a litany of disasters. The alarms bells are ringing How do we respond – do we tune them out? Too much bad news? They are not sirens warning us to evacuate , they are a call for the community to assemble, we mut run towards them, not away. They are a call to prayer to litanies of grief and solemn vows of commitment. They call us to an ecologically attentive  spiritual life, rich with beauty and pain, attuned to the groans of all creation. They call us to action on behalf of the earth and the struggling people on it, especially those most impacted by toxic intersections of powerlessness and poverty. They call us to rise up and respond. We have been doing things ‘for nature” picking up litter, saving water all those great and very important actions. But the crisis of extinction calls us to move one step deeper. Nature is not out there – we are part of nature, we are part of the web of life on which we depend Albert Einstein one of the smartest scientists ever  says this: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” It is as we feel the pain of the suffering of all creatures that we will find our own healing I remember once preparing some prayers with a Lutheran pastor who was from the Navajo people and she said when you say “Sing to God all people” you only think of human people, we think of the four legged peoples, the winged peoples, the crawling peoples  = all have their way to worship God all have their way to celebrate They have done studies in the Amazon monitoring sounds of bird life and insect life and have heard a rapid drop in sounds The great choir is being silenced. The voices are fading So what must we do? In Sunday school one day They were reading the creation story On the sixth day, God gave the gift of creatures that live on the land, those that walk on four legs, and those that walk on two. Those that walk on six or eight or a hundred.  And God made people in Gods own image and told them to take care of the world. William aged 11 said”  Well that’s the day when God made a mistake. We need to confess that we have failed, as individuals and as families and as communities and nations we were supposed to care for Mother Earth so that she would care for us and we have abused her. We were supposed to be keeper and caretakers of the earth and we are abusers. There are many creatures that will never live again, there are many ecosytems that have been so degraded that they will not live again. But we must  not lose hope. We should indeed  be very pessimistic about the future “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope. The Hebrew Bible is not an optimistic book. It is, however, one of the great literatures of hope.” To Heal a Fractured World, p. 166 Rabbi Jonathan Sacks It is personal change and action at the  local level – brings hope. Restoring a local eco-system, increasing pollinators. But those actions are not enough, we also need to be part of global movements Picture a mighty river that can cut through mountains. It starts with tiny droplets high on the mountain, our small individual acts. They come together to form tiny streams , a local movement or organisation, and as they join up into rivers they