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#fast4earth Plant a Birthday Tree Each of them will sit under their vine and under their fig tree, with no one to make them afraid (Micah 4:4) Plan a tree planting day around your birthday, ask people to give you trees instead of gifts. There are a few things you need to bear in mind when you plan your tree plant! Choose indigenous trees, they will thrive in areas where they belong. Alien trees are often water guzzlers. Consider the root system of the tree – make sure there is enough space so that in five years it will not be causing damage to walls. Plant a mixture of trees and plants. A healthy eco-system will self pollinate and be more healthy Don’t plant thirsty trees in dry climates. Consider a simple drip irrigation (2 litre coke bottle with holes) Don’t neglect newly planted trees. They will need regular watering for the first two years. Consider your source of water and who will water them.  You might consider planting at a creche for instance and each class adopting a tree. Use the hashtag #birthdaytrees Growing a healthy planet: Ten tips for planting the right trees in the right places

#Fast4earth Save Electricity and avoid peak usage ‘To serve and protect the Earth” Gen 2: 15 What is Peak demand and why does it matter? Peak demand is when electricity demand is the highest (everyone comes back from work and starts cooking supper).  For instance in South Africa it is 5pm to 7pm and 6am to 8am when everyone is getting ready for work, and water is being heated for showers.  At peak times, the electricity company has to bring additional power online and this is more expensive , for instance they might bring on diesel power etc. So this is a simple way to do your bit to protect the environment.  If you have timers for washing machines, water heaters etc then put them on out of peak time during the night is best if possible. In some places too, off peak energy is cheaper so you might find a saving. Practice everyday conservation such as washing clothes in cold water, turning off lights and fans, and changing making sure filters are regularly changed if you have aircom If you need to replace an appliance, look for an energy star certified product, you will save  a lot of electricity over the next decade or so and do your bit for the planet too!.

#fast4earth Calculate your water footprint Revelations 22:17, And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” Today is World Water Day #worldwaterday Start the day by calculating your water footprint using this fun  interactive calculator https://www.watercalculator.org/wfc2/q/household/ Remember that a gallon is roughly 4 litres What is a water footprint? Everything we use, wear, buy, sell and eat takes water to make. The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. It can be measured for a single process, such as growing rice, for a product, such as a pair of jeans, for the fuel we put in our car, or for an entire multi-national company. The water footprint can also tell us how much water is being consumed by a particular country – or globally – in a specific river basin or from an aquifer.  

#fast4earth Give away your junk For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6;21 Your junk is someone else’s treasure! Here is an A-Z of giving away rubbish! Art Supplies  All those old stationary items from when the kids were at school – give them to a local creche or after school project Batteries are difficult to recycle- most Supermarkets have a section where you can leave them Children’s  clothes are always really needed. Baby ones can be donated at the maternity hospital or give to a children’s home Designer clothes – these are worth selling on line and giving the money to charity rather. don’t lose them in a jumble sale! Eyeglasses – charities like St John’s Ambulance often take them – check on google . they may be a real gift to someone in need Furniture – worth advertising on line so that someone who really wants can get it for free if they organize transport Groceries – if you have items you bought too much of, please give them away rather than leaving them in your cupboard until they are past their sell by date Hair brushes – eish what to do with these? Try a vet they may say thankyou Icecream containers and other plastic containers – Much appreciated by your local creche or Sunday School r for storage and painting etc Jewelry – try a pawn shop they may give you a decent price you can donate to charity Kitchen appliances – try  a repair shop, otherwise they need to go out with ewaste sadly Light bulbs – some are dangerous to recycle  take to  your supermarket recycling depot Make up — some cosmetics contain small amounts of lead and other chemicals that can leach into the ground in a landfill. Clean and rinse out containers and recycle what you can. Nuts and bolts  can be recycled with metals Oils from cooking You may be able to reuse them multiple times if you strain out food bits and store them in a cool, dry place. If it starts to look dirty or smell rancid, discard by funneling it (after letting it cool to room temperature) into a container and throwing it away. Don’t pour it down the drain, where it can solidify and clog the pipes. Packing materials You love shopping online, but you don’t love the box and all that filler. Reuse air pillows or bubble wrap, or pop and recycle them with your grocery bags and other flexible plastic. Quilts, Comforters, Towels Many animal shelters accept donations of old blankets and towels to use for bedding or cleanup. Rugs : Charity shops will  take large home furnishings, including gently used area rugs, but check with the location near you, as some prefer large ones only. If your item is too soiled to donate, contact your waste management for details on bulk pickup. Sports Equipment : Trade in childrens sports equipment which is too small for the right size at a second hand sports equipment store. Or donate it to a charity shop. Ask at the local school also. Toys: If they are in good condition (jigsaws without pieces missing, no broken parts on toys) then give solid quality toys  to a local creche or children’s home. But remember that they will used by a lot of children so cheap plastic items are as good as useless, they wont last long! Cuddly toys aren’t great because they cant be kept sterile. Underwear: Please don’t give away stained underwear it is gross for the recipient. It if it 100% cotton you can compost it. Good quality underwear can go to your charity shop. Videos, DVDs, CDs, Video Games VHS tapes are not really recyclable any more, so rather take to ewaste. CDs, DVDs and video games can go to a charity shop. Winter coats these are very much appreciated and you can either offer on line or take to a charity shop Xylophones, Clarinets, Flutes These could be donated to a school or sell online, some churches might be interested too. Yoga Mats Many yoga mats are not very earth friendly,  made from PVC, a durable, nasty kind of plastic that is tricky to recycle. “Try giving it to a yoga studio for new students,, or get creative. Gardening knee pads, anyone? Zoom Lenses If your phone camera is so good that you’ve retired your camera, donate it (and any unused 35-millimeter film) to a college or high school photography class. Recycle broken equipment with other e-waste . Or sell online https://www.marthastewart.com/1514037/how-to-get-rid-of-anything

#fast4earth  Avoid food waste Let there be no waste John 6:12 Almost a third of our food waste ends up in the rubbish dumps! This is a shocking statistic when we know of the millions of people who are going hungry. Food wastage also has a huge impact , because of the water that is used to grow it, and the fuel used to transport it. In South Africa 10 million tonnes of food go to waste every year, that is an incredible 210 kg per person. One fifth of South Africa’s water is used to grow food that is wasted. This while a quarter of households report they are experiencing hunger. The wasted embedded water would fill over 600 000 Olympic swimming pools – a massive waste for SA, the 30th driest country on the planet.  About 90% of waste in SA is disposed of to landfills, where the food-waste component leads to the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide.  Successfully cutting food loss and waste is a chance to turn around severe food insecurity felt by significant portions of the population. So what can we do? Make sure you give away left over food before it goes off. Work out a system for doing so. Don’t over buy – sometimes those bargains end up not being a bargain! Use your freezer to save food Make soup! You can throw a lot of goodies into soup and make healthy cost effective food for your family Plan ahead Check the use-by dates of fresh food when you buy it. These are the dates to take notice of, rather than the best-before dates. … you don’t need to throw it away on the best before date. https://www.wwf.org.za/?21962/The-truth-about-our-food-waste-problem

#fast4earth Organise a street clean up Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, Romans 12:2 Its not my rubbish! People say, but it is my street, it is my community. One of the great things about organising a clean up is that it makes people much more aware of the rubbish that is out there and that they may be dropping too. In these times when we have been isolated it is a good way to see fellow community members (if this is allowed in your country) Remember to abide by the COVID restrictions of your country. Wear masks, keep social distancing. It is important that you organise gloves or each person brings. Another option is for each person to use a plastic carrier bag for picking up. Prepare a post and put it on your community whatsapp or facebook group  -and see who pitches! Or you might like to get the kids involved with writing invitations and drop them in the neighbours post box. Maybe there is another community organisation you can invite to boost numbers. If there is a place that is always used for illegal dumping, then come up with a plan to transform it, otherwise I will become a dumpsite a couple of days later. Ask people to share water wise plants from their gardens or put down stones/bricks painted white. Or you can close off the area with old tyres . Turn it into a place of beauty! Post a before and and after picture on your social media    Remember the four Rs  Reduce, Reuse, recycle REJOICE!