April 7 – Revelation 22:1
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget]
April 7 – Revelation 22:1 Read More »
Plastic Fast 2019
April 6 – Community Action
“The Earth is the Lord’s” Psalm 24:1 Organise a community clean up near your church to show to the community that you are stewards of the Earth. While you are doing that, take photos of the brands of plastic that you find and do a social media campaign, tagging the products as you post them on social media pages – this is called a brand audit- the identification of the companies responsible for the trash. We can uncover and shine a light on the main branded, throwaway products that regularly contribute to plastic pollution and connect the problem back to the source. It is the companies that are making profit by selling their goods in non biodegradable packaging. Corporates have created the plastic monster which is destroying the planet. Why? For profit. We need to ship the plastic monster back to where it started , in the business corporation office. Although companies say they want to tackle the problem, they will not do so until we as consumers shame them and refuse to buy their products.. It is time for corporations like Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo., Colgate, Danone, Johnson & Johnson, and Mars to invest in alternative ways to deliver their products to us and to stop using single-use plastic! Contact local businesses and ask them to stop using single use plastics, attach a picture of their product lying in the street or on the beach. Share pictures and results from your audits through social media with the location, name of worst brand offender, hashtags #BreakFreeFromPlastic and #MillionActsofBlue, and tag the name of company or companies that contributed the most trash. Here are some ideas on how to run a Clean up/Community audit. https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-international-stateless/2018/04/a7b9c72b-ocean-plastic-action-6.pdf
April 6 – Community Action Read More »
April 5 – Zero Plastic Packaging
They saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2: 11 When online shopping was young, it was hoped it would be better for the environment than traditional retail – people driving themselves to the shops. A van could take the place of 20 or 30 car trips. A warehouse uses less energy than a store with all its display space. However, it is becoming more complex, instead of going to a mall and buying all the things we need, and combining with a trip to pick up kids from school, now we buy many individual items all from different places. We also send things back. In online fashion retail, 25% of goods are now returned For instance in the UK transport is now the biggest source of emissions and van traffic is growing faster than any other type of vehicle. Online shopping is part of that problem Not only are we increasing van trips, we are creating mountains of packaging. Online retail in the US grew by 16% last year. We love the speed and convenience. We love the ‘just-got-a-gift’ feeling of boxes turning up on our doorstep. We love Amazon too – one fan back in 2014 remarking, “I’m in a monogamous relationship with #amazonprime.” But love, as they say, is blind. And as consumers, we turn a blind eye to the environmental cost of online retail, when it comes to packaging. About 165 billion packages are shipped in the US each year, with the cardboard used roughly equating to more than 1 billion trees . Retailers also want to ensure that goods arrive in perfect condition – and that can result in over-packaging. The average box is “dropped 17 times”, So that’s why you can receive a small package inside a relatively large box filled with “air-bags”. It means that the retailer is literally effective, but wasteful. Companies are beginning to respond to consumer pressure – some start up companies offer package free and Amazon is offering a ‘frustration free” packaging option https://www.amazon.com/b/?&node=5521637011 https://makewealthhistory.org/2018/02/26/reducing-emissions-from-online-shopping/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbird1/2018/07/29/what-a-waste-online-retails-big-packaging-problem/#61602cfa371d
April 5 – Zero Plastic Packaging Read More »
April 4 – Avoid Plastic Accessories
“I brought you into the fruitful land To eat its fruit and its good things But you came and defiled My land, And My inheritance you made an abomination. Jeremiah 2:7 Avoid “cheap” plastic accessories It is so easy to stock up on cheap earrings and jewellery made of plastic. We buy them without thinking and buy them for our children. But where will they end up when they are lost or thrown away? What was the environmental impact of their production? There are health hazards too, in cheap jewellery. Studies show that many items of jewellery contain lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, brominated flame retardants, chlorine, mercury and arsenic When you buy a gift for somebody or an accessory for yourself it is an opportunity to think of the impact on the Planet. If you buy a locally made product, you create work for a local person, and avoid air miles on the item. There are beautiful products made from recycled materials. You can buy products that are made from natural materials. Search for beautiful vintage jewellery. The ‘bargain’ label does not take into account the cost to the workers who were underpaid, the cost to the environment of the impact of that product, and the environmental impact of the air miles it took to bring it to you. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/costume-jewelry-found-to-have-high-levels-of-toxins-and-carcinogens-tests-show/
April 4 – Avoid Plastic Accessories Read More »
April 3 – Buy Second Hand
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] They divide my garments among them- Psalm 22:18 Second hand shops and sales A guaranteed way to reduce the fashion industry’s impact is to avoid buying new stuff in the first place. Secondhand stores are the ultimate clothing recyclers – and thrift shop fashion definitely doesn’t have to be unfashionable. Considering that fashion is about looking good, you want to be on top of the game. So why should buying secondhand mean anything to you and are donated clothes and secondhand shops the best way to deal with textile waste anyways? Here are the 3 reasons why its the best way to deal with textile waste and why it should mean something to you. 1) It Saves You Money Shopping secondhand means that whatever price you pay is only half of the original. Most often, clothes are donated because the person that bought it no longer likes it, or the piece no longer fits them. You can find nice brands that appeal to you Since used clothes come from all decades, you can explore fashions of the past to express the unique person that you are. Go vintage! It’s the best way to deal with textile waste, because clothes don’t get thrown out after a few uses, it goes to a new home for another five years or more. This sounds pointless but think about where your thrown out clothes go. Landfills. There’s a big possibility that one day, the city you live in may have no choice but to turn the only available space into a landfill because there’s no space elsewhere. It may be your neighborhood…or your backyard. 2) It’s More Sustainable There’s a lot of water and chemicals that go into our clothes. When I say a lot, I mean 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of blue jeans. If we recycle unused clothes, that means we won’t be paying the price in the future. Aside from landfills there’s damage to the environment, loss of habitat for animals, and pollution of natural resources. Whose money goes to fixing that? Your tax money! Where do those landfills go? Anywhere. And the water that’s used to make clothes is probably drinking water… You’d think, it wouldn’t run out but let’s not wait for that surprise. How is this a better way of dealing with textile waste? Clothes get a longer lifespan. When things get thrown out by hundreds of people, at around the same time, it creates an exponential amount of waste. But when people use clothes to the fullest extent, that clothes can take up to a decade before it touches a landfill. That means one pair of jeans could be used by someone else’s sibling, cousin, or friend. You paid a small amount and the benefits were a hundred times over. 3) Its a Recycling System that Directly Helps Everyone in Your Community If you think secondhand clothes makes you look poor, it’s quite the opposite. Yes, there’s outdated items but overall, it’s relatively recent stuff that doesn’t get used. Everyone knows that being poor is one thing but looking poor can keep you that way. Your appearance is a key factor in areas like job interviews. Say you meet all the resume criteria but the place you’re having your interview requires a black suit. Buy a second hand one! Even if you’re well off, you might have to watch your money at certain times and secondhand clothing stores have been supporting people of all income range for a long time. Why is this a better use of textile waste? Because it creates a recycling community. Recycling clothes becomes a resource to people while helping those in need and the environment. On a social level, it’s a place where people can build a new identity out of used clothing that gives them greater mobility in the social world. On a community level, it builds a culture of recycling. There are lots of facebook groups now where you can buy and sell vintage/second hand items. Don’t leave your unworn clothes in the closet – give them away or donate to second hand shops or sell online. And how about having a clothes swop event with friends?Switching to more ethical fashion options does take forethought, but the health of the planet and the safety of workers in developing nations depends on it.
April 3 – Buy Second Hand Read More »
April 2 – Shop less, Mend more
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Matthew 9 : 16 Every day, most of us dress ourselves in items churned out by what is arguably the world’s second-most polluting industry. Reportedly topped only by oil, the fashion industry is contributing to major environmental destruction – mainly because consumers insist on buying so many clothes at such cheap prices. Water is a significant part of the problem. Textile manufacturing uses huge amounts of water, much of which gets flushed into waterways laden with contaminants such as bleaches, acids, inks and dyes. Horrifyingly, farmers in parts of China and India are reportedly predicting fashion’s next biggest hues by the colour of rivers tainted by textile industry runoff. Fast fashion has terrible impacts on people, too, with workers in developing nations often paid a pittance to labour in unsafe conditions. Alternatives do exist. The solution lies in buying less and choosing better quality items that are made as ethically as possible. But how to tell good brands from bad? Step one is choosing brands that consider the planet and their workers. Te desire to wear cheap new looks daily has led to offshore manufacturing in often deplorable circumstances – buying local, well-made pieces can sidestep all that. You will also contribute to local jobs. Where possible, skip petroleum-based synthetics such as polyester and nylon, which are actually plastics that take forever to break down once tossed. Each time such fabrics are washed, they shed thousands of microfibres that end up polluting rivers and oceans. Natural fabrics must also be selected with care. About half the world’s clothes and textiles are made from cotton, usually grown with pesticides and requiring mammoth water inputs. Bamboo has been touted as a more ethical option, but while the plant is farmed sustainably, toxic chemicals are often used to turn bamboo into fabric. Organic cotton and bamboo linen are better, as is hemp, linen, silk and wool. Lyocell, made from natural cellulose found in wood pulp (harvested from sustainably farmed forest plantations), also rates fairly well. Some brands are even recycling waste into fabric. “If you consciously decide to purchase a garment made using a recycled material or an exciting new fibre, you are supporting start-up companies creating new markets, and avoiding the toxic impacts associated with conventional textiles.” Extend your wardrobe’s lifespan by mending Once clothing becomes tired and hole-ridden, don’t rush straight to the bin: try mending instead. Mend it or take it to a tailor (creating local jobs) “Most clothing problems are easily mendable: missing buttons and loose stitching, for example. “One creatively mended garment might not save the planet, but it might inspire three other people to start mending and become more aware.” Those with more time and skills can join the slow clothing movement and sew garments from scratch. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/10/shop-less-mend-more-making-more-sustainable-fashion-choices
April 2 – Shop less, Mend more Read More »