#greenanglicans
#carbonfastforlent
He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season;
its leaf will not wither,
and whatever he does will prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
All great spiritual wisdom, all true soul wisdom, can be found in nature. I do believe that’s true. St. Francis didn’t learn by only reading Bibles and books, but by observing the natural world, which we call “the first Bible” (see Romans 1:20).
There are certain plants which are indigenous to an area and grow well, needing less water and existing in a balanced eco-system. But when plants are imported from other eco-systems they can become invasive and cause problems. They are also water guzzlers.!
Studies show that the amount of water in South Africa lost to invasive plants could fill 400 million Olympic size swimming pools!! That is why the alien plant clearing programme in South Africa is called “working for water”.
Alien clearing also reduces the impact of floods and wildfires and their associated risks, improves water quality, reduces further loss of productive land thereby contributing to food security, restores biodiversity, can create jobs and improves resilience to climate change.
What you can do:
Make sure you know which are the invasive species in your area (google!) and firstly make sure you have none on your property or church property. When you go for a hike, get into the habit of pulling up a few along the way (as you would pick up litter). How about organizing an invasive attack with your youth group. Lots of fun and gets you out into nature. Make sure you have someone knowledgeable to show you which plants to pull up!
http://www.ipw.co.za/content/guidelines/Biodiversity%20Guidelines.pdf