lent

Recycle!!

Year of the Tree 2023 / /

Let there be no waste John 6:12 Make sure your office/school/church etc has a recycling bin and that it is collected.How can you best do this? Speak to the people in charge Whether it is the priest/church wardens or the principal at school, get approval from the people in charge Do a waste audit Have a look at what is coming through and what you want to recycle – paper/plastic/tins ? You might want to start with one item and then grow it. Have a green team It might only be two people, but find some other people to work with you on this project. Otherwise you might lose heart. Develop a plan You will need well marked bins but also need to work out who will pick up the recycling. Will volunteers drop it off, will you get a company to pick it up , will there be cost implications? Are the staff in charge of cleaning on board? (otherwise the nicely separated waste will go into one bin at the end of the day as it is less work!) Tell people about your successes! Recycling doesnt generate much income, but if you do get some, then use it to buy something that you can celebrate with others (Eg Sunday school christmas party ) let people know how many bags (you can average guess the number of kg) keep them motivated!! Common Challenges: Recycling gets contaminated with food: you will need to constantly be reminding people not put items contaminated with food into the recycling. in the early stages it is worth hovering over the bins until they get the idea! Smell, attracts flies: again it is important that people rinse the items well, and make sure you have storage and adequate bags to keep it moving away from the office/meeting space

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Say no to Paper

Year of the Tree 2023 / /

Conduct paper-less meetings! Imagine how much paper is wasted at our work, church, Diocesan meetings. We can definately reduce significantly or aim to go completely paperless. Make sure meeting participants have electronic access to all the materials beforehand – encourage those using computers not to print out copies. If you must supply additional materials at the meeting, make copies “as needed” rather than in large batches at one time. Reduce unwanted mail to your office Contact mail senders to take your company’s name off their mailing lists, or mark “Refused, Return to Sender.” For country specific way to reduce unsolicited mail, type « unsolicited mail » into a Google search. If it is inappropriate to communicate a message by e mail, instead of making a copy for each person, route one copy around the office. Reuse envelopes by using a sticky label for the new address

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March 9 – Spring Cleaning your Cupboards

Leave a Comment / Fast for the Earth 2020 / /

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” ~ Luke 3:11 Spring cleaning is meant to declutter, organize, and sanitize your homes. Spring cleaning is always a great way to clear out all the cluster in your home and you can do it in an eco-friendly way and be green. So this lent take the initiative to clear out your closet and do it in a eco-friendly way. Most times people create a lot of waste when they spring clean. Here are ways which you can spring clean the green way: Reduce: The first step to fighting messes and keeping your home clean is getting rid of all that stuff you never use Go room-by-room, drawer-by-drawer, closet-by-closet and group the items that you haven’t used in a while. If you cannot remember that last time you used it, or you forgot that you had it, it is a good sign that it is time to let it go. Reuse: Once you have separated the items from your closet, avoid the “throw it away” mentality and think about how the item can get re-used. Donate: Once you have noted down what you can use, separate out items that someone else might need. There are probably plenty of items that you don’t need or want anymore, but someone else would appreciate. Garage sale: If you do not want to donate your clothes, you can host a garage sale in your community Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

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March 8 – Paperless Sunday

Leave a Comment / Fast for the Earth 2020 / /

“ And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”.  ~ Rev 22:2 Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any living thing other than God and people. There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, the first Psalm, the first page of the New Testament, and the last page of Revelation. Jesus said he is the true vine and that his Father is the dresser of the garden (John 15:1). The Bible refers to itself as a Tree of Life (Proverbs 3:18). We are told to be like trees planted by streams of water that yield their fruit in season (Psalm 1:3). Trees are the oldest living things on earth. There are trees alive today that were already ancient in the time of Christ. In fact, God gives trees a ring to mark every birthday! But what about Jesus? He grew up in a carpenter’s home. He talked about seeds of faith and said that the kingdom of heaven was like a tree. He called disciples from under trees, and sinners from their branches. His favorite place to pray was an olive grove. Trees give, and they keep giving. They give life and beauty. They give shade and rest. They clean the air. They hold back erosion. They offer shelter, food, and protection. So it is important that we plant trees. But it is also important that we save paper in order to show our care and appreciation of trees. Let us go paperless this Sunday! Send the pew leaflets out on social media or by email (you can maybe have a few copies for those who don’t use those media) Put songs and notices up on the screen If you usually use disposable cups for coffee, ask people to bring mugs to church and wash them up Make this Sunday Tree Appreciation Sunday and go paperless https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/what-is-the-significance-of-trees-in-the-bible-why-did-jesus-die-on-a-tree.html Photo by Alex Litvin on Unsplash

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March 7 – Considering your CATERING PRACTICES at church

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“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31  Consider the catering practices at your church Green catering Catering is a big part in our churches especially for fund raising and during conferences. Catering is one of the things that affect the environment negatively. Going green is not just a trend, it should be a life style. Green/ eco-friendly catering should be the new norm. There are different ways in catering practices where we can make a difference, specifically with catering practices in church. Things to do: Offer more vegetarian/vegan dishes–  vegetable farming is a more sustainable practice than animal farming. Producing meat involves more land and water use than producing vegetables. Additionally animal farming produces large amounts of greenhouse gases. Incorporate a Seasonal Menu– this will encourage cooking the  freshest and tastiest produce available which will in essence cut down negative environment impact. This will also reduce the amount of resources needed to transport food and result in less greenhouse emissions Reduce Food Waste– Reducing food waste is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Here are a few ways to reduce food waste in your catering: Get creative and repurpose ingredients to make new dishes Donate leftovers from your event Take advantage of overripe fruits and vegetables by making sauces, stocks, breads, and desserts Create a compost pile for food that’s past the point of serving Create a Beverage Station– Instead of offering guests individual cans of soda or bottles of water, try setting up a beverage station instead. Take advantage of reusable beverage dispensers to limit your use of disposable plastics. Use reusable serving dishes and cutlery. Ask some of the team to bring plates and cutlery from home. Separate recyclable material from waste created– you can do this by clearly mark your recycling containers and all-purpose trash cans. With big conferences, consider the event as an educational one, so raise the visibility of the re-cycling team, put up posters, flash messages on the screens at lunch breaks. Make sure everybody knows this is a green conference and they will learn some new ideas Photo by Karine Monteiro from Pexels

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March 6 – Say NO to junk food

Leave a Comment / Fast for the Earth 2020 / /

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food”  ~ Isaiah 55:2 Have a junk-food free Lent Junk food is any food that is highly processed, high in calories and low in nutrients. Junk food is also usually high in added sugars, salt and saturated or trans fats. Some research points to junk foods as being as addictive as alcohol and drugs.. Junk food is found just about everywhere. It is sold at supermarkets, workplaces, schools and vending machines. It is easily available which makes it convenient and in essence makes it difficult to limit or avoid. However junk food poses more health risks and more negative impacts as compared to the “delicious benefits” they have. Junk food has harmful after effects- Eating a poor quality diet high in junk food is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression, digestive issues, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early death. Foods you can substitute junk food with: Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, and berries Vegetables: leafy greens, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower Whole grains and starches: oats, brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes Seeds and nuts: almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds Legumes: beans, peas, and lentils Healthy protein sources: fish, shellfish, tofu, steak, and poultry Dairy: Greek yogurt, cheese, and fermented dairy products like kefir Healthy fats: olive oil, nut butters, avocados, and coconut Healthy beverages: water, sparkling water, green tea, and herbal teas Junk food also creates mountains of waste, plastic, Styrofoam and plastic coated cardboard. Choose the healthier option for your body, your wallet and the planet. Say NO to junk. #ThrowOutThejunk Image by 41330 from Pixabay

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