Articles of interest

Creation Thought - February 2024

The Green Christian Prayer Guide for January and A Rocha challenge us to focus on God’s creation this Lent

On Saturday 27th January there was a gathering of the Green Christian Way of Life companions in London – people who want to out their faith in a deeper and more structured way, based on four disciplines. These disciplines are daily prayer and devotions, living gently on the earth, public witness and encouragement of each other.

https://greenchristian.org.uk/way/

A Rocha “Go green for Lent”.  The weeks leading up to Easter are a time for self-reflection, repentance and emulating Jesus’ obedience to the Father. Is there something you’d like to give up or take up during Lent that will enable you to reflect on God, contribute to our planet’s well-being and enhance others’ lives through sustainable, eco-friendly living?

arocha.org.uk/go-greenfor-lent/

Can we respond positively to that challenge? ...

• Are there things we can do this Lent - daily prayer, live more gently on the earth, witness and encourage one another as individuals and as a church?
• How about St. Michael’s Lent course, or the ‘Six minutes a week for Lent’ activity?

26th November 2023

Twelve Tips for a Greener Christmas

15th November 2022

Thinking about the way we travel is one of the focus points of Eco Churches 'Lifestyle' section. Have a look at this document about rethinking travel.

Quick Green Tips

Have you tried a sustainable alternative to washing detergents? 

One that has been recommended is EcoEgg. It contains no petrochemicals, enzymes, chlorine bleaches, phosphates, parabens or palm oil and it'll save you money. If you do give it a go or have used it before/do use it, please send me a review.

Veg Boxes

Have you tried a veg box? There are several to choose from. I use Oddbox because they send fruit and veg that would be wasted otherwise. It's a good way to make sure you're getting enough of the good stuff. It's delivered at night to keep Co2 to a minimum. Most of the packaging is recyclable and they will take the box away when you've emptied it into your tummy.

Land

Currently St. Michael's is almost at the point where we can apply for a bronze Eco Church award.

The area we need to put a little more work into is the land portion. Please see the attached for more information on what that means.

Eco-Church Bulletin on Plastic Pollution

What is plastic pollution?

Plastic pollution is any plastic that ends up in the environment – from bottles and bags to less obvious sources like teabags and clothes.

In the past 100 years humans have produced a lot of plastic.  It's cheap, strong, light and versatile.  So it's not surprising we're using tons of the stuff.  All of it eventually ends up in the ground, in the sea and even in the air.
(www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment/2019/04/microplastics-are-raining-down-sky)

Our plastic waste has invaded the highest mountains and deepest oceans.  No-one knows how long it will take to disappear – but at least hundreds of years.

Visit the Money Saving Expert website for ways to reduce your plastic usage and save money.
(www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2018/01/13-ways-use-less-plastic-save-cash)

Please speak to Claire Stagg if you have ideas or would like to know more about Eco-Church.
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Suggestion for Lent - Lower Meat Diet

One suggestion for Lent that helps with Climate Change could be to move towards a lower meat diet.

Traditionally, one of the key disciplines of Lent was to give up meat for all fast days (all days from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday except for Sundays.)  I love meat and eat lots.  I am never going to become a vegetarian.  Today however, many people who quite happily enjoy meat are trying to eat less meat, especially beef and lamb, to help counteract global warming.  Two of the biggest ways we can help are reducing meat consumption and cutting down on air travel (Ouch, I also like travel!)  26% of all world emissions responsible for climate change come from food production;  and 58% of that comes from meat production.

There are lots of other ways to help reduce emissions but starting them all at the same time is tough!  One option for Lent is to reduce meat consumption quite a lot this Lent as a discipline, and then keep a part of this reduction going after Lent.  We might also try to find some enjoyable meat-free options to use sometimes, after Lent is over.

Different people will find different levels and approaches to try.  Those cooking for others may find it easier to give up meat for a light lunch or for tea than for the main meal of the day when the family is there.  Above all don’t waste meat!  Possibilities for Lent include:

• Only eating meat in Lent on Sundays.
• Only eating meat once a day in Lent.
• Giving up meat on Fridays in Lent – (at least for part of the day).

This can be combined with options like:

• Not buying flown-in or out-of-season fruit and vegetables (Shipped-in bananas and apples etc are not nearly so bad.)
• Reducing Lamb & Beef, which are the worse culprits for CO2 and methane.

Below I give a list that is illustrative of roughly how much CO₂ / methane is produced by various foods, so you can make your own decisions.  In general:

• Lamb and beef are the worse by far.
• Pork, turkey and chicken are less than half as bad.
• Cheese, eggs and milk produce less CO2 than chicken, turkey and pork.
• Vegetable foods are best from this point of view.

Apart from the methane cows produce, the reason people are burning the Amazon forest is to clear it to produce cows for beef burgers.  Meat also diverts land from producing food that poor can afford like maize, beans and rice.

CO2 equivalents produced by some common protein-rich foods

This list below is ILLUSTRATIVE rather than precise.  Each sheep, cow and lentil produce a different amount of CO2 and methane.  (Together the effect is measured as “CO2 equivalent = CO2e”).  There are also different ways of calculating a figure.  More details for different foods and an idea of the range can be found at
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46459714.  You can use it to work out something that works for you.

Enjoyable or quick & easy recipe suggestions, please

How about sending suggestions for enjoyable or easy low-CO2 meals to the magazine?  For quick & easy light lunches, I recommend peanut butter sandwiches (perhaps with a slice of onion) and toast croutons on baked beans cooked with herbs & garlic to taste.  I am sure others can suggest delicious or quick low-CO2 meals to enjoy.

In the middle ages to eat like a king was to eat meat three times a week.  This level of meat-eating would be much better – for our health, for those on a tight budget, and for the environment.  I will never ever reach down to that kingly level of meat-eating of 3 times a week.  But I can reduce meat consumption – and find things to enjoy – even in Lent.

[click to open/download this article as a PDF document]