Eco Challenge for 2021 – 2020 brought about St Luke’s church obtaining the EcoChurch Silver Award, so how can we as a church and as individuals take the next steps to go for gold in 2021? Many churches across the country struggle with the ‘lifestyle’ module in the award scheme. In response to this, EcoChurch have teamed up with Creation Care www.creationcare.org.uk The Creation Care scheme aims to encourage households to make changes to care for God’s earth. Wherever households are on their creation care journey, we want to provide ideas for your next steps, and recognise the progress you’ve made. So, over the next few months why don’t you have a go; you have nothing to lose! Below summarises how to get going.
The scheme covers 7 areas of household life:
• Worship and prayer
• Home
• Garden
• Travel
• Food
• Possessions
• Community and global engagement
You can enter the scheme by completing a questionnaire that covers each of these areas. This will tell you how well your household is doing at each of these aspects of caring for creation, and hopefully give you ideas of ways you can improve.
How the scheme works
1. Register yourself on the Households page – Start by entering your household name, email address, and then type in how many people there are in your household. Then link your questionnaire with our church by selecting St Luke’s Crosby Church – we cannot see your data, only notified if you have achieved a certificate.
2. Start to fill in the questionnaire – Pick an area and start working your way through that. You don’t need to complete the whole questionnaire. You can save your progress using the “Save” button
3. Keep track of your progress using the Overview page, which will update to show how you’re doing in each area.
Re-use your old plastic bottles as plant containers
You can re-use your old plastic bottles in lots of different ways in your garden – using them as plant containers is just one idea. You can grow various plants for example, herbs, spinach, lettuce and strawberries. In this photo there are strawberry plants growing!
Praying for the Earth
The following prayers for the environment are taken from " Praying for the Earth" by Rob Kelsey (vicar of Norham) and are for you to use in remembering the environment in your prayers of intercession.
Your prayers could include an address to God at the beginning:
“All creation worships you O God, and we your people bless you for the beauty of the earth…
Your prayers may end with the following:
” May your kingdom come on earth as your will is done in heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Sunday
Environmental awareness
” May we taste and see how good the world is. Grant us sensitivity to the touch of rain and sun. Help us to hear the sounds of animals and birds and smell the scents of fresh air and flowers. Raise our awareness of the beauty and susceptibility of the earth.”
Monday
International agreements on climate change
.” We give thanks for the ways in which countries have come together to address the global crisis of climate heating. We praise you for the efforts of individuals who have raised our awareness, and changed hearts and minds. May we together, create the political climate for effective action.”
Tuesday
Trees and CO2 absorption
We praise you for the natural capacity of trees and plants to absorb and store carbon dioxide. As we seek to respond to the climate emergency, we give thanks for those who plant and preserve our woods and trees. May the leaves of the trees help the healing of the nations.”
Wednesday
Water pollution
“We give thanks for the sustaining power of the waters of the earth. Forgive us when we are wasteful and take clean water for granted. Forgive us when we are careless and contaminate the waters of life. Help us to nurture the living water of our faith and to protect the springs and rivers of the world.”
Thursday
Sea creatures
We give thanks for the diversity of life in the seas of the world, for the grandeur of whales, the beauty of the fish and intricacy of coral reefs. We pray for an end to commercial whaling. May we prevent the pollution of our seas and rivers, and maintain the integrity of our blue and beautiful planet.”
Friday
Plastics
” We pray for a reduction in the use of plastic throughout the world, and for a solution to the prevalence of plastic in rivers and oceans, and in marine animals and birds. Help us to reduce our reliance on plastic, in bottles and bags and consumables of all kinds.”
Saturday
Waste reduction
“We give thanks for the material things of life. May we use them wisely and dispose of them thoughtfully. In business and as individuals, help us to reduce what we waste, and to remember that, as the earth is our only hoke, nothing is altogether thrown away.”
Eco tips for June 2021
Reduce your plastic use
These are just a few ways to reduce our personal plastic footprint:
Carry a reusable bottle
In the UK we use millions of plastic bottles every day. Carrying a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use and save money too.
Say no to plastic straws
Plastic straws are bad news for our oceans. Next time you order a drink, think about whether you need a straw – and if you don’t, just say no!
Avoid excessive food packaging
Whether it’s making different choices in the supermarket or choosing a different place to shop, we can all try and cut down the plastic we buy.
Carry a shopping bag
Since the plastic bag charge was introduced in England, there’s been a huge drop in their use.
Use refill shops for household products
There are some products where it’s difficult to avoid a plastic container (e.g. washing up liquid, laundry liquid etc.) – but at a local refill shop take along your old bottle to re-fill.
Making just a few small changes can have a big impact on the amount of plastic we use on a day-to-day basis.
Climate Emergency
As the climate crisis accelerates, millions of lives are at risk. Christians around the world are taking urgent action. Step by step, the Climate Emergency Toolkit from Tearfund guides your church or Christian organisation through simple but powerful actions that have an impact far beyond your own walls or community. Click on the button to download the information
Recipes to reduce food waste
Broccoli and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- Small Onion
- Garlic
- Broccoli stalks
- Potatoes
- Seasoning & herbs
- Vegetable Stock Cube
Method:
Roughly chop your onion and garlic. Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in your onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Then, add in the garlic and cook for a further two minutes. Add the broccoli, potato, stock and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Using an immersion blender or similar, blend until the soup is a smooth consistency. Check that the seasoning is to your liking. If you like a more creamy soup, dollop on some Greek yoghurt just before serving or you could sprinkle on some grated cheese.
The soup will last for 3 days in the fridge and is suitable for freezing.
Paul
Tiffin recipe
- 1/2 lb broken or out of date biscuits
- 4oz butter melted
- 1 oz cocoa
- 1 oz sugar
- 1 tablespoon syrup
- Block of chocolate
Crush biscuits with rolling pin, put in bowl, add sugar, cocoa, syrup, butter and mix together. Spread evenly in tin and top with melted choc and allow to cool.
Enjoy – Hazel
I bought satsumas recently that were too tart/sour to eat. And not wanting to throw them away I looked up google but the only suggestion was marmalade. So I peeled them and poached them with a little water and sugar. The result was just as delicious as tinned mandarins!
Hazel