We are probably more aware of the dangers of what we are doing to our planet this Lent than ever. With so much of the country suffering from flooding and storm force wind it really is time we took a serious look at living lightly on the planet.
Each year the diocese of London encourages a Lent Carbon Fast. This year it isn’t just ‘carbon’ that they’re targeting but all of our environmental impact. Of course this quite often results in an indirect saving in carbon emissions at the same time. And, hopefully, many of the savings won’t just be for Lent but will be things we can carry on permanently.
Lent is a time to reflect on God’s purpose for our life. We may give up coffee, chocolate, alcohol to remind us that this is a special time of prayer – the idea being that whenever you think you need a cup of coffee it makes you reflect instead – but this year we are challenged to go deeper, to take a carbon fast – to reduce the use of carbon-based fuels.
“Love the earth just as much as God does” Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
How do I take a carbon fast?
The diocese has divided the 40 days into weekly themes: Stuff / Water / Energy and Mobility / Food Production / Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Fix.
How do I start?
Calculate your carbon footprint at footprint.wwf.org.uk. This will give you some idea of how to reduce your footprint.
Week 1: Stuff
Eat sustainable fish or have a meat-free meal; borrow or lend a large item of equipment; walk somewhere instead of driving; find out where your clothes are made; buy local produce and encourage shops to stock more local produce; have a clear out and recycle things you really don’t need any more; have a plastic-free day – try to find environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic items.
Week 2: Water:
Think about your water use in the home – find out how you could you save it – low flow showers for instance, reduce the capacity of your lavatory tank with a brick or plastic bottle filled with water. Experiment to see how much you can reduce the amount of water needed. Drink tap water – did you know it takes 3 litres of tap water to make 1 litre of bottled water? Mend dripping taps.
It may seem strange to be talking about saving water when most of the country has rather too much of it at the moment but the water we use in our homes is expensively cleaned and purified, using carbon-based fuels which cause the emissions which lead to global warming which affects the weather, which causes the flooding……
Week 3: Energy and Mobility:
Buy energy efficient appliances – light bulbs, washing machines, fridges etc are all available in energy saving versions. Use your car less – organise a carpool, giving lifts or accepting them saves petrol;
Saturday 29th March 8.30-9.30pm is Global Earth Hour. Switch off all your appliances, share a meal with friends that doesn’t require electricity to produce.
Week 4: Food production:
If you have a garden grow your own vegetables using environmentally friendly methods; find locally produced food and prepare a whole meal from it. Which fish are sustainable? try a new variety; have a meat-free day (vegetarians could make it dairy-free); don’t poison the environment – don’t use weed-killers that contaminate the soil; don’t pour oils, paints and detergents into storm-water drains where they’ll contaminate rivers and other fresh water supplies; reduce air miles by buying food produced locally.
Week 5: Reduce, recycle, reuse…and fix!:
“There is no such thing as ‘away’, when we throw anything ‘away’ it must go somewhere.” Compost food waste; take items to charity shops; look for furniture recycling centres; reuse as far as possible and consider packaging before buying anything – a plastic bottle won’t degrade for 1,000 years so could you use ie detergent powder which comes in a cardboard box instead of liquid in a plastic bottle?
Ponder this:
Where does everything go? and what impact does it have on the planet and our health? The methane that leaks from landfills, the waste that is produced during the manufacturing of our new purchases – can we make informed choices for our health and the planet?
Extracts from Carbon Fast 2014 produced by Shrinking the Footprint, Diocese of London. You can read more about it at london.anglican.org/mission/shrinking-the-footprint and operationnoah.org/ash-wednesday-declaration. I have a pdf of their day by day guide to Carbon Fast 2014 which I’m happy to email to you.
Lent Carbon Fast