DEN ENEWS

Did you know June 1st was World Environment Day and the theme this year is Plastic Pollution? Check out Grandma’s story in this issue as she addresses that.

This past Sunday you would have heard the story from Acts 16: 16-34 of Paul and Silas jailed for a good deed. Instead of feeling hopeless, they spend their time singing and praising God. An earthquake opens all the doors of the prison and breaks all the chains but they stay instead of running. You can read more here: https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sermon-and-Liturgy-WED-2025.pdf

In the liturgy on the site, here are some valuable messages:

• The environment needs the type of courage Paul & Silas chose; not escape, but engagement.

• Don’t abandon broken places. Transform them

• Protect the earth and preach a living sermon: God is a healer. And God has not forgotten us.

• Don’t wait for someone else to fix things. You have a voice, a prayer, a purpose and your influence. Use them!

There are so many issues facing this world right now. Find your passion. You can’t do it all but you can do one thing. Maybe start with sharing your passion in a parade:

 Everyone is welcome to join the Anglican entry. Of course, you can also watch from the sidelines. You will be able to identify the Anglican entry by the banner with Caring for God's Creation in bold letters and the diocese coat of arms on it. You might also note the red wagon carrying the "Anglican Communion Forest”.

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Join faith groups across the province in exploring the benefits of installing EV Charging Stations in your faith building parking lot as a way to support your community, reduce Green House Gases, and visibly strengthen the NS charging network.

Webinars will be hosted on the dates below: this month. Click on the date to register:

Wednesday June 4, 6:30-7:30pm

Thursday June 5, 7pm-8pm

Wednesday June 11, 10am-11am

Wednesday June 18, 3pm-4pm

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Event by Citizens Against Uranium Exploration and Mining in Nova Scotia

Sunday, June 8th at 6 pm - 3083 Aylesford Rd, Lake Paul, NS B0P 1C0

Open to everyone.

We are hosting another information event Sunday, June 8th at 6pm located in Lake Paul at the Community Centre! Please come out to show your support and lets continue to make our voices heard! This issue is too big to ignore.

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Thanks so much to Cyril Welsh who is a Warden at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in North Sydney, NS and also a beekeeper. Cyril sent us a beautiful article about bees. Did you know the honey bee is the only domesticated bee and the only one that lives in hives. The rest are native and include bumblebees, carpenter bees, mason bees, sweat bees etc. Some live in wood, some live in rocks, some in the ground. This is one reason it is critical to not clean your yard too early in the spring. Cyril writes:

 Bumblebees are native to North America, and are especially efficient in pollinating. For blossoms like blueberries they use “buzz pollination”, where they grab the blossom and vibrate rapidly creating a cloud of pollen which lands on their body hairs. They then comb their hair with their legs and gather the pollen into the baskets on their legs.

 The Queen bumblebee that we see in Spring is a single Pregnant mother. After her virgin mating flight in late summer , she became pregnant and then found a warm fluffy place in your basement or in a rock wall and hibernated through the winter all by herself. 

 She is more tolerant of the cold and so wakes up in the spring when it is only about 4 C outside and visits the first Flowers of spring. Unlike honey bees, which specialize in gathering either nectar or pollen, she gathers both. Once she has collected enough, she goes back to her chosen nest site, eats the pollen and some nectar, exudes wax flakes, fashions her first wax cell and lays her first fertilized egg. She does this until she has laid about 30 eggs. We don't know if she goes out and forages for more pollen and nectar, but once the eggs hatch she has to stay with the brood to feed them and keep them warm. Bumblebee wax melts at a much lower temperature than Honeybee wax, so they must pick a site that never gets above 33 C. Usually among the rocks or in a cool foundation, or in a crawl space.

 Once the babies emerge and become adults, they will go out and forage and the queen will stay home and continue to lay eggs. She can continue to do this until all her eggs are laid, fertilized and later unfertilized. The unfertilized eggs will develop into haploid Males or Drones. The honeybee drones do not forage but the bumblebee drones will gather nectar and pollen and bring this back to the hive. Both species of drones do not sting. So in the case of Bumblebees we can use them to pollinate in greenhouses safely for the human workers there, if we only put drones in the greenhouse.

 Bumblebee queens will usually last 1 to 3 seasons. Just long enough to last to produce the next generation of queens.

Nova Scotia is at a critical juncture - instead of doubling down on dead-end pipelines, fracking and mining that would wreak havoc on our air, water and key industries - this is a chance to build a thriving clean energy economy that supports and protects workers and communities - creating tens of thousands of good jobs every year, right here at home. But if we don’t stand up now, the Houston government will have no one stopping them from locking us into short sighted, dead-end industries that sacrifice our future for the sake of corporate profits.

The introduction of Bill 5 in Ontario is an unprecedented assault on nature, environmental protection, Indigenous rights, and democracy. It is a clear signal that the provincial government prioritizes corporate profits over the well-being of people and nature. Bill 5 is about fast-tracking major development projects by creating lawless zones where hand-picked corporations can be exempt from provincial law. Expediting mining activities is a goal of Bill 5, and it functions by repealing the Endangered Species Act. This means a great danger for the 249 animals and plants at risk. Nature is the heartbeat of the land we call Canada, and protecting nature is essential to building resilient communities and to recognizing Indigenous stewardship and sovereignty. Use this petition to help create this future by telling Ford to stop trading nature for profit, and to stop Bill 5!

There are 2 areas in Australia that are responsible for the longest-running marine cull in history. With the use of shark nets and baited drumlines, Queensland and New South Wales governments have spent 87 years killing more than 100,000 sharks and other marine animals. The tactics and methods used are cruel, outdated, and harm species like whales, dolphins, turtles, and dugongs. We can help demand that decision-makers at all levels stop killing sharks and marine life by immediately removing these shark nets and catch-and-kill drumlines, and by closing a legal loophole that allows the culling of protected species without formal approvals. Use this petition to push for education on how to safely enjoy our oceans rather than slaughtering the wildlife that calls it home.

The violence occurring in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is not only a humanitarian catastrophe, it’s an environmental disaster. In peaceful times, the stretch of land between Lake Kivu and Lake Edward offers awe-inspiring scenery and a chance to see gorillas in the forests. What else is here are raw materials such as coltan, cobalt, and gold. The exploitation of the forests and these mineral resources is escalating a violence to consume and destroy. In just the last few weeks, thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands are now fleeing. Rwanda is the neighbouring country to the East behind the more than 100 armed groups operating in the DRC to extract the resources at all costs. Rwanda is also seeking direct access by backing a paramilitary group in the Eastern DRC called M23. The country of Rwanda exports more raw materials than it can mine, and the end of this smuggling supply chain is often devices like smartphones or batteries for electric cars. The issue is global with economic interests being a main reason why people in the DRC are suffering and nature is being exploited through extraction. This petition that Canadians can sign is for the EU, asking to terminate its partnership with Rwanda on critical raw materials immediately.

Please sign this petition to help stand up for endangered wolves. Asiza was a Mexican gray wolf who wore a tracking collar and was likely pregnant. In April of this year, U.S. federal officials shot and killed her and her mate near the Arizona-New Mexico border. All the details are not known, but we do know this: two collared, protected wolves were killed. The Mexican gray wolf was driven nearly to extinction and is considered one of North America’s most endangered mammals. There are only about 50 left in the wild and about 300 in captivity. Join in calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explain why 2 were killed, to hold the people responsible, and to make real changes so no other protected wolves are killed this way again.

 Plastic pollution

Have you ever used a plastic straw, bag, or bottle and then tossed it away? Most of us have. It’s quick and easy—but where does that plastic go? The truth is, that plastic doesn’t just disappear. It stays in the environment for hundreds of years, and that’s a big problem for the Earth.

Back in 1950, two million tons of plastic was produced worldwide. By 2015 plastic production reached 420 million tons. A ton is 2000 lbs or 900 kg. So, 420 million tons is 925,941,501,176 pounds or 420,000,000,000 kg. Those numbers are just too big for Grandma's brain. It is safe to say it is too much plastic.

Plastic is everywhere. It’s used to make toys, bottles, and packaging. But when we throw it away, a lot of it ends up in places it shouldn’t—like rivers, beaches, and oceans. Animals like turtles, birds, and fish can mistake plastic for food. Eating it can make them sick or even kill them.

Even tiny pieces of plastic—called microplastics—can be found in the air, in the water, and even in the food we eat.

The good news is that we can all help. Here are a few easy ways to fight plastic pollution:

Bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water

Those reusable bags we carry into stores, stop the need for single-use bags

Saying “No, thanks” to plastic cutlery and straws may be difficult until you find your own sets that take little room in a backpack or purse.

If you see plastic in nature, pick it up and pack it out.

Best of all talk to your friends about this plastic problem.

You might think, “I’m just one person—does it really matter?” Yes, it does! When one person makes a change, it inspires others to do the same. And that’s how we build a better, cleaner world. Let’s all help our planet, one plastic item at a time.

https://earth.org/the-biggest-environmental-problems-of-our-lifetime/

Grandma’s Garden Experiment

Most garden lovers are out digging in their yards these days—and Grandma’s no exception! She’s always on the lookout for clever ways to reuse things in the garden.

This spring, I had an old bookcase that once held tins in the basement. With new shelves in place, the bookcase was free for another use. I removed the back and turned it into a raised garden bed! I also had two smaller box-style containers, so I lined them with cardboard, added part of a winter’s worth of crushed eggshells, and then topped them with mulch and soil.

The bookcase became home to my newest experiment: growing potatoes in grass clippings! Yes, I finally mowed the lawn (before May ended!) around the garden beds to help keep ticks away. That freshly cut grass went straight into the bookcase—first a layer of grass, then seed potatoes, then more grass.

Will it work? Time will tell—but you can bet I’ll keep you posted!

Craft

Here is your cheerful Grandma working on her technical writing course. Grandma appears to be a bit more herself under the “happy and bouncy” instruction guidelines. She will stick with the plan till the course is over at least. Pity you while Grandma grows.

Make your own newspaper flowers.

These fun and fluffy flowers are made from something super simple—newspapers or flyers! They’re perfect to brighten up a room or give to someone as a cheerful gift.

You will need

Newspaper or flyers

Scissors

A twist tie or string

Markers or paint to decorate.

Take one full sheet of newspaper and cut it into 4 long strips

Stack the four strips on top of each other

Fold the whole pile back and forth like a fan or an accordion

Tie it up in the middle using string, a twist tie or even floral wire.

Carefully pull apart the layers of paper starting with the top one and working down.

Add some colour if you like. Grandma likes them plain but one year we spray-painted gold on the edges to use in a display vase.

Create a bouquet. Give them to someone in your family, a neighbour or just someone who could use a little joy.

Grandma says: “Little things can make a big difference.”

 Something to Eat - Scones

 Grandma’s Master Scone Recipe

Yes, I know I talked about scones not long ago—but this is the one. The Master Scone Recipe. It's simple, flexible, and delicious every time. You can mix in almost anything you have on hand. My pantry was a bit bare, but I had plenty of dried cranberries. When neighbours popped in for tea, I had to snap a picture before the scones vanished!

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 cups flour

• ½ cup sugar

• Dash of salt

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ cup butter or margarine

Tip: If the margarine is frozen, grate it into the flour. If not, cut it into small pieces and use a pastry cutter or fork to work it in until the mixture looks like crumbs.

Add to the well in the center:

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 to 1½ cups of your choice: chocolate chips, dried fruit, fresh berries, chopped nuts—whatever you’ve got

• ½ to 1 cup of cream or milk (add just enough to make a slightly sticky dough)

Mix gently until just combined. If the dough feels too wet, sprinkle in a bit more flour.

To shape:
Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a circle about ½ to ¾ inch thick. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Place on a baking sheet.
(Or bake the whole circle and slice it after!)

Bake:
At 375°F (190°C) for 18–22 minutes, or until golden brown.

They never last long around here—try them and you’ll see why!

“God of life, we praise you for the beauty of creation, yet we confess that we have not been good stewards of your gift. We have filled our world with plastic waste, harming the earth and its creatures. We are sorry for our careless consumption and disposal, for our reliance on single-use plastics, and for the pollution we have caused. We ask for your forgiveness and guidance in finding ways to reduce our plastic footprint, to reuse and recycle responsibly, and to live in a way that honors your creation. Help us to become more mindful of our choices and to embrace sustainable practices, that our actions may reflect your love for the earth and all its inhabitants. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who loved the world and taught us to love it well."

https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sermon-and-Liturgy-WED-2025.pdf