DEN Enews

Grandmother Birch’s newsletter last week featured a quote from Donna Ashworth:

There is a reason why walking amongst nature is most people’s best advice when depression strikes.

Because walking in nature is a return to “home”.

You are not a lover of nature, or a fan of nature, you ARE nature.

Do you find yourself dealing with a host of unfamiliar emotions for August beyond the usual sadness that the summer is going by too fast? There is the fear of fire in our province and neighbourhoods. Will it spread? Will it come too close to me or the ones I love? Will we have any of our precious forests left if we don’t get abundant rain soon? There is the tension of watching beloved gardens start to droop and trees losing leaves too early. There are questions like which garden plant/tree most needs my precious dehumidifier water today ? When will the lakes and rivers return to normal levels? Will the wildlife who depend on them survive? Every siren heard increases the tension. So many negative emotions including the sadness of being unable to avail ourselves of the woods to soothe our troubled souls. I pray gardens provide the solace you need as you husband precious water resources. As we pray for rain, let us also pray for the firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly on the ground and in the air. They are fighting enormous beasts and need our support. Thank you to Bishop Sandra for this prayer posted on her Facebook page:

Gracious God, we hold before you this night all who are living with the threat of wildfires. Calm their anxious hearts that they may rest in your peace. Protect and guide those who are working to contain and extinguish these fires. Keep us mindful of your call to care for one another and this fragile earth, our island home. Make us diligent in our efforts to promote the safety and wellbeing of all. May all who watch, or work, or worry, or wait this night, find reassurance and hope in your abiding presence. And may life-giving rain fall in abundance to water the dry ground, that the earth may be renewed and refreshed. We pray this in the name of Christ, who came that we may have life in all its abundance. Amen.

And now for something positive and brighter:

Did you plant milkweed this summer? Perhaps pick up some seedlings at Synod? This editor was amazed that a 12’’ high plant attracted and sustained this little guy. They were few and far between this year in our church butterfly sanctuary.

Much needed Good News sent to us from one of our Advocacy Editors, Eva Evans:

Sometimes we wonder what good our name on a petition does. We often never find out. Earlier this month we had a petition to the President of Brazil asking him to veto the "Devastation Bill". Well he DID veto 63 of the bill's provisions!

Your ONE Voice, combined with many others, can be powerful.

Never doubt that!

The Community-Oriented Coastal Observatory (COCO) is a new provincial citizen science network for monitoring coastal marine animals. Like our Healthy Coasts project, this organization is also concerned about the impacts of climate change on the environment and share with us a commitment to environmental stewardship

Samantha Beal is a PH.D candidate at Dalhousie University and sent us this information:

Nova Scotia’s coastal waters are changing. The Northwest Atlantic is warming faster than the global average, and as species move northward, new introductions and shifts in marine animals are occurring. Understanding these changes requires long-term, widespread monitoring—but this isn’t something researchers can do alone. That's where COCO comes in. COCO is new environmental (e)DNA-based citizen science initiative that bridges the gap between community knowledge and academic research, expanding the reach of marine biodiversity monitoring. As species shift in response to climate change, having many eyes—and eDNA samplers—on the water helps build a clearer picture of what’s changing, where, and how quickly. COCO is free to participate in and no scientific background is required!

If this meets a personal passion of yours, please attend one of the above information sessions.

Seniors for Climate - Halifax will partner with Kairos to hold a 2nd Climate Change Info day, with a focus for Seniors -- but all welcome! ...

"Draw the Line!" event on September 19th at the St Andrews United Church Hall at Robie and Coburg Rd. Details to follow. Speakers and exhibitors will be included.

Seniors For Climate is joining Climate Action Network International, 350.org and other organizations in a Global Day of Action on September 19-21, 2025. This will be a worldwide mobilization and a global moment of reckoning.
The theme of the mobilization is: #DrawTheLine
Draw the line for people power, democracy, and a livable future.
Draw the line against fossil fuel use and climate injustice, and build a world run by accessible, renewable energy."

Join this group at their next work party on Tuesday, August 26^th from 7-9 p.m. at 2081 Kline Street. Got a friend who’s concerned about mining in NS? Make them a Uranium: Do Not Disturb t-shirt! We appreciate your bringing your own or someone else’s shirt… We’ll also be brainstorming ideas for future PNP actions/events this fall, so bring yours along!

From their newsletter: Hope to see you soon, and let’s keep our fingers crossed for rain! Can you imagine how much water would be needed to keep fracking and uranium mining operations going, especially during weather like we’ve had this summer? All the more reason to keep holding the government accountable for their reckless endangerment of our most precious resource, water!

Canada’s electricity demand will double, or even triple, by 2050. We need a power grid that provides for this future with clean, reliable, and affordable electricity. Join this petition calling on our government to invest $20 billion over five years in new electricity transmission connections between provinces. This financing would include supports for Indigenous-led projects and training for workers. More than 100 organizations are already urging federal leaders to make this major investment, which would upgrade and build a truly Canadian east-west grid supported by renewable power and Indigenous-led energy projects. Help demand nation-building action for Canada’s renewable energy future!

2024 was the hottest year recorded on earth. Wildfires, floods, and heatwaves destroyed lives and livelihoods from coast to coast. Despite creating absolute climate chaos, fossil fuel companies continue to reap record profits while expanding oil production. Their exploitation of coal, oil, and gas are intensifying extreme weather, making climate disasters more frequent and more severe. This petition is about fossil fuel polluters paying for the climate disasters they are fueling. The climate-related impacts already cost Canadian households an average of $720 per year. Since fossil fuel companies are shamelessly reaping billions in profits year after year, they should be footing the bill for all these damages. Let’s call on the Canadian government to hold polluters accountable by making them pay into a new Climate Recovery Fund. This would go directly towards communities and local governments facing the brunt of the climate crisis and in need of financial support to repair, rebuild, and adapt to impacts. We can't afford any more 'wake-up-calls'. Join in telling our government to create a Climate Recovery Fund for fossil fuel companies to pay into.

The Congo Basin is the second largest rainforest on Earth. This amazing and unique ecosystem has thrived for thousands of years and is filled with biodiversity. It sustains the lives of millions across Africa and is home to thousands of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Just like the Amazon rainforest, it needs to be respected for the life it maintains and provides for. This petition is going to African leaders urging bold African leadership at COP30 this November. This includes implementing a Forest Action Plan to end deforestation, guaranteeing at least 20% of forest climate finance goes to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, ensuring full recognition and protection of Indigenous rights, ending funding for forest destruction, and redirecting funds away from industrial logging, oil, and agribusiness expansion in the Congo Basin. Add your name to support African-led forest solutions that strengthen communities and protect this vital natural haven in our shared world.

Alaska just issued its first ever heat advisory. Known for its subzero winters, Alaska is now bracing for temperatures near 32 degrees. Meanwhile, the banks that once pledged to fight climate change are pouring gasoline on the fire. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs have all abandoned the Net Zero Banking Alliance, a U.N.-backed climate initiative. In 2024 alone, the world's largest banks pumped a staggering $869 billion into fossil fuel projects – despite mounting wildfires, deadly heat waves, and record-shattering global temperatures. The banks know the science and have seen the floods, the fires, the famines. They are choosing profit while betraying every community trying to survive an increasingly hostile climate. Join in pushing for change by demanding these banks rejoin the Net Zero Banking Alliance and stop financing climate chaos!

Dear Premier Houston  ([email protected])

Dear Minister Tory Rushton: [email protected],

Dear MinisterTimothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change: [email protected]

Please reconsider your decision to allow JD Irving Ltd and ARF Enterprises to aerial spray 3577 acres of drought-stricken recovering clear cuts in Nova Scotia starting Aug. 24. The glyphosate spray used kills broad-leaf plants and deciduous trees that compete with the conifers, and in doing so, produces large amounts of highly flammable dead material in the landscape. In addition there is scientific evidence linking glyphosate to cancer. Also please ban all machinery operation in our forests during this period of Extreme Fire Hazard as NB and BC have done.

Thank you

Motionless Wind Turbines

Remember when Grandma got excited about ridge turbines? Those clever devices are installed right on the ridge of a barn roof, perfectly positioned to catch the updraft as wind flows up the sloping roof. Inside, horizontal turbines spin like mini windmills, quietly generating power.

Grandma first imagined them on farms. Just think about a dairy farm, if the power goes out, you’ve got a serious problem. Milking has to happen, and fast. With ridge turbines supplying backup power to run milking machines and other barn essentials, farmers could breathe a whole lot easier.

Over in the UK they’re experimenting with an even sleeker version of a silent, motionless wind turbines mounted on the edge of commercial building roofs. They capture wind as it rises along the side of a building and funnel it into a small propeller hidden inside the mechanism. That means no visible blades, no noise, and no disruption to wildlife.

Each turbine can produce up to 5 kilowatts of electricity that is about the same as 20 solar panels. That didn’t explain to me how much energy that was. The best answer I got was that if a family of two carefully used their energy and didn’t do all their chores or any energy using appliance all at once, that should be enough energy for a day,

 Designed for rooftops of large buildings, one pilot project is already underway atop a BMW factory in England.

Best of all, these turbines are built from recyclable materials, require minimal maintenance, and are expected to last up to 20 years. Quiet, clean, and clever, Grandma says this could be the future of wind power, especially in places where traditional turbines just aren’t practical.

Could these ‘motionless’ turbines solve wind energy’s noise and wildlife problems? | Euronews

Great Repurposing.

In Denmark, retired wind turbine blades are being cleverly repurposed into bike shelters. The same material that makes the blades difficult to recycle, those strong and lightweight composites, also makes them incredibly durable for long-term outdoor use.

Grandma spotted one of these massive blades lying on the ground at North Point, PEI. We were so tired from walking its full length, we joked we needed a bike just to get back!

Denmark leads in creating fully recyclable wind turbine blades

Craft Time

Our parish rotates between three chirches. When we are at All Saints in August,I like to have a “Boat Day” for our little ones. On a hot sunny day who worries if they get a little wet.

Make Your Own Milk Carton Sailboat
(Fun for sunny days, puddles, or backyard races!)

You’ll need:

· Empty 2-liter milk cartons (for however many boats you want to make)

· Scissors (adult help needed!)

· Wide tape (duct tape or packing tape works)

· Empty medicine bottles (with lids removed)

· Hot glue gun (for grown-ups to use)

· Small sponges

· Wooden skewers (for the masts)

· Card stock or stiff paper (for the sails)

· Crayons, markers, or paints (to decorate sails)

· Large plastic container or kiddie pool for sailing

· Optional: bottles of bubbles for extra fun after sailing

Instructions:

Prepare the boat base

Ask an adult to cut each milk carton about 3 inches up from the bottom. You’ll use the bottom part for the boat.

Make it safe and sturdy

Use wide tape to cover all the cut edges so no one gets a scratch. Then cover the whole bottom of the boat with tape for decoration

Add the mast holder

Ask a grown-up to hot glue a medicine bottle right in the middle of the milk carton base. This will hold your mast upright.

Hold the mast in place

Cut a small piece of sponge to fit snugly inside the medicine bottle. Push your wooden skewer (pointy end down) into the sponge so it stands straight up.

Make and decorate the sail

Cut a triangle or rectangle from card stock for your sail. Decorate it with your best designs—stripes, polka dots, pirate flags, or racing numbers!

Use a hole punch or ask for help to poke two holes in the sail—one near the top and one near the bottom—then slide the skewer through them.

Set sail!

Fill a large plastic container, kiddie pool, or water table with water. Place your boat in and see it float!

Bonus fun

When boat racing slows down, hand out bottles of bubbles. A little breeze makes both sails and bubbles dance!

We pray

I admit that spinach and feta cheese may not be a staple in everyone’s house, but it often is in my fridge. I buy the frozen rectangles of spinach, really reasonable. We often have it as a supper vegetable. Strangly, feta often, well every couple months, show up in my market as a mark down. I grab it and make spinach pie, a favorite

2 Pie Crust recipe

½ cup vegetable shortening

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold water

Mix your flour, shortening and salt till it looks like crumbles. Add water and mix till it comes off the sides of the bowl in one ball. Cut the ball in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag in the freezer,

Roll out your dough (which I just learned involves moving the dough instead of moving yourself to work in different directions. Roll dough around a rolling pin and unroll into your pan.

Spinach mixture

In a bowl crack 3 or 4 eggs

Crumble and add a container of feta cheese

Grate a half cup of cheddar cheese and add

Add a pinch of oregano and nutmeg if you have them

Add a drizzle of (olive) oil

Squeeze dry the two squares of spinach from a thawed frozen block

Mix the mixture well and add to pie crust

Baking is 350F for 25-30 minutes.

Delish and perfect for that meatless meal you resolved to make more of this year. We seldom have seconds but Nana and I have to share an extra slice. Yumm!