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_{DEN Lenten Program: Join us this Thursday at 430 pm for the first session in our Lenten series: Returning to the Garden: An Environmental Lenten Examination. Each week will start at 4:30 pm AST, and run on average until 6pm. All are invited to attend either in the Nursery at the Cathedral of All Saints in Halifax, or on Zoom. Please contact Blane Finnie at [email protected] for more information.}

Session 1: February 22 - Ownership, Human Rights, Challenging assumptions. This session sets the ground work for early environmental ethics, offers theological reflection on this material and critiques our cultural assumptions. 

Join Zoom Meeting. Note. This link will work for all sessions.
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Meeting ID: 857 3766 8106
Passcode: 098119

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Hi everyone, A reminder about the EV Charging Station Zoom meetings this week. Everyone is welcome! Please see the links below.

Prince Edward Island meeting Tuesday Feb 20 at 1 pm  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81645461473?pwd=TWh5aDBlei9NdEJYczFjS1FYV1p0QT09

Nova Scotia meeting Wednesday Feb 21 at 6:30 pm  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86333401821?pwd=cncxTUdpMGZqRXlIY2VxWlNaZnJ3Zz09

If you have any questions please let us know [email protected] AND if you have difficulty logging on please phone me (no text or email) at 902-483-6866

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_mhBweaVxU

_{More than 300 bird species have been observed at Hartlen Point; Nova Scotia’s top bird observation site and in Canada’s top 10. It is also the only site in Canada’s top 49 not protected. The Department of National Defense intends to build a land-based testing facility here. Construction will destroy the feeding and resting grounds for thousands of migratory birds. Site selection took place before public consultation was initiated. It used outdated and incomplete studies, ignored independent expert bird studies, did not consider the impact on lobster fisheries, and access to information requests have been ignored. Environment and Climate Change Canada claims to be “an international leader in bird science, monitoring and conservation.” Add your voice to this petition going to our government, asking that all construction and development of the land-based testing facility be paused until protective and informed measures have been completed.}https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4804

_{The majority of Ecuadorians voted to ban fossil fuel drilling in the super-biodiverse Yasuní National Park last August. It was a powerful victory of people choosing nature! 6 months later, Ecuador's new president wants to carry on with drilling and do away with both democracy and rainforest. The people said yes to protecting Yasuní National Park. As a home to millions of species of plants, birds, insects, and mammals, it may be the most biologically diverse place on the planet. Indigenous leaders and allies are rallying and returning to the fight for its protection. Please add your name to show there is global support for the permanent end to drilling in the Amazon!} https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/stopoilamazon_loc/

_{Dove has spent millions on campaigns like ‘Real Beauty’ and on ads that convince the world their business is a force for good. Consumers are smart enough to connect the discrepancies of their actions. Dove talks of tackling toxic beauty standards, but their plastic creates toxic waterways. They claim to celebrate motherhood, but their plastic contaminates our bodies. They market to animal lovers and talk about raising teenage girls’ self-esteem, but their products destroy our future. They say they stand against racism, but relentlessly pollute communities in countries like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Almost 100,000 people have signed this petition asking Dove to stop selling plastic sachets by the end of 2025 and to commit to phasing out all single-use plastics within ten years. Dove says they care about real beauty; let’s ask them to prove it.} https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/dove-open-letter

_{Canada’s biggest banks are among the worst 15 fossil fuel funders in the world. They are using our money to fund the climate crisis. More than 10,000 supporters have sent messages to MPs asking to align the financial system with the Paris Agreement. This advocacy option is about taking the next step in dialing the pressure up by dialing our Minister of Finance. All the instructions are in the link, including tips and talking points. Take a few minutes to call on our leaders to defund fossil fuels now!}

 https://act.greenpeace.ca/en-ca/call-Freeland-to-defund-fossil-fuels

_{In many ways Costa Rica has been an environmental leader on climate change, far ahead of Canada on the issue.  Now Norway may be promoting oil and gas expansion in Costa Rica with a Costa Rican ex-environment minister who could profit more than the country itself. Take action to encourage Costa Rica to keep being a climate leader, keep its beautiful landscape and ban fossil fuel expansion.} https://www.sierraclub.ca/action-item/costa-rica-norway-gas/

Helping the environment in Winter

_{Although we always speak about the environment year-round, it seems winter is the time of year when we “do” fewer things to help the environment. Put “Helping the environment in winter” in a search engine and you will find there is lots of materi}al.

_{Starting in our homes, no matter what type of heat source we have, we can all deal with a bit cooler weather inside. Dress in layers. Use those sweaters that have been in your cupboard for years.}

_{Find warm socks at a church sale and get a pair of slippers a size or two larger so those big socks fit in them.}

_{Start cooking things in the oven. Ovens heat the kitchen and make large quantities that can be portioned and frozen to make life easier.}

_{We need a warm bathroom to shower but maybe we could just warm up that one room for an hour instead of pumping heat in there every time the furnace comes on.}

_{Add extra blankets to your bed and turn your thermostat down a bit while you sleep. It saves energy and money.}

_{As you run out of lightbulbs, replace them with energy-efficient ones. Sounds easy but a pack can be expensive. I go to dollar stores and buy one or two at a time.}

_{Outside, shovel the snow before it turns to ice. It takes longer to get rid of ice.}

_{Use the correct de-icer for that ice. Since we have a dog, I buy the pet-friendly salt to keep her pads in good shape. However, I don’t always use salt. In the summer I fill a few laundry detergent bottles with sand from our beach. It does make more dirt come in the house but that is what brooms and vacuums are for.}

_{One thing I am guilty of is “warming up the car” longer than I need to do so. The car needs to run a bit in cold weather but not 20 minutes. I set my kitchen timer for 10 minutes and spend that time filling my water bottle, gathering whatever I need to take, making sure I have my phone, running to the washroom and so on. When the timer goes off, I am out that door. Fewer car emissions help the climate.}

_{When we do go out, I try to get as many chores done in one day. Last month I had a day I went to 11 stops in one run. That was too much for me to handle. I need to maybe break it into a 6-8 stop day. Using my car less where I live 25 to 50 km from stores equates walking to close by stores in town or using the bus. I would love to have a bus here.}

_{Make sure your generator is away from windows, doors, or vents. If you have a battery for an electric start on your generator, consider getting a 10-watt solar battery charger. If the power is off, you can still charge the starter battery even in overcast weather.}

_{I am sure there are many more ideas out there. If you have one just write Grandma ([email protected]) or DEN and we will pass it on.}

_{Remember, we can’t do everything needed to cure climate change but if each of us can find one more thing here and another there sometime later, we are doing a lot. Pat yourself on the back, even reading this e-news means you are helping the planet. Take care of each other.}

_Grandma

_{https://www.earthday.org/5-ways-to-be-more-earth-friendly-during-winter/}

_{https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/epahome/hi-winter.htm}

_{https://www.neefusa.org/story/sustainability/how-protect-environment-during-winter-months}

_{Craft – Suet Cans}

_{If you are lucky enough to find a bag of minced suet (Gateway), it is just a matter of mixing suet and birdseed until it looks right. I save sardine and tuna tins for this purpose as my Mom was always one to use anything at least twice before it was thrown out. Even bread bags were saved at our house, to use to give plants and veggies away through the summer.}

_{Something to Eat}

_{This is the time of year that I clean the freezers. My collection of laundry baskets and boxes appear as things are taken out of each freezer and put on the front deck on a sub-zero day. Front deck? The food keeps cold, and we can make sure no 4 legged critters decide to visit.}

_{It is amazing how fast the kitchen freezer melts which probably means my temp is a bit high or the heat pump fan pours warm air into that freezer. Either way, I find a few surprises and make a few new meals I do know I save a bit more than others and my soup this week proved it}

_{Clean the freezer soup}

_{1 package of your oldest meat (Mine was a December 2022 hamburger. My daughter’s oldest meat was a March 2023 piece of steak.)}

_{An assortment of vegetables. (Quarter bags of store-bought veggies, that corn you stuck in the freezer when you had too much, and any small pack of any veggie dated more than a year back.) Check the fridge for left overs that can be used up.}

_{Broth. I can’t throw away good broth, so I had a mayo jar of a “Jiggs Dinner” juice or I added veggie broth to it.}

_{Cook meat in the bottom of a big soup pot. Add everything else to that pot. You may want to add an onion or garlic.}

_{Bring to a boil and then put down to a simmer for an hour.} 

_{In the Midst of Winter}

_{Lord:
In the midst of Winter, when the days are cold and wind can pierce remind us of the warmth of your love.
In the midst of Winter, when days are short, dawn comes late, and dusk arrives early remind us that in the darkness your light still shines.
In the midst of Winter, when the flowers of spring still lie hidden in the earth, when leaves are off the trees, and the world can seem bleak
remind us that Easter is but a short time away.
And when in our lives we feel as if we are experiencing a season of winter, reach out to us with the power of your resurrection so that we may feel the warmth of your love and see your light that alone can take away the darkness of our soul.}

_{- Cal Wick}

_{https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/winter-prayers#:~:text=Lord%3A,darkness%20your%20light%20still%20shines.&text=remind%20us%20that%20Easter%20is%20but%20a%20short%20time%20away.}