DEN Enews

Shrove Tuesday edition

Author

Diocesan Environment Network
February 13, 2024

 

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In this Edition:

  • Our Lenten series: Returning to the Garden: An Environmental Lenten Examination

  • EV Charging Stations opportunity for your parish

  • Season of Creation has announced 2024 theme

  • Become a Butterfly Ranger

  • Jesse Hamilton’s fun new Green Bundle website

  • New way to contact Save Our Old Forests

  • 6 petitions

  • Local seed companies

February 11, 2024 • 6th Week in Ordinary Time

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” –1 Corinthians 10:31. It’s so easy to forget to slow down, savor, and give thanks for the fruits of the earth which nourish us each day. As you eat this week, intentionally give glory to God through your gratitude for the sun, the rain, and the laborers who have all made your meal possible. Give thanks for your food, knowing that many people in this world go hungry.  © The Pastoral Center / PastoralCenter.com. All rights reserved

DEN Lenten Program: Join us on Thursdays beginning Feb. 22 at 430 pm and every Thursday at this time until April 04.2024

Returning to the Garden: An Environmental Lenten Examination

The theological student, Blane Finnie, is offering an opportunity to share in exploring environmental issues, how they relate to theology and how this involves the church. He has offered similar material in other church communities, and his background in horticulture brings a richness to this subject. The sessions will be conducted Thursdays through Lent, the first session starting on February 22nd, and there will be no session on March 14th. They will start at 4:30pm AST, and run on average until 6pm. All are invited to attend 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.

 Session 2: February 29 - Animal Rights, and an Expanded view of Ethics. This session explores how expanding our view of rights can help resolve these issues. It also deals with inclusion and how we have even failed humans. 

 Session 3: March 7 - The Land Ethic, What Ecology has to teach us. This session flips the table and challenges the foundations of our assumptions. It offers an entirely different approach and shows the short comings of many of our traditional approaches.

Note: there will be no session on March 14th as Blane concentrates on presenting his grad project. Please keep him in your prayers.

 Session 4: March 21 - The Garden. This session harkens to the name of the study. It is primarily interested in gathering everything into a more serious theological reflection. At issue here is the relationship between Genesis and Revelation. The beginning and the ending. 

 Session 5: March 28 - Virtue Ethics, and Environmental Ethics. A crash course in virtue ethics, connecting that to Christian ethics and using some principles from Ecology to rethink virtue ethics.

 Session 6: April 4 - Practical Ethics. This is an entirely applied session, looking at case studies to discuss and other issues the group would like to explore.

Join Zoom Meeting. Note. This link will work for all sessions.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85737668106?pwd=4RrBOOcSzO9HfeVnNG0QDDBiIhezWb.1
Meeting ID: 857 3766 8106
Passcode: 098119
One tap mobile
+13863475053,,85737668106#,,,,*098119# US
+15074734847,,85737668106#,,,,*098119# US

Other Lenten resources:

Green Anglicans - The 40 Day Clean Up - daily applications to reduce our use of plastic. https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/lent-calendar-2024-print.pdf

PWRDF’s Lenten Resource - Focus on health and well-being; our own and that of planet. https://pwrdf.org/Lent2024/

Give it Up for the Earth - Pledge to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. https://cpj.ca/fortheearth/

The deadline is looming fast to become a Butterfly Ranger. Enroll by Feb. 19th to create a pollinator patch. Jesse Hamilton, one of our Advocacy Editors, has written an overview here : The Butterflyway Project | Supernaturegirl

All the information to be a butterfly ranger is here: Butterflyway Ranger program - David Suzuki Foundation

We are so excited to introduce you to Jesse Hamilton’s new website. From the link below, you can find the environment options Jesse has highlighted but there is so much more. Browse through Jesse’s pages and blogs and enjoy her sense of humour and dedication to the earth.

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS:
SOOF is moving to a new email address starting Monday, February 12 our email is  [email protected] 

We are in the process of transitioning SOOF to be its own nonprofit, and will be moving our website and email to a new platform.  You'll be able to find us online at www.saveouroldforests.ca coming soon.    For the time being - if you need a copy of any of the petitions please send an email to [email protected]

You can still follow them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

with thanks to Eva Evans and Jesse Hamilton

Tell the Nova Scotia government to get their Act together! Despite Nova Scotia facing the worst sea-level rise predictions in the country, NS Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Tim Halman has announced an indefinite delay on implementing the Coastal Protection Act(CPA) regulations. Delaying regulations designed to protect our coast from inappropriate, short-sighted development places our communities at unacceptable risk, and it will be Nova Scotian taxpayers who wind up footing the bill for the province’s negligence. The implementation of the CPA regulations is already long overdue. As Hurricane Fiona showed us, Nova Scotians are already feeling the effects of the climate emergency and paying for the results of irresponsible development through disaster relief funds and clean-up efforts. We cannot let this delay stand.

Imagine suffering for 16 years from noise and air pollution from coal mining. Now imagine being told the huge pit in your backyard won’t be cleaned up, instead your community will be left a clean-up bill for more than $200 million. Imagine further, that an original restoration deal was promised to residents decades ago. This situation has replayed itself around our world. It is happening right now in Wales with the mining giant Merthyr. The Ffos-y-fran coal mine is the largest opencast mine in the UK. The land now looks like a wasteland crater with holes from years of digging. It’s going to be left like this, unless people come together to say no way can government and company evade responsibility and leave behind the destruction. Canadians can lend their support to the community through this petition. It is going to the Welsh government and demanding that the company pay up to restore nature.

Environmental racism occurs when environmental policies or practices intentionally or unintentionally result in disproportionate negative impacts on Indigenous and racialized individuals, groups or communities. Too often, Canadian environmental law and policy fail to prevent this from occurring. It’s a gap that must be addressed with clear legislative requirements and accountability mechanisms. The National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act would require the federal government to establish a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and advance environmental justice. The House of Commons passed Bill C-226 in March 2023, but the Senate still needs to approve it before it becomes law.

Climate change and pollution are among the threats to five fragile coral species currently at high risk in the Indo-Pacific region that stretches from the Indian Ocean to the western and central Pacific. These corals desperately need a chance to recover, and this petition is about making sure that chance doesn’t ‘wave’r. Corals play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, and having critical habitat protected federally can double odds of recovery. A decade ago, the (U.S.) National Marine Fisheries Service protected all five coral species under the Endangered Species Act. However, it didn't grant them critical habitat. They need critical habitat for their own sake and the sake of the spectacular reefscape they sustain. The proposed protection of 97 square miles of coral habitat across 16 Indo-Pacific islands is finally on the table. Let’s give the operation a push to help finalize this coral protection!

As you read this, the last slivers of old growth forests in BC are being logged, Northern boreal forests in the east are being doused with poisonous pesticides, and salmon populations are imperiled on both coasts. Science tells us that we must protect nature to limit global warming, yet exploitative industries continue to destroy it with zero regard for Indigenous sovereignty. Corporations get away with this appalling behaviour because Canadian policy protects the polluter. To fix it, we need a new Biodiversity Act that protects the rich ecosystems of Canada. This law must respect Indigenous sovereignty, ensure public accountability, and establish firm nature protection targets. The Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, announced his willingness to enshrine nature targets in legislation back in 2022 and repeated this promise at the end of 2023. And yet we’re still waiting. In the meantime, fresh research reveals a surge in lobbying efforts from corporations advocating for false solutions. From logging giants to mining companies, they’re all maneuvering behind the scenes pushing for offset-enabling policies rather than new regulations to actually protect nature. We need to urge the government to focus on real solutions. Together, let’s tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that we are fed up with the prioritization of profit-driven corporations over Indigenous rights and the environment. It’s time for real action.

with thanks to Claudia Zinck

Seed Companies

There is nothing better than a snowstorm to look at Seed Catalogues. We have so many locally that I wanted to give you a list of who is out there and maybe a few things I have learned about them.

Rainbow Seed – A New Brunswick family-owned Seed Company. This stay-at-home Mom grows and gathers seeds that grow well in our Maritime climate. I like the way they tell you how many seeds are in a packet which is great when planning planting kits. They also sent our Parish extra seeds to help with the kits and with the community gardens. Very kind, very generous company. https://www.rainbowseeds.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

There is a company called “Sow Local Seeds” from Myers Point in Head of Jeddore. Although new to me they have been working a seed company for a few years now. https://sowlocalseeds.ca/

Incredible Seeds is located near Bridgewater NS. They do have a few seed-growing fields in the Valley (Annapolis) but work out of the South Shore. Again, local seeds and I must say personally that they have a fast-shipping time. https://www.incredibleseeds.ca/

I remember when Annapolis Seeds started. The owner was a high school student with an interest in seed saving and starting a business. This company has grown and flourished including so many heirloom seeds. https://annapolisseeds.com/

Revival Seeds is in Mosher Corner in the Valley (Annapolis) this 5th and 6th generation Ukrainian decent family continues seed gathering and produce they worked when first immigrating to Manitoba. https://revivalseeds.ca/

Halifax Seed Company has been around since 1866. You can order online or walk into their store. https://www.halifaxseed.ca/

PEI Seed Alliance does have seeds for 2024 even through their website isn’t completely updated. https://peiseedalliance.ca/

In Clementsport, NS you will find Hope Seeds https://hopeseed.com/

No list is complete without Vessey’s Seed. Their catalogue graces our reading chair (the chair everything gets piled on) all year round. https://www.veseys.com/

So what is my favourite and why? First of all, I can’t say a bad word about any of these companies. For a gardener, I suggest you visit PEI if for no other reason than to visit Vesey’s. When we were there, they had gardens near the shop you could visit. Even better, they have a whole room of bulbs! I was in my glory just visiting their shop.

Still, my favourite is Rainbow Seeds. They are economical. Take your seed list and go to any other site and then put the same seeds in your rainbow cart and you see a smaller bill. They often have free shipping if your order is over $25, and we all know it takes very little to spend that amount. Their seed packs are bigger, and they are heirloom seeds that allow you to collect some of your seeds. Besides the practical reasons, they supported our planting kit project, our community garden and I still have leftover flower seeds to help the bees this summer. Anything that involves kids and gardening, they are so generous to help.

Pick a day and browse seed catalogues if only online. It gives such hope of sunshine and gardens on gloomy days.

Earth Day Idea

These are the tops from ice cream tubs used by corner stores and ice cream parlours in the summer. Although many in my community use the tubs for container gardens or to make big berry buckets, they don’t want the covers. I made a label by tracing the inside of the tub and then printed my message on regular letter-size paper. Then it was just a matter of cutting out the circles and a bit of glue to hold in place.

Give them to every kid as they leave service or from any community event. Homemade frisbees.

 

Easy Homemade Toy

Wash out your next plastic milk container. Cut the bottom off the milk carton (and save it for other crafts). Make a hole in the plastic cap. Thread a string through the cap (and screw it back on the bottle), then tie a knot to keep it in place.

Make some sort of a ball which could be a yarn tassel or a small bouncy ball and attach it to your longish string. Play by throwing the ball in the air and catching it in the cup. Not as easy as you think.

It was one of those days when the fridge had leftovers that I needed to use up. Finding some pork steak and a couple of recipes for ideas, I made the following and it was good.

Pork and Rice Casserole

2-3 pork chops or pork steak

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic

1 cup rice

1 can cream of mushroom soup.

1 cup veggie or chicken broth (cup of water with a spoonful of granulates. A bit more water if it looks dry)

I had leftover carrots and fresh broccoli but a cup or 2 of any veggies would work

I had maybe a cup of Mozza cheese I was worried it might spoil.

Look in your fridge and add whatever you might have left over.

In your biggest fry pan, maybe one with a lid, brown the pork with onion and garlic. Add everything else mix and cook for about half an hour.

This is usually a Sunday meal at the house. On Saturday I will mix up the meat, onions and garlic in one bowl. Everything else goes in a second bowl. Leave it in the fridge til just before supper to make an easy supper with extra in case guests pop in.