Action 31: Avoiding out of season fruit is one way of keeping our carbon footprint in check. But you can preserve fruits while they are in season to eat later. Bottle peaches to eat at Christmas. Make blackberry and apple jelly to go on crumpets. Preserve apricots in Marsala – great with ice cream. Transform plums into a spicy chutney.
Action 30: Make a bug hotel. Insects and other mini beasts in our gardens do need places of shelter, places to rest and, come with winter, places to, hibernate. Without human intervention/ obstruction these small creatures would seek shelter in nocks and crannies offered by dead plants, the bark of trees, fallen deadwood etc. Much of environment lacks such places partly because we tend to keep things tidy and all surfaces clear of obstruction. We can compensate by purposefully creating insect-friendly spaces: eg by not cutting back and clearing dead plants, and/or by building bug hotels. The RSPB and other environmental charities have instructions for these:
Action 29: Plan next year’s holiday? Since air travel comes with a disproportionate carbon footprint, why not see where you might go travelling by train: Berlin? Moscow? Venice? The Alps? The Fiords? Or maybe closer to home: Tenby? St Ives? Scarborough? Brighton? Fort William? Windermere? Maybe plan a grand railway tour.
Action 28: Find out about new recycling options. Did you know Superdrug will take and recycle blister packs used for pills and tablets? Did you know the Co-op will take and recycle all soft/ scrunchable plastics such as biscuit wrappers and crisp packets?
Action 27: Do a survey of your dustbin. What are you throwing out? Could any of it be recycled, repaired or reused? Do some of the things that you buy come with too much pack again? Could you shop differently? What would it take to half the amount of rubbish you produce each week? What would it take to reduce it to zero?
Action 26: Last week’s IPCC report issued us a code red warning: if we do not act now and act with sufficient magnitude, we will not be able to avert the already escalating climate emergency. Britain as the host nation of the COP26 conference in Glasgow should be leading the way putting in place not only strategies but actions too to ensure we achieve, nationally and globally, the 2050 net zero emissions target. Write to Alok Sharma the appointed President for COP26, and ask what is happening.
Action 25. Try out a new vegan recipe or have a go at this recipe for vegan pesto.
Vegan Pesto
In a food processor grind 50g of almonds till coarsely chopped.
Add to the processor 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, the juice of 2 lemons and 100ml of olive oil.
Add 500ml of green leaves such as rocket, nasturtium leaves or basil – or a mix of such peppery tasting leaves. (If the leaves are torn into smaller pieces it will enable the mixture to process more easily).
Blitz everything until it is a thick paste.
You can add more oil and lemon juice if you want a slacker paste.
If you are not using the pesto immediately, store in a covered jar in the fridge.
Action 24: Pray. Prayer is not a pointless activity. It is the means of bringing our concerns close to God, allowing God’s concerns to come close to us. It energises and revitalises our efforts to live as God’s people according to God’s will.
This prayer was written for the Sixth Anniversary of Laudato Si’ by the Columban Missionaries (Britain)
Loving God,
Open our minds and touch our hearts
so that we may attend to your gift of creation …
Now more than ever may we feel
that we are all connected and interdependent;
enable us to listen and respond
to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.
May the present sufferings be the birth pangs
of a more familial and sustainable world.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Action 23: Cycles of all shapes and sizes benefit from regular cleaning and maintenance: and you are rewarded with a speedy and comfortable ride. Even in the summer cycles get dirty and the recent heavy rain we have had will have added more grime and mud to the frame and moving parts. Once cleaned, lightly oil the chain. Check brakes and adjust or replace as necessary: in wet weather well adjusted brakes are an essential safety measure.
As the nights begin to draw in, make sure that you have a set of functioning front and rear lights.
Action 22: Love things we do not own. Look round your garden or your nearest park and choose a plant – a flower or a tree – and spend time admiring it, paying it attention. If we are to be truly motivated to care for the world around us, we need to fall in love with it. This year I have been drawn to the weeds that grow in the garden and see them now as wild flowers.
The Green Tau 