⭐️ SILVER AWARD ⭐️
Oakshaw Trinity is now a Silver Award Eco Congregation!
Thanks to everyone for their continuing role they play in ensuring Scotland and the wider world has a just, fair and green recovery from Covid-19.
On this website there are ideas for ways you can make changes etc. which individually may not seem big but collectively do make the difference in preserving God’s world now and for future generations.
ECO TIPS
Supermarket milk comes in plastic bottles which, while recyclable, are single use, so energy inefficient. Shops do sell smaller amounts in cardboard containers but these are coated with plastic inside and out, making them hard to recycle. This means your best bet is to go old school and use a local milkman -as the majority of people did until around 30 years ago. Most areas have dairies that deliver locally and provide milk in reusable glass bottles.
Please save up your empty tablet blister packs and take them to Superdrug for recycling.
Superdrug are working with TerraCycle who will convert the packaging into reusable raw materials using its unique recycling process – preventing these ending up in landfill sites.
In addition, Superdrug is supporting Marie Curie as each empty blister pack that gets recycled supports their “Little Packs, Big Impack” scheme.
Recycling and supporting a great charity; what could be better?
Superdrug are working with TerraCycle who will convert the packaging into reusable raw materials using its unique recycling process – preventing these ending up in landfill sites.
In addition, Superdrug is supporting Marie Curie as each empty blister pack that gets recycled supports their “Little Packs, Big Impack” scheme.
Recycling and supporting a great charity; what could be better?
Spiritual Living
“Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God” Luke 12:6
Spring is a time to shake off the winter blues and get outdoors! It is a time when wildlife around Scotland is waking up and looking for fresh food and a place to call home and this makes it a great time for practical creation care, attracting God’s creatures into your gardens and our church yard. Here are some ideas for how to do this:
Have a look at the Scottish Bible Society's wonder walks at https://www.facebook.com/scottishbiblesociety/videos/
These are an amazing way of connecting with nature in a spiritual way.
“Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God” Luke 12:6
Spring is a time to shake off the winter blues and get outdoors! It is a time when wildlife around Scotland is waking up and looking for fresh food and a place to call home and this makes it a great time for practical creation care, attracting God’s creatures into your gardens and our church yard. Here are some ideas for how to do this:
- Put up a bird box
- Put up a bird feeder
- Build a bee or bug hotel
- Grow a wild flower patch
Have a look at the Scottish Bible Society's wonder walks at https://www.facebook.com/scottishbiblesociety/videos/
These are an amazing way of connecting with nature in a spiritual way.
Should I use bars of soap and shampoo or refillable bottles?
Liquid soap uses 5 times more energy to make than solid soap. It also uses 20 times more packaging and 15 times more transport emissions. Solid soap lasts seven times as long as the same weight of liquid soap.
Liquid soap uses 5 times more energy to make than solid soap. It also uses 20 times more packaging and 15 times more transport emissions. Solid soap lasts seven times as long as the same weight of liquid soap.
Is it possible to keep food fresh without harming the planet?
Clingfilm poses many environmental issues, being practically impossible to recycle. Instead, beeswax wraps are great to keep food fresh. They are made of pieces of fabric coated in wax, which responds to the heat from your hands by softening and making a seal. Aluminium foil can be a suitable alternative as it can be recycled.
Clingfilm poses many environmental issues, being practically impossible to recycle. Instead, beeswax wraps are great to keep food fresh. They are made of pieces of fabric coated in wax, which responds to the heat from your hands by softening and making a seal. Aluminium foil can be a suitable alternative as it can be recycled.
Quick switches that will change the world
#1 Kitchen roll or washable alternatives?
It takes 17 trees and 91,000 litres of water to make one tonne of kitchen roll; it is then infused with toxic chemicals and bleached white. Switch to reusable bamboo paper towels which are naturally antibacterial and can be washed several times.
Eco Thoughts:
Plastic: not so fantastic.....most of us consume around 5g of plastic in food and drink in a week – about a credit card’s worth!
Eco Tip #1
Plastic is used in our clothing, food packets, electronics, bottles, paints and building materials. It is a vital component of our cars, phones and computers, homes and gardens. It surrounds us in one form or another, both day and night. A lot of this ends up in the sea and the cost to marine life is devastating.
The top 10 worst single use offenders are
1)crisp packets
2)wet wipes
3)sandwich packaging
4)sauce sachets
5)ready-meal trays
6)pet food pouches
7)cotton buds
8)plant pots
9)plastic drinking straws
10)“foilized “ wrapping paper
Can you make 1 change in your daily life to help protect our seas and marine life?
Eco Tip #2
When you decide to go plastic free in your home it can be tempting to throw it all away. However, this will create waste, probably going to landfill. A better idea is to select pieces for charity donation or, if your item is currently being out to good use, then keep using it.
The real decisive shift is to commit to not buying new plastic products. Once you have done this you can gradually decide how to replace items and dispose of them responsibly.
Eco Tip #3
As well as making simple swaps at home, there are a number of campaigns you could get involved with to help create real change. Plastic Planet and Friends of the Earth are currently petitioning governments everywhere to look at how they are handling the plastic pollution crisis.
Eco Tip #4
Plastic bags have been on the environmental hit list for many years now and yet about 1 million bags are still used every minute worldwide, with each bag taking up to 1,000 years to degrade.
Simple canvas “bags for life” are readily and cheaply available and can be put through the washing machine when dirty. Made from cotton, they are also biodegradable
Eco Tip #5
Stop Buying Bottled Water
Even if you recycle your plastic bottle, enormous amounts of energy and resources have still been used to extract, bottle and ship it around the world. Bottled water produces 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year. According to plastic recycling charity Recoup Recycling, the UK alone uses 13 billion plastic bottles each year! Switch to good, Scottish tap water.
To All Crisp Lovers:
Did you know that it takes 80 years for a crisp packet to decompose?
Did you know that 150 of them can be ironed together and turned into a survival blanket for a homeless person to help keep their sleeping bag dry and insulated?
Plastic: not so fantastic.....most of us consume around 5g of plastic in food and drink in a week – about a credit card’s worth!
Eco Tip #1
Plastic is used in our clothing, food packets, electronics, bottles, paints and building materials. It is a vital component of our cars, phones and computers, homes and gardens. It surrounds us in one form or another, both day and night. A lot of this ends up in the sea and the cost to marine life is devastating.
The top 10 worst single use offenders are
1)crisp packets
2)wet wipes
3)sandwich packaging
4)sauce sachets
5)ready-meal trays
6)pet food pouches
7)cotton buds
8)plant pots
9)plastic drinking straws
10)“foilized “ wrapping paper
Can you make 1 change in your daily life to help protect our seas and marine life?
Eco Tip #2
When you decide to go plastic free in your home it can be tempting to throw it all away. However, this will create waste, probably going to landfill. A better idea is to select pieces for charity donation or, if your item is currently being out to good use, then keep using it.
The real decisive shift is to commit to not buying new plastic products. Once you have done this you can gradually decide how to replace items and dispose of them responsibly.
Eco Tip #3
As well as making simple swaps at home, there are a number of campaigns you could get involved with to help create real change. Plastic Planet and Friends of the Earth are currently petitioning governments everywhere to look at how they are handling the plastic pollution crisis.
Eco Tip #4
Plastic bags have been on the environmental hit list for many years now and yet about 1 million bags are still used every minute worldwide, with each bag taking up to 1,000 years to degrade.
Simple canvas “bags for life” are readily and cheaply available and can be put through the washing machine when dirty. Made from cotton, they are also biodegradable
Eco Tip #5
Stop Buying Bottled Water
Even if you recycle your plastic bottle, enormous amounts of energy and resources have still been used to extract, bottle and ship it around the world. Bottled water produces 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year. According to plastic recycling charity Recoup Recycling, the UK alone uses 13 billion plastic bottles each year! Switch to good, Scottish tap water.
To All Crisp Lovers:
Did you know that it takes 80 years for a crisp packet to decompose?
Did you know that 150 of them can be ironed together and turned into a survival blanket for a homeless person to help keep their sleeping bag dry and insulated?
Sunday School
If you are looking for a project to help pass the time during the continued lockdown why not help out in the church's kindness rock garden project. maybe the ideas below will help with some inspiration. Take one, share one, leave one.
