Blog

Wednesday May 19^th, 7.30 pm.
On Line Event – via Zoom

David Miller former Toronto Mayor, and author of Solved: How the World’s Great Cities Are Fixing the Climate Crisis, will discuss the climate crisis Wednesday May 19th in a conversation hosted on Zoom by St. Aidan’s Anglican and Beach United churches. Everyone is welcome.

Miller will talk about his book and his ideas for tackling climate at the city level with Rev. Canon Lucy Reid, incumbent at St. Aidan’s and Grace Rockett, a member of the parish and member of TCAN (Toronto Climate Action Network). Our area counselor, Brad Bradford, will have an opportunity to respond to Miller’s suggestions and there will also be time for questions from the zoom audience. Rev. Karen Dale of Beach United will offer her comments and reflections before the evening closes. 

The idea of inviting Miller emerged from a meeting of Paul Dowling and Allan Baker of Beach United’s Environmental Action Group with John Brewin chair of St. Aidan’s Eco-Spirituality Group and Michael Van Dusen.  Miller is committed to climate justice: after leaving the Mayor’s office in 2010, he served as CEO of World Wildlife Fund-Canada. He is currently the North American director for the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

The core idea of Solved, in Miller’s own words, is that “… by replicating the best and most effective ideas already implemented…. we can make a significant leap forward in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and put the world on a path to 1.5 degrees. The ideas discussed in this book have all been implemented somewhere.”

When contacted, Miller was enthusiastic about the community-level response that the churches were looking for. He was also intrigued by the integration of ecology and spirituality that framed the invitation. For some, involving churches in climate change and the environmental concerns may seem remote from their traditional activities. But in the Anglican faith, Eco-spirituality is part of our baptismal promise to care for the earth. We share the view, articulated by Baker on the Beach United site, that, “… we believe that all of life on earth is inter-connected, and that God intended that all life is to thrive. For us, there is no division between the “spiritual” and the “material”: God is the Creator of all that exists. We are a part of the environment, and it is a part of us in this beautiful web of life.”

The similar theologies of Beach United and St. Aidan’s; along with a history of effective joint projects and combination of resources, encouraged the further development of this partnership into the area of Eco-spirituality.  We hope you will join us and add your voice to this important conversation.

How to join the Zoom conversation with David Miller

Click on the zoom link below at 7.30 pm on Wednesday May 19^th.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88178295533?pwd=UzFKTFdOd1dWVXh5eEhVTkpzeHdxZz09

Phone: 647-374-4685
Meeting ID: 881 7829 5533
Passcode: 353016

David Miller will receive an honorarium, which he has asked go to his family foundation.  If you are able to support Beach United Church to host events such as these, please make a donation using the link below and receive a tax receipt immediately.

https://beachunitedchurch.com/about-us/donate

Thank you for your generosity.

According to a recent U.N. report, that’s how much food the average Canadian wastes at home in a year. And this doesn’t include edible food that gets thrown out by farmers, producers, suppliers, grocery stores and restaurants.

At Beach United, community meals and green initiatives are a vital part of our ministry. When we know good food is being lost or wasted, we want to do something about it.

Food waste was the subject of the documentary, Just Eat It, that we discussed in our “Watch, Discuss, Act” series in February. And our Environmental Action Group is looking for ways to connect with other community groups that want to save food that would otherwise be discarded.

The environmental impact of food waste:

When food is wasted, it means that everything involved in producing it ‒ such as fertilizers and animal feed, water, packaging materials, and the fuel for harvesting and shipping ‒ is wasted too.

Food that ends up in landfill creates methane gas, which is 25 times more damaging to the environment that carbon dioxide.

Reducing food waste is an important step to reducing carbon emissions and addressing the climate crisis.

Food waste reduction requires action at every link of the supply chain, from policies and regulations for food producers and distributors, to individual steps taken by consumers.

Here are ways we can make a difference in our own kitchens:

Plan ahead. When you know what you need to cook, you can use food more efficiently.

Use up what you have. Check your fridge, pantry & freezer before you shop. Don’t let leftovers linger! And if you have perishable foods (vegetables, fruit, bread, dairy etc.), eat them (or freeze/preserve them) before they spoil.

Understand what “best before” means. “Best before” dates on food products are different from “expired” dates. The best-before date refers to quality, not safety. It’s safe to buy and eat foods after their best-before date (but store them properly to avoid spoilage). Do not eat foods after their expiry dates. Learn more about best-before dates here. 

Buy what you need. Make a grocery list and only purchase what you know you can use. This will help you avoid wasting food while saving money too.

Cook creatively. Try recipes for soups, smoothies and casseroles to use up leftovers and perishable foods. Here are some helpful resources:

* Save With Jamie cookbook by Jamie Oliver (and you can watch the Save With Jamie TV series on CBC Gem) 

* Zero-Waste Chef blog by Anne-Marie Bonneau  

* Love Food Hate Waste recipe finder: type in an ingredient to see what you can make with it 

If you have too much food, share it! Donate non-perishable items to food banks and neighbourhood food cupboards. Drop off casseroles and baked goods to family, friends and neighbours. If you have too many vegetables or fruit from your garden, put them out in a box for people to help themselves.

Here are some ways that unsold food is being distributed to people who need it:

Not Far From The Tree connects volunteer pickers with people in Toronto who have fruit trees on their property. A portion of each harvest is donated to community organizations.

Second Harvest redistributes unsold food to school programs, seniors’ centres, shelters and food banks. It has an app called FoodWaste.ca that links businesses with food surpluses to charities.

Learn More:

“People waste more food than thought, UN finds” – CBC News 

Just Eat It: a documentary about food waste 
You can watch it on the Knowledge Network website.

“Waste Not, Heat Not: Fighting The Climate Crisis From Your Kitchen” by Toronto writer Jen Knoch

“Food and Climate Change” by the David Suzuki Foundation 

“How To Stop Food Waste: A Comprehensive Guide” by Greenpeace Canada

Environment Canada: Food Loss and Waste

The Environmental Imperative for Electric Vehicles.

For anyone now driving a gas-powered vehicle, the biggest-impact single step you can take in reducing your individual carbon footprint is switching to an electric vehicle (assuming of course, similar driving practices).

If you are thinking about purchasing or leasing a new car (now or in the future), or just curious about the environmental advantage that electric vehicles offer, click here for a three-page white paper on the Environmental Imperative for Electric Vehicles.

Written by Ron Fitton, a member of Beach United’s congregation, the white paper summarizes the research into a comprehensive summary of the costs and benefits of electric cars.

Are you up for a challenge?

During Lent we are encouraging you to add more plant-based meals into your diet. This is a spiritual discipline which helps us to play an active part in caring for the earth by reducing our carbon foot-print.

The U.N. believes that a global shift toward plant-based food is vital if we are to combat the worst effects of climate change. Globally, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation systems combined.

This challenge will be different for each of us. I eat a vegetarian diet, so I will be reducing the amount of goat’s cheese and eggs that I eat. I am lactose intolerant which means I have not had cow’s milk for many years. Whatever your starting point, I hope that each of us will move closer to eating a plant based diet. If you are already there – thank you!

Need a little help?

I have invited people to send me their favourite vegetarian /vegan recipes, take-out restaurant which serve vegetarian dishes, and prepared vegan dishes from grocery stores.

The recipes are coming in from people you might well know at Beach United Church.

CLICK HERE for Recipes #1

CLICK HERE for Recipes #2

CLICK HERE for Recipes #3

A good place to start when eating more plant-based foods; is by using prepared plant-based foods from the grocery store or take-out meals – CLICK HERE

Karen’s Veggie Dal – with a local twist
This recipe uses as many local Ontario vegetables as possible. Less transportation means less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Tastes good, does you good and it’s good for the environment!

1. Sauté in olive oil, onion, 3 garlic cloves and ginger. Use large frying pan with lid.
2. Add 1 tsp of paprika, cumin, coriander
3. Add can tomatoes [796 ml], 1 cup green lentils [ rinsed and drained]
4. 1 leek chopped, half medium rutabaga, small cubed
5. 5 cups [1.2 liters] veggie stock
6. Can of black eyed peas
7. Stir well, to make sure lentils are not sticking to pan.
8. Cook at a slow boil for 30 mins
9. Add salt, pepper & lemon juice to taste.

I hope that you will join with me, as we each try to “live with respect in creation” [New Creed, United Church of Canada].

Karen Dale, in ministry with Beach United Church