ECO ERIC TIPS FOR SEPTEMBER
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1st September – 4th October is marked by Christians as the “Season of Creation”; a time for our churches to focus on God as Creator and Sustainer of all life. The theme this year is “Peace with Creation”, based on Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah pictured the desolated Creation without peace, because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between people and God. Let us join other Christians at this time in praying for climate & ecological justice and speaking out for the communities affected by climate injustice. For more information, see https://seasonofcreation.org |
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Has your garden got enough late flowering plants to help butterflies through the winter? Small Tortoiseshells & Peacocks need to feed up to overwinter as adults whereas Painted Ladies & most Red Admirals migrate and need lots of nectar to fuel their journeys to Europe and Africa. Besides the well-known Buddleia, late flowering Lavenders, Sedums (eg.Autumn Glory), Salvias and Veronicas are great sources of nectar, as are tall daisy type flowers such as Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Helenium.
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Tuesday 16th September is “International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer” – a fragile shield of gas in the stratosphere that protects the earth from some of the harmful rays of the sun. In the early 1980s, it was realised that certain gases, such as those previously used in refrigerants and aerosol sprays, were harming the ozone layer. In 1987, the United Nations came together in Montreal and agreed ways to tackle this. All nations have stuck to the agreements, and the ozone layer is now recovering. Let’s be thankful for this example of what international cooperation at its best can achieve!
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Farmers in developing countries, have done the least to contribute to climate change, yet are disproportionately affected by it. Fair prices for their products are a vital step out of poverty. Tomorrow is the start of Fairtrade Fortnight running from 22nd September -5th October, so let’s make an effort to buy some fairly traded products and help farmers throughout the world receive fair prices and better working conditions. Look out for the Fairtrade logo and see the website for more information. www.fairtrade.org.uk
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| Now’s a good time to sow wildflower seeds; soils have more moisture after the summer drought but are still warm enough for germination. Why not give nature a boost by setting aside an area of border for wildflowers. You could consider going for a traditional cottage garden seed mix or select species specifically to attract butterflies, bees or birds. A number of companies supply these but go for UK produced seed and if possible locally sourced. | |
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