Give up carbon for Lent, Church urges

Have you given up anything for Lent? No? Greenbang has. She decided to not drink drain cleaner for the next 40 days – and, while she doesn’t like to blow her own trumpet, she’s pretty confident she’ll breeze through the next month-and-a-bit without wavering.

If you went for the more traditional option of giving up chocolate or alcohol, Greenbang wishes you good luck. Meanwhile the Church of England is advocating giving up carbon for Lent, according to The Guardian. Greenbang was eating two carbon bars a day, so that could be tricky and would dearly miss her cup of hot carbon in the morning…

The Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, who is also vice-president of Tearfund, and the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, have launched the “carbon fast” in response to what they say is an “urgent need” to reduce carbon emissions, and to protect poor communities around the world that are “already suffering from the ravages of climate change”.

The 40-day plan lists simple energy-saving actions that can lead towards a lighter carbon footprint, including snubbing plastic bags, giving the dishwasher a day off, insulating the hot-water tank and checking the house for drafts.