LIVING LIGHT |
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Welcome! You have found the site of the CreationKeepers team (Christ Church's Eco Church Committee), which shares ideas and experiences about how we can all lighten our environmental footprint. We do this because we see our planet and its resources at a breaking point and believe in the power of personal examples. Most weeks, we will reflect on some aspect of living, working, shopping, consuming, reading, learning, etc. These are all local experiences and can easily be adopted by others in our community. Our authors (Rosie and Monika) look forward to any comments or ideas that you may also have and want to share. Send us your ideas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Blog #109: Lent, herrings, and my green-mindedness ... |
March 2, 2023 Monika Weber-Fahr |
Anyone walking along downtown streets in Vienna last week, or indeed anywhere across Austria passing a restaurant, would have seen the big signs inviting passerbys to come in and enjoy Heringsschmaus. Schmaus is an olden word for Feast, and indeed when you google the term Heringsschmaus in Österreich, you will be graced with nearly 150,000 references to either the best restaurants for Heringsschmaus or the best recipes for Heringsschmaus. Marking the end of the Carnival festivities and the beginning of lent with a meal consisting mostly of pickled herring apparently makes sense along various dimensions: For those who partied hard during the last days of carnival, herring might have been an excellent remedy against their hangover, while for those looking to mark the beginning of lent, in the olden days, herring was an inexpensive meal and a sign of modesty. And yes, it’s not just a catholic thing - also we in the Anglican church do sometimes consider fish to be the right thing to eat when fasting.
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Sofar so good. But what are we doing - here in Austria, so far away from the sea - eating a type of fish that had no other way to get here than by carriage, truck or (more lately perhaps) plane? And is herring overfished or available plentiful? I got curious and did a bit of research - and found both comforting and concerning information. For one, the CO2 footprint of herring specifically seems to be on the low side - if you live in Sweden or Norway that is (that’s where the research was done that led to the visual below). Having said that, if one considers that herring comes to us in Austria internationally imported - from Northern Germany or the Nordic countries - the distances are at least not as dramatic as for tuna and perhaps more comparable to the Salmon 1 or Salmon 2 categories in the graph below. Where the herring comes from does matter though - and here is the second good news: Most of the herring available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is Atlanto-Scandic Herring, fished in the north-eastern part of the Atlantic. Over there, herring is plentiful and therefore nowhere close to being endangered; in fact, herring is not on the endangered species list.
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![]() Foto: Different fish have different CO2 footprints - depending on how far they need to be transported but also depending on the fishing methods. In Sweden and Norway - where the data for this study come from, Herring has a very low CO2 footprint; by the time the Herring gets to us in Austria, that footprint will be higher but still moderate in comparison to some other types of fish. |
I figured this was good news since not only am I a huge fan of herring as a culinary joy, but also, as my older son just moved to Hamburg, I had visions of visiting him and regularly enjoying - indulging in - the traditional Heringsbrötchen (herring in a bun). And as I was contemplating these northern delicacies, that’s where I discovered the limitations: There are a number of areas in the Baltic Sea where herring actually is endangered - both because of overfishing and because of the impacts of climate change, warming the water, changing the availability of the plants that herring relies on and thus changing reproductive and migration patterns. The EU Commission thus imposed strict and limited fishing quotas for herring from the Baltic Sea - where much of Hamburg's Herring comes from - much to the chagrin of the fishermen and of course not without debate. So when purchasing your herring: Do look for labels signaling that the herring comes from good and plentiful fishing grounds, look for the emblems of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), of ASC or BioFisch. Even if some of the work of these organizations is also debated - in particular when it comes to aquaculture - at least they will certify that there are others who watch and look carefully what happens to the fish that you are buying. |
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With all that we have just learned, do we need to wait for next year’s Ash Wednesday to enjoy Heringschmaus? Probably not - in fact, I have seen a number of restaurants offering their Heringschmaus for well over a week after Ash Wednesday. And: Buying the herring yourself and preparing it along one of the many good recipes available online may even be more fund - and is probably the safest way of making sure that you get the right and possibly the best hering. A fish that - by the way - also is extraordinarily healthy to eat. |
Enjoy! |
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Blog #108: May these Ashes ... ! |
February 23, 2023 Monika Weber-Fahr |
Today, the day on which I am writing these lines, is Ash Wednesday, and I have the Ash Cross fresh on my forehead. “Grant that these ashes may be unto us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we remember that it is only by thy gracious gift that we are given everlasting life“ - these are the words spoken when ash is administered in our churches today (and no, I had not made it to Christ Church this morning but had to go elsewhere - just this time, Patrick, I hope you forgive me ;-)).
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Ash is a weird element - not something we tend to think about a lot, and yet it plays a major role in how our environment works, well beyond what we reflect on during Ash Wednesday. Most of us know ash as the solid, somewhat powdery substance that is left over after any fuel undergoes combustion - and yes, our old palm sunday crosses are indeed a fuel, not one for heating perhaps but one that we use at Christ Church Vienna as the base for our Ash Wednesday ashes. Yet, ash is so much more than a left over from a combustion process. Having once visited the tallest trees in the world in Redwood National Park, I remember a Ranger explaining how the wildfires helped the sequoias forests grow - not only because the heat cracked open the cones that held the seeds for new trees, but also because the fires left behind ashes full of nutrients, enriching the soil. So choosing ash as a symbol to remind us of everlasting life seems to have been a smart thing - at least when considering the fertilizing effect of many ashes.
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As Christians we know ash as a symbol not only for this week’s Ash Wednesday - it enters our prayers also when we come together at a Burial. “We commit this body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”, the minister may say as part of the funeral ritual. Well beyond the ritual, there are things to consider here in regard to the role of ash - when taking an environmental perspective. Before his death, my late brother had asked that he be cremated - because any other format for his burial would have harmful consequences for groundwater. I was surprised and somewhat taken aback when he told me. But he was right: Until we had had that conversation it had never occurred to me what might have been obvious to others - namely that “cemeteries are among the chief anthropogenic source of contamination of water in urban areas”, in particular where people are buried who had gone through chemotherapy or are buried with make-up, cardiac peacemakers or other metal hardware. Well beyond these chemicals and metals, processes of decomposition will generate all sorts of contaminants including microorganisms that may pollute water and groundwater. So: If this ever comes up - cremation is the most environmentally friendly path! Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. It’s not a great topic to write about - but when other than on Ash Wednesday can we reflect on the role and indeed benefits of ash in our lives?
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![]() Foto: Ashes are a familiar item for us Christians - on Ash Wednesday and in the context of Burials. Looked at through an environmental lense, they turn out to be a high-impact natural fertilizer for tired soils as well as a critical solution for the contamination risks that many cemeteries may otherwise expose the local groundwater to. |
Let me add one last thought: Before you get all excited about the benefits of ashes as a fertilizer, do a bit of research and check the fine print in case you are buying some. Only ash that is the result of burning wood that came directly from trees (as opposed to having burned old furniture or recycled wood or paper) should be applied in the garden; everything else is rather to be avoided on account of potentially containing pollutants. |
By the time you read this Blog, Ash Wednesday will be over, and you might be well into your lenten practice. Sentences like "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" might still be on your mind. And as you reflect on these words, do also remember: From a planetary health perspective, there is more to ashes than (just) mortality. |
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Blog #107: Let’s prepare for Plastic Fasting - When shopping for Hygiene & Beauty! |
February 16, 2023 Monika Weber-Fahr |
This Blog is for those of you who are considering or have already decided to join me as of next week for the 40 days (or some portion of them) of this year’s lenten period - in committing to Plastic Fasting as a lenten practice. The Blog is also dedicated to those who really have no intention to do this but are just kind of curious … to hear how disruptive, or even rewarding, it would be when avoiding - as much as possible - the use of single-use plastics that our fast food and instant gratification world has made such a big and yet environmentally damaging part of our lives. Today’s Blog looks at whether - and how - it’s even possible to commit to Plastic Fasting when shopping for hygiene and beauty products. Spoiler alert: It’s kind of tough - but you’ll learn about a whole new world of alternative (or old) ways of keeping clean and pretty. What is clear: Most of the products you normally use will be off-limits for the next 40 days. And, of course, that’s exactly what fasting is all about - about abstinence and abstention ;-)
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So what’s off-limits? The list is long: In the bathroom, you will have to abstain from your regular toothpaste, your showergel, your shampoo, your hand sanitizer, if you have one, and surely your liquid soap. In the kitchen the list continues: Most dishwasher soap comes in plastic-wrapped tabs, and most washing-up liquid will be in a plastic bottle. Cleaning products for the household offer the same if not more challenges. And by the time you get to look at your washing machine, you will discover that not only do all washing liquids come in plastic bottles - but also when you use powders that come in paper boxes, you are not safe from plastics, simply because of the micro-plastics being released when washing your clothes. Because yes: Clothes made with acrylic or polyester fabric will release micrplastics every time you wash them. Bummer. It seems obvious - but I had never thought about it.
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![]() Foto:Just doing your laundry, you are contributing to the world’s micro-plastic problems: This graph illustrates the average number of filber released when washing a regular 6kg load, depending on the material of the clothes you you wash. Source: HausVonEden.de |
Yes, my off-limits list is long. What makes this complicated, on my end, is that I share the household with a few others, none of whom are committed to Plastic Fasting, so I will have to be pragmatic. In the bathroom, it’s easy. I already figured out alternatives to tooth paste (there are nice powders that come in glasses and you can buy them at every DM), there are soap bars that work beautifully under the shower as well as shampoo bars. I have found further hair products that come in metal boxes, and instead of moisturizer I am using oils that come in glasses (I will have to ignore their plastic tops, thoughl; I simply could not find easily accessible oils that come differently). In the cleaning product department, there are a lot of options - for me my taste, though, too many to choose from. For washing powder, the most simple solution is to go for Frosch products. They don’t test just as well as some of the other alternatives, but Frosch does offer a washing powder (instead of liquid) that is guaranteed free of microplastics, as well as tabs for the dishwasher that are also microplastic free. For the rest, I will walk into my local Unverpackt store and simply buy some of the liquid soaps and solutions they have - filling them into old honey glasses. Let’s see how that will work out. |
Is that it? Well, reading up on the micro-plastics that are emitted when washing my clothes has given me pause. Even with the best ot intentions, there is little one can do to completely stop this - short of switching completely to clothes made from natural fibres only. Even switching is tough if only because it seems that not everything that says 100% cotton also is 100% cotton. There is some talk about filters in washing machines, but they seem to not have fully figured them out. The only reasonable pathway here seems to be to simply wash less: If there is a stain on your fleece pullover, don’t throw it immediately in the wash but rather fix the stain. |
You read this Blog until here? Well, then here is my question to you: Are you in or are you out? Will you join me for my Plastic Fasting adventure as of next week Wednesday? It does not have to be perfect - you don’t have to go all the way - but maybe you want to try just for parts of it? You may have seen in earlier blogs: Christians around the world are practicing Plastic Fasting, here and there, and the Anglican Communion as well as the Anglican Church have formally embraced such initiatives various times and in various places. In fact, the GreenAnglicans offer a day-by-day schedule on what to do and how when committing to Plastic Fasting. So, please do feel invited to join me (and many others) on this special lenten journey! |
Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Blog #106: Let’s prepare for Plastic Fasting - When making a Meal! |
February 9, 2023 Monika Weber-Fahr |
This Blog is for those of you who are considering or have already decided to join me - for the 40 days (or some portion of them) of this year’s lenten period - in committing to Plastic Fasting as a lenten practice. The Blog is also dedicated to those who really have no intention to do this but are just kind of curious … to hear how disruptive, or even rewarding, it would be when avoiding - as much as possible - the use of single-use plastics that our fast food and instant gratification world has made such a big and yet environmentally damaging part of our lives.
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Today’s Blog looks at whether - and how - it’s even possible to commit to Plastic Fasting when making a meal and thus shopping for food. Spoiler alert: It’s not easy but it’s possible. And: Some of your favorite food may be out of reach while plastic fasting. But then, isn’t that what fasting is all about? About abstinence or abstention? .
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So this week I went to my local Spar and Hofer to check out what food I can and cannot buy when committing to Plastic Fasting. I was looking for things that are not packed fully or partially in a plastic wrap, box or glas-with-a-plastic lid. And it turns out that, indeed, committing to Plastic Fasting will require me to abstain from quite a long list of things: Most Yogurts (with the exception from a few that come in glass containers), all cottage cheese, all the cheese and cold cuts that come ready-packed, néscafe, most teabags, practically all sweets, all my favorite chewing gums, and quite a lot - even though not all - of the vegetables. Thankfully, some oil and vinegar come in bottles, often but not always with tops not made from plastic - what a relief! Salt, pepper, and other seasonings? That may get interesting! Will I spend the 40 days of lent with a vegetable-only diet? Potatoes, tomatoes, kohlrabi, cabbage, lettuce, and so on are all great - but what about a little bit of protein, what about some spices?
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![]() Foto: It's all there - at your local Zero-Waste store (Unverpacktladen) in Vienna - Pasta, rice, lentils, all sorts of things, all without the plastic wrapping, bag or box. But don't forget bringing your own containers - they have some you can purchase, but in the long run, having your own helps!. |
Unverpacktläden (elsewhere they are called Zero Waste Stores or Minimal Waste Grocery) are the solution, and YES!, Vienna has quite a few, and you can even find one near you by using an online map. So off I went - looking to figure out how this works; the shop I chose is Lunzers Mass Greiserei, off Praterstern in the 2nd district, easily reachable via metro and S Bahn. Important: Luckily I remembered ahead of time that one should bring one’s own containers - they have a great variety that they can sell you, but you’d be better off to come with whatever little boxes you have to be filled right then and there. To my relief: They had practically all things I was looking for - pasta, seasonings, beans, lentils, tea, and so on, and I could pack it in my own containers. And yes, these places seem to be super well stocked. Not a whole lot of variety, perhaps, maybe not all of it from my favorite brands, and yes, more expensive, but the food itself is there. And who knows, I may end up shopping and eating more carefully and thus have less food waste in my fridge? The world’s best husband was initially rather skeptical but then got quite excited when he found out that they have some kind of a machine that allows you to create your own Nutella-type mix, basically determining how much chocolate, nuts, sweets etc you want to have in your chocolate spread… finally, he may have a reason for going with me to the Unverpacktladen, too. |
A final thought on shopping for food Plastic Free: How to store the food - in particular the left-overs - is a non-banale question, and it is worth a good after-thought. Usually, one would use cling film or plastic film - once thought to be an essential need in our kitchens. Well, I will not be using any of this during Plastic Fasting, but in fact I had begun eliminating cling film from our kitchen for some time. How to pack cheese or cold cuts or other things that one would normally use cling film for? Well, there are two great options: Firstly, you can (re-)use jam or honey glasses - that’s where most of our cheeses go in. Secondly, you can get wax cloth - apparently something that was used much between the 1920 and the 1950s and then got somewhat forgotten (when cling film started appearing in the shelves of our supermarkets I presume). Wax cloth is made from simple cotton cloths that have been treated with bee wax - ideally from organically managed bee hives. You can find them in many stores - ask for Wachstücher - or you can order them: I found a fabulous son-and-mother team that have set up their own little Wachstuch production sourcing their wax from their own bees. Not cheap, but reusable many many times. |
Foto: Check out wax cloths as an alternative to plastic film - it keeps your food fresh, in the fridge and outside, for a long time, and you can clean it and reuse it many many times. The picture here is from the website of a small store that specializes in wax cloths - based on wax from their own honey bees here in Austria. |
So, yes, Plastic Fasting when shopping for food - and when storing food - requires you to plan ahead. Find out where your next Market or Unverpacktladen are, take your containers and go shopping there, shop the unwrapped or paper-wrapped food in your local supermarket or bakery, and make sure to not deploy single-use plastics when storing your food. And yes, there may be a few things you simply cannot have - during Plastic Fasting - because they are only available in plastic containers. But isn’t that what fasting is about? Re-considering our lives of convenience and instant gratification and instead getting our eyes off ourselves and off what serves and pleases us - so that we can get them back onto the Lord and our life of faith. Christians around the world are practicing Plastic Fasting, here and there, and the Anglican Communion as well as the Anglican Church have formally embraced such initiatives various times and in various places. In fact, the GreenAnglicans offer day-by-day schedule on what to do and how when committing to Plastic Fasting. So, please do feel invited to join me (and many others) on this special lenten journey. |
Stay tuned - next week’s Tips and Tricks for Plastic Fasting will take a look at what to do about hygiene products when looking to avoid plastic containers and boxes. |
Feeling inspired? Want to contribute? Remark on or question something? Please send thoughts about or suggestions for the Living Light Blog to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |