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On Monday 21st November the Cyclists coming all the way from Musina passed by Hlabisa on their way to Durban.
Riding for climate justice is an initiative from the Department of Justice and Peace of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference. They intend to raise, awareness about global warming and climate change to all the towns where they pass by. They will arrive in Durban on the 25th November just before the Conference of Parties start (COP 17).
They carry messages saying: “Don't get washed away”. “Don't get burnt”. "Act now for climate justice".
We wanted to be part of the climate justice journey so together with the Municipality we organized the Roadshow at the Hlabisa Sport Ground where we welcomed all the cyclists.
Cllr Hlabisa, Mayor of Hlabisa, and our Bishop Jose Luis Ponce de Leon went by bicycle to meet and welcome the cyclists at Majikeni Area, few kilometres away from the place where the ROADSHOW would be held. It was a great moment when they entered the show ground as people welcomed with great joy all the cyclists..
The community of Hlabisa was involved performing dancing and drama about climate change and at the end of the Roadshow an indigenous tree was planted at the new playground. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of CO² during its lifetime.
The key words were addressed by the Mayor Mr. Hlabisa. He urged the community to reduce global warming by changing our lifestyles and doing the following:
Recycle: recycling goes far beyond reducing piles of garbage. It protects the environment and biodiversity. It saves energy and water, as well as resources such as trees and metal ores. CHOOSE products with minimal packaging or wrapping. Keep our community clean. Recyclable materials include paper, plastic, glass and aluminium cans. By recycling half of your household waste, about 1,090kg of CO² will be reduced annually.
Reduce waste by CHOOSING reusable products instead of disposable (eg. Shopping bags made of material that can be reused as opposed to plastic ones that tear and that are thrown away) For every kilogram of recycled paper, four kilograms of CO² is prevented.
Get involved in PLANTING indigenous trees in your area. Trees act as the 'lungs' of our planet. During photosynthesis, tress absorb CO² and give off oxygen. Cultivate organic garden.
Energy efficiency SAVING PAWER, saving Earth: SWITCH OFF the main power button you can save both power and money. When heating water, use only the amount you need. Water boils faster with a lid on top. Don't leave the fridge door open for long time. Every kilowatt-hour of electricity saved means that one less kilogram of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. The result is better quality of life for all. Don't forget to turn the lights off when you leave a room.
REDUCE care pollution keep the car's tyres inflated. Drive less, apart from saving petrol and emitting CO² emissions, walking and cycling are great forms of exercise. USE alternatives to driving your own car such as public transport and lift-clubs.
USE water sparingly it is precious resource.
Together we can reduce climate change and keep our community beautiful and healthy. After planting the tree we were invited to have refreshments at the municipality. Then we accompanied the cyclists as far as the Hluhluwe/Umfozi game park gate. They continued cycling to Mtubatuba. Some of our local cyclists joined them as far as Empangeni.
We the Justice and Peace group at Malusi Omuhle Parish thank everyone for making this awareness campaign possible and we believe that together we can reduce global warming. This is the beginning of our care for our beautiful planet EARTH.
