September 30.  CLEANUP-TIME 2025.  .   (From BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES)  The website https://www.worldcleanupday.org   reports that on September 20, 2024, World Cleanup Day, people in 211 countries, 10 000s of volunteers, stood up  against the global trash problem and by raising awareness and cleaning up waste, making it the biggest positive civic action the world had seen.  Over 114 million volunteers have registered since the inaugural event in 2018. WCD is a gateway for lasting societal change in attitudes towards waste in general. and raise awareness of the mismanaged waste crisis. Our global network sends a clear message of collective determination to create a waste-free world.

The massive problem of waste.  Each year, humanity generates 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste. Without urgent action, global waste will increase by 70% at current levels by 2050[1]. Additionally, over 3.5 billion people lack access to efficient waste management systems, with much of their waste being incinerated, or ending up in nature, the seas, and the oceans, mainly through river systems[2].         Earth.org  reports that 60% of an annual 300 million tons of plastic waste end up in landfill or nature, with at least 8 million tons per year entering the oceans.  It is estimated that + 40% of the ocean’s surfaces are covered in plastic debris.

Digital Cleanup Day and its needs.   In the digital world there is also a huge amount of trash. Unnecessary emails, files, apps, duplicates of photos and videos, etc., are all digital waste. This digital trash creates digital pollution that continues to consume energy, even when we have forgotten it’s there. Each year the internet (and its supporting systems) produces 900 million tons of CO2, which is more than the annual output of the whole country of Germany!   Digital Cleanup Day 2024’s results are still being counted. The results for 2023’s campaign saw over 380,000 participants, from 105 countries and territories, delete 12.7 million GB from their devices, thus preventing the annual production of at least 1,742 tons of CO2. A major concern with the growing use of AI is the enormous amount of energy consumed in creating and managing AI systems that abound almost everywhere now. Ongoing research and development and the massive servers required use large amounts of energy – often fossil fuel generated – and contribute to CO2.  Use of AI in many fields of activity, while it can improve efficiency, it has a cost in doing so. Hardware and data centres that produce AI also consume large amounts of energy and need water for cooling.   Think driverless cars, search engines info production ++,
Reflect, share, act. Scripture:When the days drew near for Jesus to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.  And he sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him, but the people would not receive him.  Luke 9:51-56.  Pope Francis: We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world and that doing good is worth it.LS 229   Eco-tip. Clean-up Action: 1. Become aware.  2. clean away waste. 3. Change behaviour,  4. Enjoy the cleaner, healthier environment. DAILY PRAYER.  God of love show us as families how to be channels of Your love for all Your creatures.  Pour out Your Spirit upon us as we pray and work together to tend the garden and foster peace with creation.