2024 Eco-resolutions for Churches
Want to make 2024 a ‘greener’ year for your church? Here are 10 New Year eco-resolutions with links to further sources of information:
Appoint an individual, or ideally a group, in your church to spearhead your ‘green’ initiative and register for the A Rocha Eco Church programme. It’s easy to take part and you might be surprised how well you score on the initial survey. If you register as an Eco Church, you will then be able to access a wide range of resources to help you to implement green initiatives and reduce the carbon footprint of your church. Link: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/
Include regular topics in your worship and teaching relating to caring for God’s creation and the environment. This could cover activities at specific times of the year for example Season of Creation and Harvest Festival as well as participation in national initiatives such as Earth Day, World Environment Day, Great Big Green Week and Season of Creation. Links: https://www.earthday.org/ https://greatbiggreenweek.com/ https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/ https://seasonofcreation.org/
Investigate opportunities for reducing the carbon footprint of your church buildings and related activities and set time-related targets for carbon reduction. This could cover a range of measures including improving energy and water efficiency, investing in renewable energy technologies, reducing transport emissions, purchasing green energy supplies and offsetting any remaining carbon emissions. Climate Stewards offer a free carbon footprint calculator and there is a guide on carbon footprint measurement and reduction on the A Rocha website (see Resolution 1). Link to Climate Stewards calculator: https://360carbon.org
Manage resources more efficiently by adopting the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse and recycle. Go paper light and plastic free. Links: https://wrap.org.uk/what-we-do
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/what-you-can-do/
5. Ensure that food, drink and other purchases supplied to church premises are produced in ethical and sustainable ways and use Fairtrade products where possible. The Ethical Consumer website provides a wide range of options for purchasing ethical goods and services. Links:
https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/What-is-Fairtrade/Fairtrade-and-sustainability
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/
6. Look after church land so as to encourage biodiversity of birds, animals and plants and to foster its use by church members and the local community.
7. Manage investments ethically with due consideration of the environmental implications. Choose the most ethical banks for your day-to-day banking and savings.
Links: https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/ https://www.tinyecohomelife.com/most-ethical-savings-accounts
8. Communicate with other churches in the local community (e.g. through Churches Together groups) to share information and activities relating to climate change and the environment.
Link: https://ctbi.org.uk/
9. Identify and work with others in the local community who are involved in climate action and environmental initiatives e.g. councils, schools, low carbon and transition town groups, plastic-free and tree planting initiatives.
Links: https://transitionnetwork.org/
10. Support international environmental and climate justice programmes e.g. Christian Aid, Tear Fund and Toilet Twinning.
Links: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/
https://www.tearfund.org/ https://www.toilettwinning.org/
For more information or advice email Richard Pearce, Greenapostle@urcmerseysynod.org.uk or call him on 07976 352914
A Rocha have produced an Eco Tips calendar for 2024 – download here