Diocesan Environment Group

Presentation to Diocesan Synod6th November 2010

Environmental and Climate Change Issues

Church of England5 Marks of Mission

• To proclaim, the good news of the kingdom• To teach, baptise and nurture new believers• To respond, to human need by loving service• To seek, to transform the unjust structures of

society• To strive, to safeguard the integrity of creation

and sustain and renew the life of the earth

2006 - Shrinking the Footprint Campaign

“For the church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be Christian”.

Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

“Few would now contest that the church has a responsibility in living far more lightly on the earth, and in working for ‘sustainable development’ – human flourishing based on justice and fairness, on responsible use of the world’s resources, and respect for the richness of creation”.

The Rt. Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London

2009 – Church and Earth 2009 – 2016

Environment action in the diocese

• May 2006 and May 2007 – Shrinking the footprint checklist sent to every parish

• 2008/2009 – Electricity usage monitors lent to parishes

• Environment group• Summer school sessions on environment• Diocesan website • Energy saving light bulbs given out at 2009

Clergy Conference

Environmental impacts?

• Being environmentally green is not straightforward

• Sometime what seems green in some respects can have other concerns

• Sometimes we have to weigh the benefits against the concerns

Over to you!

Two examples What are the issues?

What are the questions we need to ask? What are the benefits and concerns?

Household Pets

Green Beans from Kenya

Over to you Continued

• Pick a picture from the sheet in your pack• Discuss with a neighbour the issues, questions

and benefits/concerns• Each take a different standpoint - one for,

one against• Feedback

Redefining normality

• After a while, new ways of doing things become normal– Think how our use of disposable carrier bags has

decreased– It used to be an effort to remember to ‘take old

bags shopping’, now that is just normal for most people

Fairtrade

• Back in the 1980s there was Campaign Coffee – but this was far from mainstream

• Café Direct and Maya Gold Chocolate were the first Fairtrade products in the UK, starting in 1994

• Now there are over 3,000 fairly traded product lines available

• How many of us now automatically buy fairly traded goods where available?

The urgency of the task

• We don’t actually have very long to make the changes to achieve the necessary 80% reduction in our carbon emissions

• The New Economics Foundation has calculated that we had a window of 100 months from August 2008 during which we stood a chance of preventing catastrophic climate change

• We are now down to 73 months, just over 6 years

The BIG problem

• 6 years is a long time in democratic politics – most politicians face re-election during that period

• 6 years is a short time in terms of United Nations negotiations – they govern by consensus

What then???

• There is no ‘magic’ solution to the problem with some sort of technological fix

• We need to turn to someone much more important in our lives to make the changes needed

Each of us is the most influential person in the choices we make

• ‘Be the change you want to see’ Gandhi• We need to be informed and aware of the

situation and the consequences of our choices• The rise of Fairtrade demonstrates that

markets do respond to demand, so we can make a difference

What next? How do we move forward from here?

• There are plenty of challenges that can be considered.

• One size does not fit all, different people have different choices available to them

• Some are changes that can be made and then essentially forgotten about

• Some require ongoing effort and imagination

‘One hit changes’

• Change to a green electricity supplier– Individual households– Churches – could a good rate be negotiated for a

large number of parishes signing up? We could ask

• Insulation in our buildings, both homes and church premises can be both kind to the planet and to our pockets

Repeating challenges

• Recognising that the resources of the earth are precious and using them mindfully

• Reducing energy usage – turning off the lights, using the car less

• Recycling as much as possible• Try eating locally produced food• Thinking about the implications of day to day

choices

Guidelines and roadmaps

• There are various ‘roadmaps’ that are useful to guide a church through the process of embracing environmental issues

• These give structure and support in approaching what can be a difficult subject

• There are different emphases, so there should be something for every parish

Some links and resources

A Rocha www.arocha.org.uk

Christian Ecology Link www.christian-ecology.org.uk

Creed and Creation www.london.gov.uk/gla/publications

Eco Congregationwww.ecocongregation.orgChallenges (so far) of gaining the Eco-congregation award at St Andrew's, Cobham (winter 2010)

Parish Pumps www.conservationfoundation.co.uk

Earth Resources www.earthresources.org.uk

Tearfund www.tearfund.org

Norwich Diocese www.norwich.anglican.org/environment

Quaker Environment Resources www.quakergreenaction.org.ukAlliance of Religions and Conservation www.arcworld.org

A Rocha Eco-Congregation Scheme

• A modular approach developed with the CofE and recommended by the Diocese, leading to the Eco-Congregation award

• Starts by taking stock of the situation in an individual congregation and developing an action plan

• The remaining 11 modules are grouped under ‘Spiritual’, ‘Practical’ and ‘Mission’

Eco-Diocese

• Coming soon – the Eco-Diocese award!

• Could Guildford achieve this?

What will

YOUYOUdo?