Going for a greener Church

Margot Hodson of SAGE (Oxford's Christian Environmental Group) offers some practical advice on how churches can become more environmentally friendly

MANY people are surprised to discover that there are Christians who see their concern for the natural environment as an integral part of their faith. Some Christians can find this a bit alarming: 'if we spend time saving the planet, might we forget to care about people?' But more and more people in the church are beginning to realise that the two things are interconnected. We depend on this planet to live, and need to care for it for our own sake and for future generations. More than that, our earth has been made by God and belongs to him. If we treat it carelessly, we are being thoughtless or worse in our attitude to him. By caring for our planet, we become stewards of God's earth and part of his creative process. A concern for the environment does not just mean looking after very beautiful areas. Wherever we live and work, we can show our care through the amount of pollution we put into the atmosphere, how we use natural resources and how we dispose of our waste. Last year the Bishop of Oxford signed an agreement to seek to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Diocese. The initiative came from a partnership proposal by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation. As our government ratifies and implements the Kyoto Protocol, we play our role in our church communities by taking action to bring down carbon dioxide emissions, which will reduce the rate of global warming. All churches can help in some way towards this and in doing so we show respect for God's creation and may find that it is a surprising witness to those around us. Bishop Richard has appointed meteorologist, Dr Ian James as Diocesan Environmental Officer to give his specialist advice and coordinate the campaign. Ian has joined with the Revd Adrian Hopwood to establish a new group to encourage action on environinental issues. A Christian Response to the Environment (AChRE) has drawn together environmental experts, representatives from existing environmental organisations and others With environmental concern. They were particularly encouraged to discover how many organisations and projects were already active and a number of different groups are now cooperating together to improve environmental awareness and action in the three counties in the Diocese.

Becoming an environmentally friendly Church might seem a daunting proposal. How can you ever efficiently heat a huge 700 year old building? And how can you reduce the use of car travel in the countryside where there is poor public transport?

There are some very straight forward things that we can do such as fitting low energy light bulbs, insulating our properties better and using car pools where it is possible. AChRE has been looking for creative ways to put this message across and has enlisted the help of 'Big Wheel' an internationally recognised 'group that specialises in using drama in education. Their 'Climate Change Game Show' is to be launched on 4 July 2001 in Milton Keynes and will provide food for thought and practical ideas. So whether you live in the town or the country; have an ancient or a modern church; lead the services or do the washing up (or both!) you will be able to do something to help in this initiative. So look out for information from AChRE and Ian James, and contact the organisations on this page for help, advice and resources. We would love to know what your church is doing to help the environment and care for this wonderful world that God has given us.