Environmental policy

Introduction 

The Diocese of Oxford is seeking to become a more Christ-like church for the sake of God’s world. 

We recognise in Christ the Word by whom all things were created, in whom all things are held together and “through whom [God was pleased] to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1) We hear Christ’s call to love God with all our heart and mind and to love one another as Christ has loved us.
Serving Christ and living a life of love inherently involves caring for God’s creation. The fifth Mark of Mission adopted by the Anglican Communion embeds this at the heart of mission, asking us to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” This is not separate from other areas (marks) of mission: in caring for God’s world, we proclaim the Good News of Christ’s love, enrich our discipleship, serve those who are suffering because of the climate and ecological emergency, and, as people committed to acting justly, seek to transform the unjust structures of society which underlie aspects of the crisis.

Oxford Diocesan Synod recognised that the interlinked climate and ecological emergencies are among the most pressing issues of our age and declared a climate emergency in March of 2020. The Synod committed to a broad range of climate and environment-related measures, including an ambitious goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035. Environmental action is therefore a key strategic focus for both the Board of Finance and the Board of Education.

In this policy, we set out our vision, mission and commitments for this work. We seek to be:

• Contemplative, rooting our work in prayer and theological reflection and using the gifts of scripture, reason and tradition as we explore new areas
• Compassionate, placing love of neighbour at the heart of our work and recognising the need for sacrificial love in this area, as in all that we do
• Courageous, holding all our planning and activities before God and trusting in God where we feel called to bold choices and decisions.

Vision

Our vision is: For the Diocese of Oxford and every congregation and school community within it to have care for creation as an integral part of their ministry and mission.

• For each congregation, school community, and individual in the Diocese to have access to resources for prayer, reflection and practical action that enable them to respond well to the climate and ecological crises.
• For the Diocese of Oxford as a whole to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, working towards the Church of England target of net zero carbon by 2030, as scoped by General Synod, and towards our own diocesan target of net zero carbon by 2035, with the wider scope agreed by our diocesan synod.
• For the Diocese to work alongside partners throughout the Anglican Communion and in our own country to ensure that our prayer, advocacy and practical action reflect diverse voices, maximise the power of partnerships, and incorporate global, as well as local, justice issues.
• For our congregations and school communities to be prepared for climatic changes, and to have appropriate adaptation and resilience strategies in place, in order to witness to our concern, be examples of positive action, ensure the preservation of our heritage buildings, and act as places of sanctuary in their communities.

Mission 

Our mission is to incorporate care for creation in the life and work of all parts of our diocese, as part of the wider diocesan mission to become a more Christ-like church for the sake of God’s world. We aim to equip every part of the diocese to respond to the current climate and ecological crisis, in collaboration with the Board of Education which is responsible for its own Environmental Policy. Our Environment Task Group will oversee and shape the strategy and delivery of this Programme, and provide leadership and direction for the work to support individuals and churches to plan action, training and advocacy in Oxford Diocese.

Commitments

1. Increasing holistic care for creation through Eco Church and Eco Diocese

• Promoting the Eco Church programme, by sharing stories of churches’ experiences, hosting events and encouraging churches to mentor each other.
• Embedding the targets for Eco Diocese (Annex 1) into our diocesan planning. We aim to become a silver Eco Diocese by end of 2026, and gold by 2035.
• Collaborating with colleagues across the Board of Finance and the Board of Education to achieve these goals, ensuring Eco Diocese is a collective endeavour. This will be via a staff Green Group, and also engaging particularly with Property, Mission and Ministry, and Finance departments.

2. Achieving our net zero carbon target

• Promoting the collection of energy data across all areas in scope of the net zero carbon goal, and using this data to measure and report progress, assess resource needs and identify priorities
• Delivering our Net Zero Carbon Action Plan across areas included within the national Church of England scope as defined by the Routemap to Net Zero Carbon, which are churches and church halls, schools, clergy housing, Church House Oxford and area offices
• Progressing work towards net zero carbon in other areas we have included in scope for this diocese, including reimbursed travel, areas of procurement, land and investments
• Supporting churches access support via energy audits, events, mentoring, local partnerships, and national funding
• Identifying and communicating funding opportunities 
• Collaborating with colleagues in the Board of Education, Board of Finance and national Church teams to share learnings and best practice.

3. Managing our land for biodiversity, nature and engagement activities

• Identifying opportunities for environmentally sensitive Glebe land management
• Establishing practices to promote biodiversity and carbon sequestration where appropriate across our sites 
• Working with land agents to review tenancy agreements in light of our net zero carbon, adaptation and biodiversity aims
• Sharing advice, guidance and support for tenants and churches in wildlife-friendly land management and developing a mechanism to monitor the gains for nature
• Considering how we can use our land to raise awareness and appreciation of the natural world
• Working with partners to deliver outcomes for nature across Glebe land and churchyards. 

4. Ensuring everyone has access to resources for prayer, advocacy and action 

• Developing the network and resourcing Deanery Environmental Leads, equipping them to support and encourage local churches as they care for creation
• Nurturing peer-to-peer forums to encourage knowledge-sharing, encouragement and mutual support
• Maintaining an EcoHub of resources covering all areas of activity within Eco Church
• Contributing to the diocesan Learning Hub through a range of courses, aimed at individuals and small groups wishing to further their understanding of environmental issues
• Embedding training opportunities among staff, alongside regular communication, events and activities to support environmental action at Church House Oxford[AR1.1] and in area offices
• Ensuring the voices, views and ideas of children and young people are represented and acted upon
• Collaborating with the Board of Education to share relevant resources for pupils and teachers.

5. Nurturing everyday faith and discipleship across church, home and school 

• Facilitating and signposting accessible training opportunities to equip clergy, lay leaders, and CYP ministers to model and teach creation care effectively 
• Developing and identifying intergenerational resources and discipleship materials that grow theological and biblical understanding of how creation care both informs and expresses Christian worship, teaching, and service
• Building on the theological foundations for creation care throughout the year, drawing upon Creationtide and a new Feast of Creation day to support churches, school communities and individuals celebrate and worship God as Creator 
• Providing frameworks for self-sustaining networks, and partnerships with local environmental groups, that witness to faith in action and seek justice for all creation
• Evaluating and sharing engagement and best practice across the diocese

6. Ensuring alignment with the call for justice

• Working with our Bishops, particularly the lead Bishop for the environment, to identify opportunities for advocacy on behalf of the diocese
• Aligning with the work of the diocesan Social Justice Adviser to support churches engage with issues of climate and social justice locally
• Supporting individuals, including children and young people, staff, and churches, to be active in advocacy, by listening to their concerns, sharing opportunities, signposting to training, and linking with other organisations 
• Collaborating with the Board of Education through the theme of courageous advocacy, by working together on resources, events and relevant campaigns
• Working with our link dioceses and other local and global partners to share stories of climate injustice, and ensure diverse voices are heard.

7. Promoting resilience

• Using existing data to develop a better understanding of potential climate impacts on our churches, schools, land and properties; and using this information to help raise awareness of potential risks among these groups. 
• Partnering or collaborating with organisations working in this space, to identify opportunities for resilience and future-proofing
• Supporting clergy, congregations and, in partnership with the Board of Education, school communities to prepare for climate impacts and develop strategies for being places of sanctuary in their communities
• Working with parishes to develop plans adaptation and for dealing with climate disasters
• Sharing stories of churches involved in this work, whether through offering cool spaces, providing facilities and essentials during disasters, offering pastoral support to communities or otherwise. 

Annex 1 A Rocha UK Eco Diocese Criteria 
 

Bronze Eco Diocese Award Criteria	Silver Eco Diocese Award Criteria (further details here)
Registered its intent to become an Eco Diocese.
Commissioned an individual or group to coordinate progress within the Diocese.	Commissioned a group, such as an environmental advisory or working group, to coordinate progress within the Diocese.
	Provided training and development opportunities for a group of local/regional promoters such as Eco Champions.
Written an environmental policy.  (Agreed by the Bishop's Council and Diocesan Synod, including points on travel, the environmental maintenance of vicarages, and a commitment to reducing diocesan carbon emissions.)	Written an Environmental Policy which includes land management with an explicit reference to promoting biodiversity and managing the land for carbon reduction across the Diocese.
Promote environmental care across schools in the Diocese.	The Diocesan Board of Education to have put in place an appropriate environmental policy.
Commit to develop a plan for carbon reduction.	Agreed carbon reduction targets and developed an action plan to get there.
Gained the appropriate levels of local church registrations and Awards for Eco Church.  Bronze Eco Diocese: 10% of local churches registered; 5% of local churches awarded.	Gained the appropriate levels of local church registrations and awards for Eco Church.  40% of local churches registered, 30% of local churches awarded of which at least a third of these awards should be Silver or higher.
Achieve the relevant award for Diocesan House / Office (where appropriate) and land (where appropriate).	Achieve the relevant award for Diocesan House / Office (where appropriate) and land (where appropriate) and promote an understanding amongst all staff of Eco Diocese goals.
Embedded environmental issues in ongoing training.  (Within the curricula of its training for both lay and ministerial staff.)	Environmental training should be included in standard Diocesan training for both lay and ordained ministry such that:  Environmental training is offered to all Diocesan Staff;  At least two high profile all clergy training events related to the environment have been undertaken in the last four years;  External training events for Clergy and Lay Ministers / Readers are regularly directly organised or promoted on all aspects of Christianity and the environment;  In-depth Christian environmental study (e.g. CRES Course or similar) is regularly promoted;  A connection to the natural world is actively encouraged through promoting networks and events held by external groups; and  Local church members engaged with promoting parish environmental work, are practically supported for example through Eco Champion networks.
Managed Diocesan investments ethically.	As a minimum, all Diocesan funds are invested in line with the Provincial ethical investment policy, i.e. in England to start divesting from companies not serious about moving to a low carbon economy; and by 2023 to divest from fossil fuel companies not aligned with the Paris Agreement target.
	Written an ethical banking and investment policy following established environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria.
Worked with other Dioceses and or faith groups.  (To encourage greater environmental action, including promoting Eco Church as a helpful tool.)	Work with partner church groups both locally and internationally to raise mutual awareness in regard to climate change and species loss mitigation and resilience measures.
Established the habit of recording and celebrating individual environmental initiatives.	Include a clear and substantial presence for environmental issues on the Diocesan website and through wider communication channels.

 

From A Rocha.