2020 Environmental Pledges – ‘Saying Yes to Life’

Week 1

Electricity/ energy = affordable, clean, renewable,

Energy

• switching to a renewable energy provider
• Turn down the thermostat
• Turn off lights when not in a room
• Install low energy light bulbs / LED
• Air dry clothes
• Don’t leave devices on standby
• Switch to a water flosser
• Insulate your home
• Get double glazing
• Install solar panels
• Use washing machine colder cleaning cycles
• Use a fan in the winter to circulate warm air and reduce heating bills
• Shut windows/doors when heating or air conditioning is running

Work Life

• Turn off lights when not in a room
• Install low energy light bulbs
• Don’t leave devices on standby
• Invest in eco friendly technology (high energy efficiency)
• Unplug work computers/monitors at night

Church

Energy

• Take simple energy efficiency steps (eg switch to low-energy bulbs, put heating on a timer switch, eliminate draughts, improve insulation, service the boiler, turn off lights, switch off computer equipment)
• Switch to a green energy supplier
• Undertake an energy audit and monitor emissions
• Install solar panels or other renewable sources of energy

Week 2

Water- issues around pollution for species and for humans, toilet twinning

Water

• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
• Switch to low flow shower head
• Repair leaky taps etc
• Take shorter showers
• Wash fruit and veg in a bowl and reuse water for watering plants – also reuse water from boiling pasta/potatoes/veg etc (as long as not salted!)
• Always fill the dishwasher (if you have off peak energy in the evening – run it then!)
• Twin your toilet – at home/work/church
• Collect rainwater to re-use in the garden

Outdoors

• Harvest rain water (eg for toilets) and re-use ‘grey’ water for church gardens

Week 3

Trees, deforestation – reducing CO2

Garden

• grow my own food
• Leave part of the garden wild and plant bee friendly plants
• Plant wildflowers
• Put up bat/bird boxes
• Plant a veg garden
• Grow your own herbs
• Plant a tree (or a few!)
• Create a composting system

Transport

• cycle instead of driving
• walk more drive less
• walk to work whatever the weather
• offset my flights
• choose an electric car as your next car
• give up your car
• rent a hybrid car when on holiday
• car share where possible
• empty the boot/remove roof rack – light cars use less fuel

Work Life

• video conferencing instead of flying/travelling

Church

• Undertake a Carbon Fast for Lent
• Travel
• Encourage people to walk or cycle to church (install bicycle racks)
• Outdoors
• Start a compost bin and use it for church gardening projects
• Plant a remembrance garden

Week 4

Environment and eschatology

Wellbeing

• spend more time in nature
• Take part in environmental volunteering

Church

Preaching/Teaching

• Preach on creation care as central to the mission of the church
• Preach on climate justice and how climate change is impacting those who are least responsible, stressing the need for simple, low-carbon lifestyles as part of Christian discipleship
• Preach on the goodness of creation as a life-giving gift from God and our role as stewards to love and protect what God has made and to love our neighbours as ourselves
• Give a talk at a PCC meeting or other local meeting or event about climate change and what the church can do.
• Introduce environmental activities into children’s/youth work

Education

• Display materials on climate justice / caring for creation from the Christian charities supported by your church (eg Christian Aid, Tearfund, All We Can, CAFOD)
• Screen film clips from Christian charities (eg Christian Aid, Tearfund) showing how climate change is already hurting our global neighbours
• Start a ‘green group’ in your church which leads worship, carries out green actions, holds workshops on living simply, and writes green articles for church publications
• Display a wide range of materials on environmental/climate issues from faith-led organisations (eg Operation Noah, Tearfund, Christian Aid, A Rocha, CAFOD), including actions people can take
• Encourage church members to support the environmental/climate campaigns led by the faith charities supported by your church
• Hold events or debates on environmental issues inviting external speakers, or show environmental or campaign films
• Offer study courses or Bible studies exploring environmental concerns, such as Operation Noah’s Lent course Climate Change and the purposes of God
• Make green issues a regular part of your church communications, eg parish magazines, newsletters, website or blogs featuring environmental concerns, green lifestyle tips and campaign actions and events
• Disseminate information about climate change campaigns from environmental and faith NGOs
• Publicise key national or local actions or events, such as the national climate marches, speaker events, etc

Outdoors

• Go for walks as a congregation
• Hold a service or have quiet times of contemplation outside
• Hold a plant sale to raise money for charity

Community

• Work in partnership with the wider community on environmental projects or events
• Lead a microgeneration project in your community
• Work on environmental projects with local schools, perhaps using your church yard as a ‘field project’
• Hold a ‘swishing’ event to swap clothes and encourage congregational sharing of goods (eg power tools, ladders) rather than buying new

PCC/DCC

• Get your church and PCC to express their concern about an environmental issue (eg fracking, fossil fuel investment, airport expansion) to local government, MPs or Church decision-makers through writing a letter
• Encourage your vicar to promote fossil-free church investment and pension policy with church leaders
• Get your church community to raise environmental concerns through official Church channels, for instance by submitting a motion for debate at national Synod
• Have members of your church or eco group contact senior church leaders, such as a bishop, to discuss environmental concerns and the role of the church
• Encourage your church to bank ethically and ensure they have an ethical investment policy for savings, including avoiding investment in fossil fuels
• Include the church’s role in care for creation and addressing climate change in your church mission statement
• Make the importance of addressing climate change as part of Christian discipleship a stated aim of your church’s values and ethos

Other

• Contact your Diocesan Environment Officer (DEO) or equivalent to find out what is going on locally and to develop networks with other green churches
• Become an Eco-Congregation
• Start a Forest Church group

Week 5

Birds – buying organic helps birds habitats, Bird hunting – malta and Cyprus, Fish and over-fishing

• Beach clean-up, Reduce plastic

Home Life

Waste

• Use less plastic
• Recycle more
• Complete a waste audit of your home
• Say no to junk mail
• Switch to paperless bills/statements
• Reduce food waste
• Don’t take as many napkins/paper towels from dispensers
• Use cloth napkins

Goods

• Use reusable:  shopping bag, cup for tea/coffee, baking mats, water bottle, food storage containers, Beeswax wraps instead of cling film, safety razor, makeup wipes, nappies/baby wipes, sanitary items
• Reduce what you buy – choose quality over quantity
• Use a Bamboo toothbrush
• Make own: cleaning supplies, zero waste toothpaste
• Take reusable cutlery with you
• Switch to an alum stone (zero waste deodorant)
• Don’t buy anything new for a year
• Don’t buy new clothes for a year (buy second hand/swap etc)
• Recycled toilet paper / paper towels
• Fix it don’t throw it away
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products
• Rather than using a stirrer in coffee/tea use spaghetti  - which then dissolves in water or can be thrown away without the guilt
• Repair shoes and clothes
• Use magazine pages etc as wrapping paper
• Buy second hand furniture / electric items etc
• Cut face wipes, cotton pads, make up sponges etc in half
• Use non toxic nail varnish
• Donate unwanted clothes
• Use biodegradable cat litter (pine, corn or newspaper)
• Borrow, don’t buy.

Other

• Do a regular litter pick
• Pick up litter when I walk the dog
• Downsize your home
• Make eco bricks
• Put a dash of vodka in cut flowers for them to last longer
• Decorate with plants and use old scarves etc to reupholster cushions
• Recycle batteries properly

Work Life

• recycle more
• Complete a waste audit of your work place
• Reduce what you buy – choose quality over quantity
• Say no to junk mail
• Do a regular litter pick
• Reduce food waste

Church

Services

• Sing hymns celebrating God’s creation
• Include prayers about environmental concerns in your church services
• Use poetry/reflections which emphasise the awe and wonder we feel in response to the beauty of God’s creation; how we feel closer to God when we are surrounded by all that he has made
• Celebrate Harvest
• Hold a Harvest supper serving/displaying local food
• Celebrate Creation Sunday
• Mark special environment days such as:
  • Meat Free Monday
  • FairTrade Fortnight (February)
  • World Water Day (March)
  • Earth Hour (March)
  • Earth Day (April)
  • International day for biological diversity (May)
  • World Environment Day (5 June) and Environment Sunday (closest Sunday)
  • World Oceans Day (June)
  • Creation Time (September to October)
  • World Car Free Day / walk to church Sunday (September)
  • Good Money Week (mid-October)
  • World Food Day (October)
  • Buy Nothing Day (November)
  • Reclaim Christmas (December)

Outdoors

• Encourage and protect biodiversity in your churchyard (eg by installing bird boxes, leaving wild areas, planting bee and bird-friendly shrubs and flowers).
• Join the Living Churchyards project working with local conservation groups

Week 6

Extinction rates in animals, Die – in, Human equality, Food

Food & Drink

• eat less meat
• Try and buy less food containing palm oil
• Have one ‘meat free’ day a week (or more!)
• Buy local food
• Eco/zero waste pet treats / food
• Plan your meals – minimise waste
• Don’t waste food
• Have your food shopping delivered – one journey for multiple orders
• Use the microwave - often more efficient than oven
• Cook from scratch

Church

Church Building/Food/Goods

• Encourage the use of locally sourced, seasonal food for church meals
• Reduce, re-use, recycle, and refuse (to buy something new)
• Use washable plates, cups and cutlery instead of throw-away paper/plastic
• Become a Fairtrade church
• Get started on reducing the carbon footprint of your church: see the Church of England’s Shrinking the Footprint or the Methodist Carbon Reduction Programme
• Use your LOAF (Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly, Fairly traded) in all food and drink served
• In addition to food, ensure your church purchase sustainably sourced, Fairtrade and environmentally friendly products, such as recycled paper, cleaning products, etc