Climate change resources for churches.

Resourcing for the Journey (Watering Hole with A Rocha 05.09.21)

Introduction

• Recognise that it is a journey – both for your church and personally

Eco Church

• Eco Church designed to be a tool for the journey – how to use it as such
• Eco Church, plus their resources, plus Eco Church case studies and webinars from the CofE.
• Eco Dioceses page on A Rocha website and on CofE website
• Support spreadsheet and with DAC comments (see left-hand column of page)
• A Rocha conferences on Eco Church

Diocesan Help

• God’s Green Fingers newsletter c.5 times a year & Facebook
• Contact point is deo@salisbury.anglican.org , occasional surgeries will be run

Net Zero

• The CofE net zero carbon church landing page
• The CofE practical path to net zero – including links to a two-page summary guidance note and a self-guided checklist any church can use
• Case studies
• Webinars – including heating, lighting, solar panels, EV car charging, and more
• Heating – including new case studies
• Energy efficiency – created by the DEO Energy Group
• Conference video of Matt Fulford talking about St Michael and all Angles, Britain’s first Net Zero Carbon church
• Video on the Results from the church energy audits
• Journey to Net Zero – introduction to net zero from the The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) (Baptists, Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church)
• Church of England Declaration by General Synod in February and Update paper to General Synod – the final net zero definition is attached to this as an appendix

Carbon footprint

• CofE churches – Energy Footprint Tool – to be completed now for 2020
• Any churches – 360Carbon – includes energy, transport, food, procurement, and more

Buildings advice

• Historic England guidance and webinar programme
• SPAB – Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings
• For CofE churches, your DAC
• Find a Building Services Engineer, e.g. for heating guidance, from the CIBSE Directory
• Find an accredited installer for solar panels

Funding

• CofE grants funding guide from Parish Resources
• And a suite for “how to” guides from Parish Resources.
• Community Energy England funding opportunities
• For local grants, find out whether you have a local CVS (Council for Voluntary Services).  If so, they generally have a grants directory. Also contact the sustainability or community engagement officer at your local authority
• Two CofE webinars on ‘green’ fundraising for environmental projects are coming up in September
• Small grants to take part in Great Big Green Week (September 18-26) with the Climate Coalition

Transport

• Useful carbon footprint calculator from Climate Stewards
• LiftShare UK
• OZEV – grants for EV car charging posts
• EV charging posts Zap Map
• (Plus the church webinar programme – above – includes a webinar on EV car charging.)
• For the keen cyclist – the cathedral cycle route challenge

Land and nature

• Land and nature webinar programme
• Churches Count on Nature nature survey of your churchyard 5-13 June 2021
• Caring for God’s Acre free resources – including starter pack which they can post you
• CofE Trees page
• Find your local Wildlife Trust, who are often very open to joint working to support community action
• Wild About Gardens scroll down for booklets on different species and on ponds
• Find your Local Environmental Records Centre for help with species identification and recording

Framework for church action

• The climate emergency toolkit contains links to many other resources

Frameworks for individual / household action

• Creation Care, a framework for households which congregations can follow together
• Count us in – 16 high impact steps which individuals can take to cut carbon
• WWF Footprint Calculator – pretty simple footprint tool, and an informative process

Frameworks for schools and youth

• For schools: resources from Let’s Go Zero, Eco Schools, Christian Aid, and PECT
• For youth engagement: resources from Tearfund, Christian Aid, and ACEN

Young People, The Church and Climate Change (Burning the house down)

• Powerful video plea from young people – 4 mins
• Research Report by Tearfund and Youthscape
• Huge mass of resources focused on those for young people

Worship and music

• Many resources have been compiled by Climate Sunday and by Christian Concern for One World
• Creation-themed liturgy A Time for Creation
• Liturgy for the Agricultural Year
• Doxecology by Resound worship
• Sermon resources at Sustainable Preaching and Greening the Lectionary
• Bishop Olivia of Reading’s theological reflections (+Olivia chairs the Oxford net zero taskforce)
• A Rocha International – YouTube channel – search for Dave Bookless New Wine talks NL 2020

Outside Worship & Biodiversity

• Outdoor worship guidance page 
• Worship in the Woods resource pack for outside worship by Engage Worship
• State of Nature report 2019a one-page summary info-graphic, the report for England & the full report

• Bio-diversity advice from CoE
• Caring for Gods Acre resource pack
• Bats in Churches project
• Devon churches green action (scroll down for guidance notes)
• Children’s Gods Acre activity pack
• Faiths for Forests 
• CofE Biodiversity page

COP26

• Climate Sunday – the main focus for churches in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow
• Youth Relay – YCCN organised relay from the G7 in Cornwall to COP26 in Glasgow
• Make COP Count – the coalition of faith groups with the advocacy calls from COP

Campaigns by partner organisations

• The Climate Coalition Declaration
• Christian Aid, Tearfund and CAFOD hosting a year of prayer for the climate

Church of England Environment Programme

• Landing page
• Newsletter sign up

Church of England buildings resources

• Joint statement by the buildings leadership (CBC and CFCE)
• Gloucester DAC environmental policy an example, Salisbury updated one coming soon
• Updated QI (quinquennial inspection) guidance including more on the environment

Procurement (Church of England Parish Buying, other denominations have Church Buying)

• Green energy basket
• Energy audits (currently closed, likely to reopen after the summer)
• LED lighting
• Solar panels
• https://bigcleanswitch.org/ – for good green and ethical energy broking advice

Ethical Investment

• Church Commissioners
• Pensions Board (Including their recent report on the fossil fuel industry)
• CCLA (including article on CCLA fund goes fossil fuel free)

Some very useful resources:

• Hope for the Future – for engaging with your politicians
• The most important thing you can do about climate change is talk about it – video by Katharine Hayhoe
• Katharine Hayhoe, a world leading climate communicator, on how to talk about climate
• Project DrawDown, an excellent overview of climate issues and workable climate solutions
• Climate Outreach “Communicating climate change in a crisis” – scroll down to find the video
• Has your council declared a climate emergency? Search the listings of climate emergency declarations here and find their climate plans here.
• Climate Outreach “how to have a climate change conversation”
• Video from 2020 Justice conference – Letter to my Grandchildren    very moving, 6 minutes

Prayers and Worship 

• Sustainable Preaching, ideas on how to preaching a sustainable message using the lectionary readings 

• Prayers for World Environment Day
• Creationtide
• Prayers for the agricultural year 
• Updated “All things Bright and Beautiful“: 
• All creatures of our God & King set to music with lovely photos of mostly birds and some animals

Partners, networks, and useful organisations to know about

• Climate Stewards for carbon offsetting 
• Historic England “Energy efficiency and historic buildings” (scroll for range of different guidance notes)  
• Hope for the Future free training on lobbying
• Christian Aid campaign toolkit 
• Green Christian
• Faith for the Climate
• Operation Noah
• Anglican Alliance  
• Tearfund Re-boot campaign

Small group materials – e.g. Lent

•  Tearfund Christianity & Climate Change – freecourse with videos by Katharine Hayhoe
• Operation Noah – Tenants of The King
• Ruth Valerio’s book – Saying yes to Life -Archbishops Lent 2020 book
• Lausanne Movement: Creation Care course part of their global classroom – excellent set of videos with world-leading experts and support materials for individuals or groups

Blogs to follow

• David Bookless
• Ruth Valerio