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Our
'Green' Policy is....That the principal of Reduce, Repair, Recycle is applied wherever possible.
That the Grounds be kept in good order and open to the public to provide an enhanced environment.
That the buildings be maintained in a manner to ensure that long term damage or deterioration be minimised.
That the conditions of the Letting of the Hall and Church include a clause providing for the recycling of all waste goods at all events i.e. bottles, cans, paper…sacks being provided for the sorting of same.
That all waste goods from Church events be sorted for recycling.
That the photocopier be used responsibly.
That biodegradable confetti be used and that rice not be allowed as dangerous when eaten by birds.
That fair-trade goods be used regularly and marketed on occasion.
That Eco friendly products be used in cleaning and maintenance.
That energy saving light bulbs be used wherever possible.
That rechargeable batteries be used wherever possible.
That people be encouraged to walk to church, or wherever possible share transport.
That water butts and compost bins for waste green material be installed.
That renovation or new build include renewable energy sources where possible.
Why
a Green Policy for a church?St John’s signed the Fairly Traded pledge in 2005 and had an excellent “home grown” intensive Lent course in 2006 where we looked at the environment from a Christian perspective and considered our stewardship of God’s creation. From this arose the Green Policy which the PCC voted to accept in May 2006.
We believe that how we live is an important part of our witness as Christian people. We need to be as consistent as we can be to what we say we believe. To use posh words: orthopraxis (right actions) comes from orthodoxy (right belief). How we use the resources with which God has blessed us is part of our stewardship of his Creation. That includes water, soil, other life forms we share this planet with, minerals, the seas, as well as how we deal with the waste we produce. An old Kenyan proverbs says that we don’t own the earth; we borrow it from our children...
In this context as we think about our lives and the implications of the gospel about loving God and loving our neighbours as we love ourselves (Mt 22.37-39), there are two aspects to how we live:
the “green” issues which affect the planet we live on; and
the “ethical” issues which affect the people and animals we share the planet with.
We
believe these aspects are intrinsically linked: how we live and the choices
we make affect others
who produce the goods we consume (clothes, food, beverages, consumables etc.);
who experience the waste we discard and the pollution we create;
who suffer oppression by social, economic or political factors which we support by our choices.
So we believe it is our responsibility to do the very utmost we can to reduce our “eco footprint”, corporately and individually; to share the resources we have access to; to try to eliminate the suffering of others through the choices we make; to work for a fairer and more just society - another way of putting all that is to talk about working for the coming of the Kingdom of God.
This is the thinking behind a Green Policy for St John’s.
www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org
If you need further details, please get in touch