Eco Church


at St James Church

“The Lord God place man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.”

(Genesis 2:15 New Living Translation)

 

Eco Church is A Rocha UK’s  award scheme for churches in England and Wales. We have taken our first steps in identifying how we care for God’s earth. 

We have undertaken an online survey to find out how we score against five areas of church life:

·         Worship and teaching

·         Management of Church buildings

·         Management of Church Land

·         Community and global engagement

·         Lifestyle

 

Our current score:


A small working party are now assessing our Garden of Eden and how we can improve our care for God’s world here in Woodley.  We will be campaigning for global and local changes to protect the environment and encouraging all church users to alter their lifestyles to better care for the world around them both locally and globally.  Initially we will be looking into the areas of worship and teaching, land and lifestyle towards achieving a Bronze Eco Church Award.

New members are welcome to join us, as we continue to work towards our Bronze Eco Award. Please email us here. 

 

For more information see our Eco Church Facebook page .

 

Eco News:

 

 

Ideas you could try this Autumn

…not all at once but perhaps pick one or two ideas and try them out this Autumn and they might become new habits or spark your interest in a particular area….

Wrap up warm this Autumn and get ready for the winter evenings.
 
Now the nights get darker earlier, close your curtains to prevent the heat escaping through the windows, and make it feel cosier!
 
Bring back the dog!? The draught excluding “sausage dog” for the door! Now you can get cats, owls, rabbits, and hedgehogs to name but a few “friends” to prevent draughts from leaking in under doors! Professional draught exclusion for windows, doors floors and skirting boards can cost around £200 for an average house.  DIY draught proofing can be less.  Another alternative, especially on a draughty front door is to install some heavy curtains. 
 
Insulation is also ecological.  Hot water tank insulation and hot water pipe insulation will save money on your water heating bills and help to reduce your carbon emissions.  Insulating your loft will help you save money too!  More insulation ideas!
  
Preparing for Christmas often means clearing out and tidying up.  Remember this is a good opportunity to improve your recycling efforts.
 
Why not set yourself up a simple recycling system in your home.  Have a waste bin, a bin for kerbside recycling, a compost bucket and a container for other recyclables.   In Wokingham Borough Council kerbside recycling will take:
  • Aerosols
  • All food tins and drinks cans
  • Paper and card including window envelopes – shredded paper should be put in envelopes or cardboard boxes
  • Plastic bottles without lids
  • Broken down cardboard which must fit in the box or be in box size bundles placed to side of box
  • Tubs (Ice cream and margarine)
  • Clear plastic food trays (e.g. cakes, meat or punnet containers)
  • Cosmetic pots and tubs (made with flexible plastic)
  • Cartons or tetrapaks (milk, soup or juice) – all without lids
  • Clean foil and foil trays
 
 
Be pedantic about your recycling – think about every item and whether it / or part of it could be recycled. Tubes from wrapping paper, toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, used envelopes, junk mail, etc.
 
For other items of recycling check out our recycling guide.
 
Recycle @ St James Church
Recycle your good quality used: Clean adults and children’s clothing, soft toys, paired shoes, belts, handbag, scarves and ties, hats, bedding, lingerie, and socks using the “Bag to School” and return your bags to Church on Sunday 25th November. For more details pick up a bag and leaflet from the Church lounge.

 

Future Plans:

Having a get together to see what we can do to make the church grounds more “wildlife friendly” and a better resource for the church and the community …..meeting date and time to be confirmed.  
 
Soon to come information and ideas on how you can have a eco friendly Christmas. 
 
Remember to look at the St James Eco Church page on Facebook.
 

Local Environmental Events:

Oakwood Forest Church meet regularly see link below for more details.
Bring your “Bag to School” recycling to church on Sunday 25th November 2018. 

 

Links:

Here are some links you might like to look up:

Shrinking the footprint 

The Church of England Environment Programme 

Plastic-less Living 

Earley Environmental Group 

Fairtrade 

Oakwood Forest Church 

Green Christian  

Climate Stewards 

 

Previous Eco ideas:

You can find an archive of previously published Eco ideas here.