Eco Church - St James Woodley

Eco Trail

Click Here to view/download our Eco Trail leaflet which explains all. Or you can collect a copy from these locations:

South Lake Parade Convenience Store (next to St James Church Centre)
Woodley Library
The Oakwood Centre
Parkside Family Practice
Woodley Centre Surgery
St James Church Centre

St James Eco Team have produced some children’s activities that you can download and use as you follow the Eco Trail.

Lake Wildlife Survey – click to download

Tree Treasure Hunt – click to download

Scavenger Hunt – click to download

Adults: We recommend you pre-read the activities before you leave home to make sure that you have the crayons, pencils that you might need on your trail.

Eco Resolutions for 2025

Ready to set a new year resolution? How about an Eco New Year’s resolution?

Have you declared a Climate Emergency? Do you need to set some climate action goals?

You only need to start small, but if everyone made one positive change to reduce our negative impact on God’s beautiful world …..what an impact.

You can start at any time of the year, but New Year gives us a brilliant time to start.

A little change can go a long way.

Some you may already be doing, others may not apply to you. It’s not throwing everything out and starting again, it’s more about changing mindset and habits such as not always buying new, try refilling, secondhand, reduce ……. keep reading.

Where to start?

In the kitchen:

● Reuse the containers you already have – bags, jars, containers. (Saving any leftovers for the freezer to eat later, reuse shopping bags for the next shop)

● Reduce the plastic from your food shopping.

○ Buy in bulk ○ Buy from refillables (Maya’s Refillables in Wokingham does food, spices, as well as cosmetics, toiletries, cleaning products, etc) or online: Arborfill) Use the containers you already have – no need to buy new or fancy.

○ Take your own bags to the shop for your loose fruit and veg and for your shop. (Stash a spare bag or two in the car – so you will never be caught without a bag, remembering to return them once used!)

○ Write to your local supermarket to ask them to reduce their reliance on plastic packaging.

● Buy local – meat, vegetables, try the farmers market? ● Consume less meat – Meat free Mondays? or try a dairy free meal? (Meat and dairy has a higher carbon footprint so if you are looking at reducing your carbon footprint this is a must!)

● Zero waste – only cook what you need, compost your peelings, cook from scratch – less waste, less packaging, more control over salt, sugar and additives.

● Meal plan so you are only buying what you need for the week’s meals – less waste ● Buy and cook with Fairtrade ingredients

● Use reusable kitchen towels / unpaper towels instead of paper towels.

● Have you tried beeswax wraps instead of cling film to wrap items in the fridge?

● Bring / buy your own water bottle. No need to keep buying bottled water.

In the bathroom:

● Use less plastic:

○ Swap your current toothbrush for a bamboo one

○ Refill your current shampoo, conditioner, shower gel.

○ Swap you shampoo and conditioner for a bar

○ Swap your plastic razor for a metal safety razor (Jungle Culture)

○ Is your toilet paper wrapped in plastic?

○ Swap your plastic shower puff for a cotton flannel or loofah. ● Swap your current toilet paper for a plastic free one (Who gives a crap) – think about swapping for a bamboo toilet roll (Naked Sprout or Cheeky Panda), or rolls made from recycled paper (Feel Good, Supermarket Recycled Toilet Roll).

● Choose your menstruation products wisely. There are more shops that sell reusable products for periods from pants to pads to cups, or 100% cotton period products.

● Use less water:

○ Shower instead of a bath.

○ Limit the amount of time in your shower?

○ Do you need to shower everyday?

○ Do not run the tap whilst cleaning your teeth.

○ Don’t have any leaks (a leaking tap can waste liters of water)

● Deodorant – currently using a spray can or single use roll on. Consider a refillable deodorant (Wild) or natural deodorant (Earth Conscious) ● Heard of zero waste cosmetics and skincare? (Upcircle)

Technology: ● Change to an eco search Engine – Ecosia supports planting trees – make it your default browser ● Add an extension such as Easyfundraising to raise funds for St James ● Repair or upgrade rather than replace. Remember you can try the Woodley Repair Cafe, monthly at Christchurch.

● Remember to recycle appropriately when your technology device is beyond repair or upgrading.

● Buy refurbished technology – many come in original packaging

Transport:

● Swap the vehicle for the bus or walk or cycle, doesn’t have to be the whole journey, you could get off the bus a stop earlier, or cycle once a week to work.

● When looking to swap your car – think about one that can offer you better MPG or how about an electric vehicle? But only when your vehicle really needs replacing.

● Plan your travel – booking train tickets in advance can save money and travelling by train is definitely greener than travelling by plane. ● If you have to fly, then consider offsetting your carbon footprint (Climate Stewards)

Around the house:

● Tidying up the house after the holidays, adding the read magazines to the recycle bag, pass to a friend for enjoyment, or advertise on Freecycle.

● Pass on your books to Oxfam (bookshop) or charity shop to allow another person to read.

● Too many brochures, cancel your subscriptions – triple benefit – fewer tempting offers, less for the recycling bin and saving on resources to make the brochures.

● Upcycle your christmas and greetings cards into bookmarks, new cards, gift tags, thank you cards.

● Turn down the heating a degree or two – this saves money and reduces energy consumption. Heat the person and not the room. Grab a blanket, find out those slippers.

● Think of the circle of sustainable living … get it … use it … pass it on.

In the Bedroom or Wardrobe:

● Consider buying second-hand, pre-loved clothes – many online retailers (Vinted, Preloved….)

● Repair items before throwing them away – repair ( maybe with the help of the Woodley Repair Cafe), upcycling clothes, sewing.

● Consider buying from sustainable clothing brands, many high street brands have sustainable options

● Buy a little less, ask yourself if you really need it.

In the garden:

● Grow some of your own food, herbs, etc. ● Compost your own food scraps – peelings, storks, etc. How to make your own compost.

● Spend some time in nature- in your garden

● Encourage insects and wildlife by planting pollinators

● Allow an area of your garden to be natural – weeds can be great for attracting pollinators

● Plant a tree. ● Encourage the birds, consider putting out food in the colder winter months, or providing them with a birdhouse or two.

● Air dry your clothes, saves energy ● Count the birds in your garden.

Take action: ● Write to your MP or local councillor about environmental issues that concern you or you want your representative to act on. ● Pray and support eco initiatives such as A Rocha, Green Christians, etc ● Pray and support environmental groups and initiatives such as Binfield Badgers, Woodland Trust.

● Stop using as much single-use plastic as possible (there are so many other options).

● Support sustainable British businesses. ● Celebrate Earth Day (22nd April 2025) Theme: OUR POWER, OUR PLANET TM ● Undertake your own personal Eco audit – what is your carbon footprint?

The Eco Team from St James Church, Woodley hope that this helps you take your own steps to living lighter on God’s beautiful, wonderful world.

St James Eco Church

“The Lord God placed 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.

In 2018 St James’ Church started on its Eco Journey. We joined up with A Rocha and undertook an online survey of how we scored against five areas of Church life:

Worship and teaching
Management of Church buildings
Management of Church Land
Community and global engagement
Lifestyle

We started with a small group with an interest in generating ideas on how we could improve our care for God’s world here in Woodley. Through declarations of a “Climate Emergency” by our Local council and lots of talk in the media we have been working 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.

We were very proud to announce that on 25th February 2020 St James Church was awarded a Bronze Eco Church Award.

We were excited for St James’ to receive the Silver Eco Church Award on 20th February 2024.

Our work caring for God’s world here in Woodley has only just begun. We will be continuing with our work and hoping to achieve a Gold award taking both individuals and the church and church users on a journey. New members are welcome to join us, as we continue to our eco works. Please email us here.

For more information see our Eco Church Facebook page.

Eco News and how we can all help to make a difference!:

Litter Picks

We have been regularly holding litter picks around St James and into the Parish/Community of Southlake. We started small, and gradually our numbers have grown. Why not join with us on our next litter pick? Dates are advertised on our noticeboard in the church lounge, and on our Facebook page.

What’s Happening with Eco Church ……

Now we have achieved our Silver Eco Church we will be going for Gold…….…….

…and finally

At home & away from St James’ there are numerous ways we can help our Planet and be more ‘Eco’ in our everyday lives. Probably the major one is in how we deal with our rubbish, and ensuring we recycle all we can, & so minimise what goes into landfill. You’ll find lots of information & ideas under Recycling here in our Archives.

Links:

Here are some links you might like to look up:

The Church of England “The Environment and Climate Change”

Plastic-less Living

Earley Environmental Group

Reading:

“Creation Care; A Biblical Theology of the Natural World” by Duncan Moo and Jonathan Moo