| Five Alive
Information Pages Parish Green Issues eet |
|
| Five Alive
Information Pages Parish Green Issues eet |
|
|
Brief Sustainable Living in God's World Walk where the skylarks still sing A green charter for the Churches "The earth is the Lord's and all who dwell in it" Many people are coming to the belief that our modern lifestyle is causing climate change, harming vulnerable communities in poor countries now and threatening the future for our children and grandchildren. Christians have a responsibility to care for God's creation to ensure that the skylarks will continue to sing. The Diocesan Environmental Strategy recommends practical ways in which we can help to reduce the damaging effects of climate change. In response to this strategy, we suggest a Green Charter for the Parish which will • Monitor the church's and world concern about climate change and the related issues • Recommend our practical response to these concerns, whenever and however appropriate, on a local and personal level • Study the Quakers' publication "Walk Cheerfully, Step Lightly" and a London Diocese publication "Creed and Creation". These are useful guides for our response to climate change • Put proposals for change of lifestyle in Church, community and home to the PCC and the Diocese of Worcester Monitoring our Concern We need to convene a group of people to confirm, recommend and establish an achievable green charter for our local churches Practical Response Church buildings • Establish a smaller worshipping area, review lighting and heating • Install water butts for use of watering grave flowers and shrubs • Conserve particular concerns, eg bees in the roof of Fladbury Church Churchyards • Establish a regular work party of volunteers - a "green gym"! • Survey grassland plants and butterflies with a view to sustaining and improving the biodiversity • Review disposal of waste in black bags • Establish compost site Millennium Woodland Garden (Fladbury only) • Set up a work party of volunteers to help Lisa with conservation, maintenance and wildlife habitats • Survey plants, trees and birds • Review woodland and its use after ten years The Congregation • Alert people to the consequences of climate change • Help people to have an attitude of mind to change our ways • Suggest ways of reducing our personal carbon footprints eg use local bus services, share car transport, turn down the central heating, etc • Promote the growing of organic vegetables and fruit and/or use local sources and suppliers of seasonal food, especially from allotment holders • Remember to buy and use fair-trade goods wherever possible, available from some supermarkets and Holland House • Remind people of the necessity and ways to reduce what we buy and what we use, reduce waste, recycle, and reuse materials, so that we may live simply that others my simply live • Support ATLAS in their outreach project work • Link up with the Environmental Strategy group for the Diocese of Worcester • Have a creation theology for some Church Services • Consider the possibility of holding a regatta on the Avon to focus green issues • Support, celebrate and encourage people in their growing awareness of the effect of lifestyle choices and their efforts to live a "greener" life The next step - putting the proposal to the PCC and the Diocese
|