God's Green Fingers Environment E-news
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This edition of God’s Green Fingers is a testament to hope being put into action. The challenge to rapidly decarbonise our places of worship and nurture nature on our church land is undoubtedly huge, but read on and you will find stories of communities living out their commitment to care for creation in very practical ways: with new heating systems; raising funds to make their church more energy efficient; learning how to worship together outdoors; and appreciating all God’s creatures in the churchyard.
For me personally, it is a joy to witness the ambition to become a net zero carbon church getting underway and seeing the investment in a diverse range of places of worship to make them warmer and more welcoming. After 12 years in the role of Diocesan Environment Officer, I will be stepping down at Christmas to take a break and focus on undertaking a whole house retrofit for my own home as well as continuing in my voluntary role as Chair of local climate action charity, Zero Carbon Harrogate.
The last decade or so has been an amazing journey as our role as Christians in renewing Jesus’ creation has come to the fore and investment from the Church Commissioners has enabled the initiation of a major net zero programme across the diocese. It has been a pleasure working alongside so many passionate and servant hearted people, like yourselves.
Going forward, you will be able to seek support and advice from a wide range of my colleagues, Area Environment Champions and the Eco Mission Enablers. You will find their details here.
Bless you for all you are doing in being God’s green fingers!
God bless
Jemima Parker
Diocesan Environment Officer
jemima.parker@leeds.anglican.org
Note: Some of the articles below link to the Church Times. You can read up to four Church Times articles each month free of charge by registering on their website.
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Wedding guests at St Mary’s, Embsay had a warm, green welcome recently, thanks to a newly installed eco-friendly heating system that was switched on for the first time. The old gas boiler had been turned off and the new Zero Carbon system of underfloor heating and wall mounted FAR infra-red units worked wonderfully, said Revd Canon Marion Russell.
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One of our Leeds area churches is walking across the city in order to raise money to help them go green. The Revd Phil Arnold of Christ Church Armley recently led a small group on a 62-mile walk across Leeds as part of their involvement in the Church of England’s Give to Go Green initiative. The initiative is a match-funded project aimed at helping churches to reduce their carbon footprint, and Christ Church have uses it to raise £20,000 in order to repair the church office roof.
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The diocesan Children, Young People and Families team were pleased to run an event with Engage Worship looking at how churches can worship all together using their whole space recently at St Stephen’s West Bowling in Bradford. Sam and Sara Hargreaves from Engage Worship led the day, which included sessions on intergenerational and outdoor worship, and an act of worship in the church grounds to close the day.
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Skipton's medieval Holy Trinity Church is powering towards being carbon neutral after a 'pioneering' plan to replace its old, broken gas heating system was given the go-ahead by North Yorkshire Council. The work at the grade one listed parish church, which dates back to the 14th century, and has been largely without heating for three years, will involve the installation of six air source heat pumps, an electric boiler, and the fitting of internal pipes and radiators.
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The celebratory award scheme has been updated to better reflect the eco mission of both the wide range of church different contexts and the response that churches can make to the climate and ecological emergencies. In the Diocese of Leeds, 93 churches have currently achieved Eco Church awards, with a further 96 churches registered and working towards an award. Awards can be achieved under the old survey until the end of 2024.
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From hedgehogs to hares, a rich and diverse array of species are thriving in our historic churchyards and cemeteries, a recent citizen science survey reveals. In June, communities across the UK united to celebrate Love Your Burial Ground Week, Churches Count on Nature, and National Cemeteries Week, with more than 300 events highlighting the unique blend of history, nature, and community found within local churchyards and cemeteries.
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Further tens of millions of pounds are to be pumped into efforts to drastically reduce the Church of England’s carbon emissions over the next six years, the first impact report on its net-zero programme says. The report summarises progress on the General Synod’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030, which was set in 2020. The Synod approved a “route map” to this goal two years later.
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Parish Buying supplier “Sit and Heat” have created a new video to help churches consider if heated cushions could be a practical way to warm the congregation. These cushions are designed to fit a variety of pews and chairs, offering a practical way of heating the person, not the building. Watch the video now to see how they work and how they can make a difference in your church!
Watch now
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The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, has commended public vigilance after he was mistaken for a “suspicious youth”, and the police were called, while on the roof of St Peter Mancroft church dedicating solar panels. St Peter Mancroft is a Demonstrator Church under the Church’s Net Zero Programme. The changes they have made are predicted to reduce emissions by 84 per cent, saving 52.26 tonnes of CO2 each year.
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People with a passion for the environment and looking after nature in their local communities were celebrated at the Church Times Green Church Awards last month. The winners included St Mary’s CE Academy, Sheffield, in the 'Action on a Shoestring' award sponsored by Green Journey, which went to for its collaborative approach involving children at the heart of all the action.
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During Good Money Week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a new classification system for green investments intended to reduce “greenwashing". The four new categories should make it easier for investors to make informed decisions when trying to make their investments support sustainable objectives.
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Anglican Communion representatives have been present at the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP16, in Colombia, which will run until 1st November, including young people from Kenya, El Salvador, Brazil, and Tonga. Led by the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher the group have urged counties to oblige businesses to disclose their impact on nature and use the wisdom of indigenous people to help to restore biodiversity.
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In 2023, the Church Commissioners excluded more than 800 companies from their investment portfolio on ethical grounds including 248 on climate grounds. These exclusions are detailed in the Commissioners’ latest stewardship report, An Ethical and Responsible Approach. The Commissioners also disinvested from fossil-fuel companies due to their failure to align with the Paris Agreement, continuing their push for climate responsibility.
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Events and Webinars - Local | |
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12pm. Hear from the University staff and students who will be attending the University of Leeds climate conference. As an official observer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the University of Leeds is sending a delegation to attend COP29. Members of the delegation will be involved in hosting and speaking at events as well as conducting research.
Details
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7.30pm, Bradford Cathedral. As a nature lover and Ambassador for the environmental charity Earth Trust, Nadia is using these concerts to proudly raise awareness and funds for this wonderful charity! Earth Trust inspires people to address climate, biodiversity and wellbeing with the power of natural green spaces.
Details
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7-9pm online. 8 week course. For those wishing to upskill in their own eco journey or be better equipped to fulfil a Parish Environment Officer or similar role. Express your interest now.
Details
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Events and Webinars - National | |
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1pm. Join Hope for the Future as they walk you through a step by step guide to having powerful conversations with politicians. The training will support you to make an impact, and set you up for a long term and fruitful relationship with your politician, with the aim of making vital policy change for climate and nature.
Details
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7pm. Green Christian online webinar. Mark Porter and Andii Bowsher in conversation explore issues that you may want (or need) to keep in mind when devising worship and liturgy relating to environmental and climate matters. Mark brings a musical lens while Andii balances with ritual and words in worship.
Details
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8am The next international climate conference, COP29, convenes in Baku, Azerbaijan. It can be hard to know what to pray for with so much at stake. Join others at 8am every morning during COP29, from 11 Nov to 22 Nov, for 10 minutes of prayer and reflection. This will be on Zoom and led by a team from Green Christian.
Details
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7.30pm. Hazelnut Community Farm are hosting this for an online event with Rosie Hopley. Join them for Shalom in the land – a virtual gathering to discuss the power of land for peace and reconciliation in our communities.
Details
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7pm. Green Christian online webinar. Ian Christie will explore how to garner the support, resources and commitment of the affluent and the very wealthy. How could such people undergo what the Pope has called ecological conversion, embracing a greater contribution to the common good and willingly making what will feel to them like sacrifices of money, time and consumption.
Details
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7pm. Green Christian online webinar. Find out more about the Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill’s second reading and why your MP needs to be there and what you can do to help. With Jamie Russell of Zero Hour and theology from Paul Kunert, author of Jesus Died to Save the Planet.
Details
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A new resource has been launched to help churches celebrate God’s beautiful world on any Sunday of the year. Choose Life has been written and compiled in the Diocese of York by Diane Craven and the Revd Johannes Nobel. Picking up on the theme that creation care is not just for the Season of Creation, it contains suggestions for prayer and worship, combined with ideas for practical action for creation, during every season of the church year.
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“Jesus Died to Save the Planet” is the title of a recently published essay by Paul Kunert which reclaims the foundational truth that the gospel is good news for the whole of creation. Kunert argues that by focusing on human interests over all else God has made, we fail to recognise the full redemptive reach of Jesus’ sacrifice. We need to embrace the full, holistic scope of the gospel – living in line with the truth that Jesus is King of all things, and came to save all he has made.
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JustMoney Movement has released a new Greener Fairer Banking guide for churches. The updated guide compares four of the more ethical banks with current accounts suitable for churches and charities in the UK, including an analysis of the banks’ climate policies. The guide can be downloaded for free.
Read more
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Find out more about what’s going on across the Church of England. Get monthly news, webinar listings, resources and stories to help inspire you to take action to care for God's creation.
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Give To Go Green - Round 3 Open | |
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The next round of Give To Go Green has started and we are encouraging all churches, those already on their Net-Zero Carbon journey as well as those just starting out, to get involved. Give To Go Green is a match-funding grant project from the National Church, matching locally raised donations for carbon-reducing building projects. Applications are open now and will close in March 2025. The Application Pack includes full details and the GTGG team are holding two information webinars in November.
Details here
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The Stobart Sustainability fund is currently open to applications and is looking to support community-led sustainability projects and initiatives led by non-profit organisations, community groups and educational facilities, such as schools and colleges. They want to fund projects that transform their local community through tackling climate change, reducing carbon emissions or protecting or enhancing the environment.
Details here
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Grants up to £6,000 to set up or enhance community-led green spaces through the Community Nature Network Nature Hubs Fund. For setting up or enhancing a community green space that's accessible to the public. Funds projects that increase access to and bring people together in nature, upskill community members, and are committed to reaching audiences beyond those who already access green spaces. In partnership with Starbucks, and all Hubs must be located within 5km of a Starbucks to encourage connections between stores and projects.
Details here
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A suite of resources is available on the diocese of Leeds website to help you plan and deliver your church creation care plans. Watch the webinar on Planning & Delivering Your Net Zero Carbon Fundraising Appeal, use the template Case for Support document to gather all your funding information in one place and review the lists of grant funders to see where you might be able to best find the funds you need.
Read more.
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A ready to print magazine article for your Parish Magazine! | |
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Our Woven World
Diana Chambers, considers what Creationtide and Fairtrade Fortnight have meant in her parish and how everyday can be a creation care day appreciating the intricately woven world around us.
Read the article here
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More magazine articles?
All our eco magazine articles are archived on the Diocese of Leeds Environment Magazine Magic webpage.
Click here
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Eco Top Tips
Find a weekly top tip here for your parish newsletter:
Year 1
Year 2
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If we don’t laugh we’ll cry: helping you through the grief of ecocide...
"The sun and the Earth were having a heated debate...
...it quickly turned into a “solar” panel discussion."
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Please join our discussion group on Facebook by following the below link! | | | | |
