How to begin the journey towards an Eco Church award

The diocese of Bath and Wells is striving to become an Eco Diocese and isn’t far from achieving a bronze award. It is a journey we are all on together, so far 24 Churches in the diocese have bronze and five have silver, and many more have already begun the journey towards an award. Here Diocesan Environment Officer, Sara Emmett answers some of the questions you may have.

What is an Eco Church award? 

An Ecochurch Award is given to churches that show commitment and consideration to the environment and sustainability.  The Award scheme is run by Christian environment charity A Rocha UK and aims to encourage and support churches in making positive changes with Creation Care in mind.

How do churches get one?

Its really easy to start just visit the A Rocha website and register your church for free. You can then start looking at the questions and you can save them to return to at any time so it is really user friendly.

How difficult is it to meet the criteria? 

You may be surprised how many criteria your church already meets and how many things you can do simply and at a low cost to begin meeting the others, especially for bronze.  Silver and gold require a longer term commitment but again, are designed to be achievable.

What kind of things do churches need to be thinking about in order to get an award? 

There are 5 sections to the award criteria- land, worship, community, buildings and lifestyle.  Some questions may not apply to your church so they can be moved past. Quick wins include regular inclusion of creation care in prayer, worship and newsletters as well as simple lifestyle changes like turning off lights and providing vegetarian options at celebrations and gatherings.

Can you give a few examples of the kind of things churches may already be doing which they may not know will count towards an award?

There are probably lots of things that churches are already doing, which would count towards an award, but they may not realise what these things are; things such as recycling office paper and using ecofriendly office and cleaning supplies, praying for Creation Care and climate justice around the world in intercessions and prayer groups, are among some of the things that many churches already do on a regular basis. 

Are there examples of other churches in the diocese who have undergone the process already?

Holy Trinity Yeovil, Locking Castle and Wells Cathedral are examples of silver.  Holy Trinity Bath and Combe St Nicholas are examples of bronze. St Peter and St Paul Church in Chiselborough recently won a Silver Eco Church Award and shared their journey to inspire others.

Is there any help for churches who want to begin the process, but don’t know where to start? 

If you would like help and support please contact Environment Officer Sara Emmett

Where can churches find out more information?

All the information you need can be found on the A Rocha website, it’s very straight forward to use.

How can our church award help make a difference to the diocesan award? 

Our diocese is registered to become an Ecodiocese and we are really close! We need just three more churches to achieve the awards for churches criteria.  Could you be the church that helps us achieve this?