Churches Lead the Way In Environmental Action, Transforming Communities Into Green Havens
Increasing numbers of U.K.-based churches and cathedrals are turning environmental action within their locality into a force for change. There are now 8,200 eco-churches across all Christian denominations within the United Kingdom, and the number is constantly growing.
These churches have opened up green spaces, created new gardens, improved the environmental credentials of their buildings and made an impact on local communities.
St. John’s Church Harleston is one such example. In 2022, this town center church initiated a community project to revitalize nature within the small grounds and the wider community.
Adopting a collective approach to nature recovery, they encouraged local groups and schools to take action. One of their key actions was to encourage the provision of bird boxes and suitable habitats for declining numbers of swifts. Their action has proved so successful that the national Swift Conservation Society is now promoting it nationwide.
The greening of this market town has led to the development of a parish-based “Harleston Model” of nature recovery that is now being promoted by local councils.
It is not just individual churches that are taking the lead in environmental action. Other denominations such as the Salvation Army, Quaker, Methodists and United Reformed Churches are equally involved, while all 42 dioceses within the Church of England have become eco-dioceses.
Churches are encouraged to become part of the A Rocha U.K. award system, enabling them to identify and make changes within their area.
Leading the way is A Rocha U.K., which was initially founded in 2001 as a local Christian conservation project reclaiming a couple of areas for nature within a deprived area of West London. It was a just a group of volunteers led by a local vicar named Dave Bookless and his wife, Anne. The project grew and grew, involving the participation of more and more churches, and now covers an urban nature reserve known as Wolf Fields.
By 2016, there was so much interest appearing among churches nationwide that A Rocha U.K. created an eco-award system in which churches work towards gold, silver and bronze awards. To achieve each level, the participating church has to demonstrate environmental concerns and care for creation in its worship and teaching, buildings and energy, land and nature, lifestyle, community and global engagement. Achieving each level takes a lot of time and commitment. Over 2,800 churches have achieved a bronze award, 1,200 gained silver and 70 gold.
Each church tailors its eco-activities to suit its location and the level of award for which it is aiming. On the Isle of Wight, the presence of a beekeeper within the congregation led to a decision to become involved in creating bee-friendly habitats. In Settle, St. John’s Methodist church turned the paved areas around its building into a garden well-used by the local community.
In another example, St. James Church in Ludgershall has adopted a couple of sheep who look after the wildflower meadow over winter, as well as help mow the grass around the church. At St. Nicholas Church, Montgomery, in Wales, there is now a monthly “bring and share lunch” during which eco-issues are discussed with particular focus on challenging the congregation to consider “food miles” to determine how far their meal has traveled.
The Very Rev. Nigel Williams, dean of St. Asaph, said that “all sorts of different projects and adaptations are being made by churches across the diocese to take care of God’s creation in their local context.”
“There are Forest Churches starting, conservation projects in graveyards, hedgehog counts, orchards and beehives being established and churches converting to green energy,” he added. “We want to support changes and encourage people to take the next step.”
Last November, Chichester Cathedral became the fourth Cathedral in England and Wales to achieve a gold award, the others being Salisbury, Chelmsford and Ely. To achieve this status, it has undertaken numerous ecology, wildlife and sustainability projects — including organizing clothing swaps, installing draught excluders and a low energy lighting system, planting a border for pollinators and using recycled paper and vegetable inks on printed items.
New ideas are constantly appearing. The latest awards survey from A Rocha U.K. highlights opportunities to create inclusive pathways, explore topics like eco-anxiety and pastoral care, climate and biodiversity crises, while ensuring that the overall framework remains achievable. Achieving net zero carbon emissions is a priority, along with the creation of sustainable, wildlife friendly habitats.
As A Rocha points out, with more than 40,000 worshipping communities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Christians and churches possess colossal potential to make and demonstrate environmental change. It states, “We live in a world loved by a creator God who is committed to its redemption, doing what obedience and worship requires us to do — care for all he has made.”
Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of British and international publications.