DIOCESE IN EUROPE ENVIRONMENT NEWSLETTER JULY 2009
Dear Chaplains, Readers and Chaplaincy Environment Officers
During the past months there have been many encouraging things going on in our Diocese and beyond, some of which I would like to share with you.
Diocesan Synod in Cologne
I was pleased to have been allotted a slot at Synod and was able to report that an increasing number of chaplaincies have contacted me with details of a variety of projects that are in the planning or execution stages. I have become well aware that many chaplaincies do not own their church buildings and often or not the chaplain’s housing either, thus restricting activities on environment investments. In such cases all their efforts are being put into encouraging the congregations to think environment in their everyday lives. Almost half of our chaplaincies have appointed a Chaplaincy Environment Officer or are sharing the tasks in an environment group.
A motion (tabled be me) was debated by Synod that calls on all church councils and congregations of our Diocese to devote one Sunday during Creation Time (1st Sunday September until 2nd Sunday October) to pray for the environment, to use an environment friendlier form of transport that day and commit to a concrete sustainable energy saving project. Synod passed this motion unanimously demonstrating full support of our environmental concerns and goals. You may be interested to listen to the audio diary from Synod (Thursday was environment day) available on our Diocesan website www.europe.anglican.org News Items. Delegates at Synod asked if readers and assistant chaplains could also receive my newsletters in future. Having now obtained the relevant lists I am able to oblige.
Shrinking the footprint
The Shrinking the Footprint campaign recently celebrated its third year of being with a conference at Lambeth and a newly designed and even more useful website. Madeleine Holmes (Diocesan Synod/Aquitaine Chaplaincy) joined me for what turned out to be a very useful, varied and thought provoking day. The conference has been well documented on the StF website – www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org - and I recommend reading the Bishop of London’s introductory speech and that of Joan Ruddock, MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Energy and Climate Change. You will read that the goal of the Church of England is to create a 20% Church by 2050.
And while you are on the site why not refresh your memories on the steps to a greener church. Please study the new tool kit and resources and the advice on the appropriate use of renewable energy in church buildings.
Copenhagen 09
The UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Copenhagen from December 7 to December 18 this year. Bishop David will be accompanying the Archbishop to the Conference and the chaplaincy of St Alban’s in Copenhagen will be providing services of worship over this period. It is vital for our planet that all the nations work together to produce a road map for concrete action. Please read about this Conference, the issues and progress on the official web site www.cop15.dk . Let us as a Diocese pray earnestly for the preparations for this conference and, come December, include the Conference in our daily prayers.
Web sites
I am sometimes asked if I can give any advice to establish a green page in a chaplaincy web site. I usually point to St Alban’s, Copenhagen which has a very comprehensive site www.st-albans.dk/green-church. The new Chaplaincy Environment Officer at the Aquitaine Chaplaincy, Judith Thomason, has recently added an environment page to the chaplaincy web site. Take a look at this at www.chapaq.org for details. Congratulations Aquitaine.
A Rocha has a new Living Lightly website
A Rocha say: ‘Living Lightly comes from our belief that God loves this world and has given us the privilege of looking after it. But to do so involves every area of our lives, from our own daily choices, through to campaigning and what happens in our churches and workplaces and sometimes we do need help to do that most effectively’.
‘Living Lightly aims to encourage and motivate us to make practical changes in all these areas through giving us ideas of things we can do, further information on key issues, links to useful websites and resources., stimulating guests articles and an on-line community where like-minded people can meet one another, exchange ideas, have their questions discussed and be encouraged to move further down the road of living lightly in God’s world’. See www.arocha.org.uk/livinglightly
Thank you for your interest. As always I am very pleased to receive comments and news about environment projects from the chaplaincies. And I wish you all relaxing summer holidays.
Brian Morgan
Diocesan Environment Officer
PS
The wording of the Motion passed unanimously at Diocesan Synod was as follows:
This Synod calls upon all staff and chaplaincies of our Diocese to set aside annually one Sunday during Creationtide (from 1st Sunday in September until the 2nd Sunday in October) when every member of the chaplaincy is encouraged to
- pray for the environment and commit themselves to a personal, specific and sustainable energy saving action
- use the most practical (and safe) energy friendly form of transport to attend church that day
Furthermore this Synod call upon all Chaplaincy Church Councils to take note of the Diocesan Environment Policy (available on the Diocesan web site) and draw up and execute plans to shrink their chaplaincy’s environmental footprint.
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