The Diocese in Europe has been awarded A Rocha’s Eco Diocese Bronze Award. Across the 48 other dioceses in England and Wales registered for the initiative, 14 have the Bronze Eco Diocese status. 

A passion for taking action in caring for our climate is infused within our diocese. At our Pan-Diocesan Caring for our Climate event in October we celebrated the numerous climate care projects our chaplaincies are involved with. From beach cleans, solar panels and urban forest utopias, the involvement of chaplaincies in Eco Church projects have helped the diocese achieve the award. 

Amongst other criteria for Bronze Eco Diocese status, 10% of local churches must be registered for Eco Church and 5% must have won a Bronze or Silver Eco Church Award. Eco Diocese is an initiative to encourage diocesan level engagement with Eco Church, and promote local level participation in the scheme.  
 
“This is encouraging for everyone, but we can’t rest on our laurels – the real work still lies ahead of us. Not only in aiming higher but also in encouraging all chaplaincies to start on the journey,” said Elizabeth Bussmann-Morton, Diocesan Environmental Officer. “It is always good to be journeying together – sharing and encouraging one another. “ 
A Rocha UK are a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world. They are committed to equipping Christians and churches to care for the environment. Their Eco Church initiative provides support and recognition to church communities from all denominations to help care for creation. You can read about Caring for our Climate in the Algarve or Palermo’s City Forest for inspiration on chaplaincy projects. 

“Eco Church is a great resource for helping to fulfil our God-given mandate to care for God’s amazing creation and enriching our own discipleship, personally and collectively,” said Elizabeth. 

Let’s collectively embark on the journey to reach our next goals of achieving A Rocha’s Eco Diocese Silver Award and ambitious net-zero target. To learn more about becoming an Eco Church, please email Elizabeth at bemedeo@gmail.com.