What is Eco Church?

Eco Church is A Rocha UK’s award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.

 

At the heart of Eco Church is a unique, online survey that enables churches to both record what they are already doing to care for God’s earth, and to reflect on what further steps they can take to that end and then act accordingly.

 

The survey covers all areas of church life: Worship and Teaching; Management of Church Building and Land; Community and Global Engagement; and Lifestyle.  As such, it challenges churches to act in respect of the songs they sing and of the food they serve; of the energy they use and of the ethics of their investments; of the wildlife that finds a home on their land and of the water that flushes their loos; and so on…

 

As a church completes the survey they collect points towards an Eco Church Award. There are three levels of Eco Church Award – Bronze, Silver and Gold. In order to qualify for an Award churches must attain the required standard in each of the areas covered by the Eco Survey that apply to them. If all the relevant gauges turn bronze, the church has achieved a Bronze Award; if they all turn silver they have achieved a Silver Award , and so on.

For more information visit Eco Church

 

Eco Church News

Check out the latest Eco Newsletter here

 

November 2022

The first issue of the Bridge Group Parish Eco-Newsletter is out now view it here!

October 2021: The Bridge Group Parish Eco Church Team collaborates with Bridge Going Green to provide a recycling station at St Peter's Bridge

Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, Eco Church Team and Bridge Going Green there is now a recycling station in the porch of St Peter's Bridge. The table below shows what items can be recycled at our station at present and we hope to add more in the future. The official launch attracted many locals keen to learn more about our Eco-church project and allowed us to help to promote and environmentally friendly locally based refill company 'Switch Refills'

 

March 2020

 

October 2019: All five churches awarded a Silver Eco-church award

Each of the churches in our Parish has undertaken the Eco Church survey and has an action plan to complete to achieve their target award. We have been busy doing carbon footprint calculations, writing lighting policies and land maintenance plans as well as a lot of other things! This hard work has resulted in all five churches receiving a Silver Eco Church award.