Christ Church - Eco Church

Christ Church West Wimbledon

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Christ Church Eco Church

What is Eco-Congregation?

Eco-congregation developed from a partnership between the Government funded environmental charity ENCAMS (which runs the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign and the Going for Green brand) and the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. It aims to encourage churches to consider environmental issues within a Christian context and enable local churches to make positive contributions in their life and mission.

To find out more click on the 'Eco-Congregation' logo above left.

Eco-Congregation at Christ Church

Eco-Festival 2008 - Photo Gallery

Photographs from the EcoiFestival held at Christ Church, 14th June 2008

Getting Started

We started our Ecocongregation work in 2006 with a check-up of our existing efforts to place the care for creation at the heart of our worship, our church and our community. This resulted in a number of internal actions, including:

switching to a ‘green energy’ supplier for our electricity;
conducting an energy efficiency audit
using crockery instead of plastic cups
inviting an environmental speaker for the Harvest Festival service; and
purchasing recycled paper for the parish office.

As part of our programme, we wanted to work with the rest of the community – and the idea of the Eco-Festival was born with the aim of inspiring practical environmental action in the local area and beyond. The festival was put together by a team of around 15 people over a period of 6 months.

The EcoFestival – June 2007

The event itself was held on 5 June and was opened by the Mayor of Merton, and brought together a wide range of different activities during the day aiming to appeal to as broad a range of people as possible. These included:

- A wealth of stalls and displays from individuals, entrepreneurs and organisations, including Better Generation, Eco-Renovation, ‘How Green is Your Home’, Liz Errington Cards, Merton Council, Merton Cycling Campaign, Merton Friends of the Earth, Morden Hall, Onya Bags, Riverford Organic, Sustainable Merton, Tariro, Traidcraft, Wiggly Wigglers, Wimbledon CND and many more.

A wide variety of childrens’ activities for about 50 children in all, including an Eco Treasure Hunt, a Food Miles game, making Insect Homes out of flower pots, planting Wildflowers in biodegradeable newspaper pots, and for the younger children, constructing and decorating paper Windmills.
A delicious Ploughman’s Lunch served to over 100 people sourced from the local Farmers’ Market, along with fair trade teas and coffees throughout the day.
A set of four workshops in the afternoon, which brought together experts from organisations such as the Conservation Foundation, Merton Council and Sustain to answer questions and stimulate ideas on issues such as green energy, recycling & waste, religion & the environment, as well as sustainable food.
The Eco-Festival closed with an Environmental Question-Time attended by over 200 people. The panel comprised Merton Council member for the environment Tariq Ahmad, Sustainable Merton founder Mike Dees, Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond, Darren Johnson, Green member on the London Assembly, and Christian Aid’s climate change campaigner Andrew Pendleton. The panel took questions from the floor on issues ranging from local waste schemes through to climate change and closed with some top tips for environmental action.

Details of Christ Church's EcoFestival 2007 can be found here-

CCWW EcoFest 2007

CCWW Eco Fest 2008

Fortunately, the Festival had one of the sunniest days in a very wet summer – which certainly helped foster a really positive spirit amongst those who attended. We also managed to range over £700. Half of this, we donated to Water Aid, the charity that helps people in developing countries gain access to safe and clean water.

We were delighted to be given a Highly Commended certificate as part of the 2007 Merton Green Guardian Awards – which will inspire us further to promote our activities for Creation Care.

Looking Ahead to 2008

We now want to build on the enthusiasm generated by the Festival and have identified five priorities for the year ahead.

1. Upgrade the Lighting: We have saved £350 from the Eco-festival and agreed that it would be good to use this for a tangible project - such as improving our energy efficiency.

2. Eco-congregation Award: We will make a submission to gain a formal Eco-congregation Award for our work so far.

3. Cutting our Footprint: We will take practical actions to measure and then reduce the environmental impacts of the congregation. The government's carbon calculate provides a useful starting point: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html

4. Incorporating Environmental Themes in Our Worship: We will continue to include aspects of ‘creation care’ in our regular programme of worship.

5. Eco-Festival II: We agreed that we should hold a follow-up event next summer, as part of the London Sustainability Week in June.

Eco Links

Eco-Congregation in Scotland

Eco-Congregation in Ireland

Church of England Environmental Campaign, 'Shrinking the Footprint'

Diocese of Southwark Environmental Policy and Issues web pages

Delegate the environmental management of your home to experts. Green Homes Concierge offers a tailor-made service to London homeowners. A qualified home assessor will thoroughly check your property to highlight where energy is being lost. Then they’ll recommend a programme of improvements to reduce both your carbon footprint – and your fuel bills. For £199 you’ll receive a year’s guidance for the best improvement options and how to do them. The service includes support with the practicalities of obtaining grants, quotes and the best suppliers and products to meet your requirements – saving time, energy and the environment.

Green Homes Concierge Service
DD: 0845 020 0405
Tel: 0800 089 0098
Fax: 0845 020 0410
www.greenhomesconcierge.co.uk

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