What Steps has Redland Park Church taken to reduce our Carbon Footprint?
In 2025, the Climate Justice Group put forward a new Environmental Policy for the church which we are all using as the basis for our work towards the A Rocha Eco Gold Award:
Environmental Policy for Redland Park United Reformed Church It is our intent, as a body of people committed to caring for God’s creation, to reduce our carbon footprint, improve recycling, minimise waste and improve efficiencies on finite natural resources in all of our operations. Redland Park is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and Section 5 of this Policy lays out the steps that we shall take. Redland Park is committed to working towards the Eco Gold Award
2 Introduction 2.1 As a Church we affirm that care for Creation, a just sharing of the world’s resources, and a concern for the environment are fundamental Gospel commitments. 2.2 We believe that God created and continues to create the whole universe, God continues to sustain and nurture Creation. 2.3 We believe that we are an integral part of God’s Creation, that God calls us to be partners in God’s ongoing creative, renewing and redeeming activity; commands us to act justly and in righteousness not only towards all humanity but to all Creation; and requires us to care for Creation so that future generations, whom God also loves, may enjoy it and benefit from it. 2.4 We affirm that Christian mission includes caring for God’s earth and all Creation. It includes acknowledging humankind’s responsibility, sharing in putting right the relationships within God’s Creation that have gone wrong, and working within the church and with partners outside the church to grow towards justice and good stewardship as envisaged in the biblical vision of the world as it is meant to be. 2.5 We acknowledge that human activity has contributed to the degradation of the earth and that this is not the will of God. We believe that this degradation limits the attainment of the fullness of life that God wills for all Creation, and is a sin for which we should seek forgiveness. It also imposes most heavily upon the peoples of the developing countries of the world and is part of the intrinsic injustice to which we bear witness. As the Lambeth Declaration 2015 on Climate Change, to which the United Reformed Church is a signatory, affirms, ‘The demands of justice as well as of creation require the nations of the world urgently to limit the global rise in average temperatures. We have a responsibility to act now, for ourselves, our neighbours and for future generations.’ 2.6 We recognise the significance of the December 2015 Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels’ recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. 2.7 This policy echoes Vision 2020’s affirmation that ‘The changing climate and its consequences for all life on planet earth cannot be over emphasised as the most significant underlying issue of our time’ - and that it is vital that the Church ‘recognises the reality and fear present in environmental debates and lives hopefully in the present climate.’ Ref. Vision 2020
3. ‘Hope in God’s Future’ 3.1 We affirm the view expressed in the 2009 report Hope in God’s Future (updated 3rd edition in 2020) that ‘it is now intellectually and morally irresponsible to fail to acknowledge and address the urgent need for radical cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent intolerable damage to human populations and mass extinctions of many plant and animal species.’ Ref. Hope in God’s Future 3.2 We pledge to respond to the report’s call for repentance in the face of our complicity in the sinful structures that are causing wanton damage to the earth, to its creatures and to many poor communities. We also commit to intercede for those threatened by climate change, and to adopt practices and lifestyles consistent with levels of carbon emissions the earth can sustain.
4. Shrinking our carbon footprint 4.1 Reflecting the commitments contained in the Vision2020 statement, in the Hope in God’s Future report, and in a resolution on climate change passed by General Assembly in 2007, the United Reformed Church South Western Synod affirms its pledge to shrink its carbon footprint and to strive to protect and restore the environment. 4.2 The church recognises that this pledge calls for both conversion on the part of its individual members and transformation of its internal structures. The remainder of this policy, which incorporates the ‘suggested indicators’ contained in statement 10 of Vision2020, follows through on this ‘conversion’ and ‘transformation’. We will endeavour to work ecumenically whenever possible and appropriate as we act upon this policy. 4.3 Accordingly, we will try to: a) achieve ‘Eco-Church’ Gold award status; b) carry out a systematic environmental audit of our building and follow the strategies outlined below for reducing our carbon footprint; c) raise awareness, through prayer, preaching, Bible study, teaching and discussion, of the need for confession and repentance in relation to the causes of climate change, and of our calling, caring for and treasuring God’s Creation, and celebrating all that is achieved in fulfilling that calling; d) celebrate ‘Time for Creation’ as encouraged by the World Council of Churches. Creation Time runs from 1 September until 4 October each year; e) ensure that energy is used efficiently and that our building is environment friendly through the use of energy-saving technologies and by identifying and using renewable sources of energy as appropriate; f) help members of our congregation to make adjustments in the carbon emissions associated with their lifestyles by supporting them in a personal audit and in finding appropriate strategies; g) involve our children and young people in activities focusing on care for the environment; h) engage our local political representatives, urging them to support policies that take effective steps towards realising the commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050; i) support campaigns and action around climate change issues; j) ensure that our garden is used in ways that encourage an enjoyment of nature and both enhance biodiversity and protect the environment. 4.4 The Climate Justice Group will produce an action plan annually to support our Environmental Policy. Refs: Vision 2020 https://urc.org.uk/vision2020/ Hope in God’s Future https://jpit.uk/hope-in-gods-future-2
OBJECTIVES We have five objectives which will help us to make progress towards this aim:
To reduce our carbon footprint
To manage our waste sustainably
To protect the natural environment
To ensure that building work is carried out to the highest environmental standards
To ensure our financial decisions are as environmentally sound as possible.
OBJECTIVE 1. Reduce our carbon footprint 1. Replace Gas Boiler for No.1 with Infrared heaters 2. Approach Korean Church about their use of the Kitchen as regards to gas and water use. 3. To encourage the use of public transport and bicycles. Where distance and other factors point to car use, we will encourage car-sharing if practicable.
OBJECTIVE 2. To manage our waste sustainably To continue to reduce, reuse and recycle waste wherever it is possible. Actions: 1. Improve and maintain signage to ensure waste is effectively dealt with. 2. Compost garden waste 3. Promote recycling to congregation and visitors.
OBJECTIVE3. To Protect the Natural Environment 1. Maintain Garden in a Wildlife Friendly way 2. Compost green waste.
OBJECTIVE 4. To ensure building work and maintenance is carried out to the highest environmental standards. Actions: 1. To require professionals to have “green” credentials where appropriate, and provide services that are in keeping with good environmental practice. 2. Ensure that environmental aspects are included in specifications for building projects, etc. 3. To ensure that products (e.g. cleaning materials) are “environmentally-friendly” and that sustainable building/furnishing products are employed --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2008 we installed 52 Solar PV panels giving us a peak output of 8.424kwp. Since then we have generated electricity for Church use or to feed back into the Grid. This has resulted in us saving 52 tonnes of carbon dioxide. We have now installed a battery to capture the electricity we have generated.
LED lighting was installed throughout the Church and the adjoining rooms, thus saving energy, and a Climate Justice Group from amongst the members is advising on other ways we can become more environmentally friendly, as a church and individually. We are now installing infrared heating in all our associated church rooms. Through our worship and articles in our church magazine we encourage our congregation to consider their own lifestyles and what they can do to care for Creation.
A few years ago we changed the Church garden to support pollinators and increase Biodiversity by planting lots of wildflowers and growing a hedge of native shrubs. The garden and benches, being just off the busy Whiteladies Road, are also well used by the local community for a time of rest and recuperation, and we have just installed a large Bug Box for the local insect population!
These have been amongst other actions we have taken which have led to us gaining the Silver Eco Church award from A Rocha*. Now we are looking to what else we can do to try and gain the Gold award, but more importantly to reduce our carbon footprint even more. With this in mind the church has declared a climate emergency:
Redland Park URC recognises the climate emergency and is committed to make a coordinated effort to respond, based on our calling to love our neighbours, live justly and steward God’s creation.
*A Rocha is a Christian charity committed to working to equip Christians and Churches in the UK to protect the environment.. They run an Eco Church programme through which a church can show how they are caring for God’s earth in different areas of their life and worship.