In September 2019, in the light of the climate and loss of biodiversity crises, Christ Church launched an “Eco -Group”, with the aim of examining our own responsibilities in this area. By working towards the A Rocha Eco-Church awards, we are looking at all aspects of church life, from the way we use our buildings and grounds to the worship and teaching and our individual lifestyles. Through regular input into Church meeting and items in our monthly magazine, Comment, these issues are kept in the foreground of our thinking. The most recent four articles in Comment can be found below.
JUNE 2023 - We have now been awarded the A Rocha Bronze Award - Certificate here
Item from May 2025
It is the time of year when the weeds are growing fast and – depending on our individual level of tolerance to a “weedy” garden – we are wondering how to deal with them. The easy answer may seem to be a chemical weedkiller but these do have a serious environmental impact. Weedkillers have a large carbon footprint from their manufacture, packaging and transportation. Weedkiller runoff can pollute groundwater. Weedkillers can harm or kill garden wildlife, including invertebrates present on plants when they are treated, and those, like bees and other pollinators, that feed on treated plants. There are strong links to the decline in bee populations. The loss of vegetation, flower resources and habitat cover through the use of weedkiller can also impact negatively on wildlife. There are concerns that weedkillers pose a risk to human health and research is ongoing into the long-term effect of exposure to these chemicals.
So what are the alternatives? Beyond the obvious hoeing and pulling up by hand, smothering with mulch, or weakening deeper rooted weeds by repeatedly cutting back the growth above ground, there are other options to try. Recommendations include using boiling water or solutions based on vinegar or salt water. An electric hot air weedkiller is another option.
Here is just one recipe for a vinegar-based solution, particularly suitable for spraying onto the weeds that pop up in the gaps between paving stones.
You will need 1 litre of white vinegar, 3 large tablespoons of salt and 3 teaspoons of washing-up liquid. Add the salt to the vinegar and stir till dissolved, then add the washing up liquid. Use a spray bottle to spray onto the weeds. This method works best on a dry sunny day.
Please note though that, although these ingredients are non-toxic, salt and vinegar could be harmful to pets. The weeds will wither quickly so you might wish to then rinse the area with water before allowing pets to return.
Eco-Tip for May
After a record-breaking dry March, we think of using water carefully. Collect the water that runs off before the hot water arrives for the washing up – or the warmish water we let go before it is cold enough for a glass of water – and use for watering the plants.
Item from March 2025
A piece of research that caught my eye recently has looked at the relationship between Britain’s three largest religious communities and their attitudes towards environmental matters. It turns out that it is Hindus who are at the forefront of environmental activism, engaging in eco-friendly actions at higher rates than other faith groups.
The research was carried out by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life. Amanda Murjan, a research associate, writes “Hinduism’s emphasis on the interconnectedness of all existence fosters a deep-rooted environmental ethic, where nature is not merely a resource but a sacred entity. The belief that God is in everything connects humanity with all existence, reinforcing an intrinsic responsibility toward conservation.”
While 92% of Muslims believe their faith requires them to care for the earth, the figure for Christians is 82%. And it is Christians who apparently engage in the lowest levels of conservation action. The research also showed that 31% of Christians deny climate breakdown – the highest among these three faith groups. A Christian belief that God will ultimately restore the world maybe contributes to this attitude.
Though people of faith do in the main believe they are responsible for caring for the Earth, this report suggests that their actual environmental actions do not in fact differ significantly from those without faith.
Interesting.
Eco-tip of the month
As thoughts turn to our gardens, remember to use peat-free compost only.
Item from February 2025
Climate news continues to come thick and fast with the devastating fires in California the latest disaster to hit the headlines. While the Santa Ana winds and wild fires are a natural part of the ecology of California, the strength of the hurricane force winds and the time of year – the usual season for wild fires is late summer and autumn – is unprecedented and can be attributed to human induced climate change. Fires of this type and magnitude have never been experienced before during California’s winter.
While a few powerful people continue to describe climate change as a “scam”, it is significant that the churches are stepping up to argue for the changes that we all need to make if we are to protect creation and the planet for future generations. Out of control climate change would threaten our very existence. Specifically, most denominations have set ambitious targets for reducing their own carbon emissions. The URC, for instance, has resolved to “act urgently to reduce carbon emissions across the whole of church life in order to reach net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030.” The Church of England and the Methodist Church have also set targets of net zero emissions by 2030, and the Baptist Church by 2035.
A Rocha, the organisation which runs the Eco-Church programme, has recently updated its survey, a tool which helps us to see the steps that we should consider taking. It covers everything from reducing our energy use, phasing out the use of fossil fuels, how we use our grounds, the food we eat and the products we buy to the place of creation care in our worship and teaching, how we engage with the wider community or environmental campaigns, the way we travel and live our lives individually. It is clear that caring for creation – nature, the environment and the climate – whether in church life or as individuals, is not for a few enthusiasts, but something we all need to commit to. 2030 does not feel very far away and, if we at Christ Church are to reach net zero by then, we have work to do!
Stop Press On 17th January the Met Office published figures showing that global CO2 emissions in 2024 did not come down but were the highest on record.
Item from December 2024
It is difficult to know where to begin this month, with climate events and news coming thick and fast.
COP 29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, while over-running by a couple of days, has just concluded. One of the main aims was to produce an agreement on finance to be committed by the richer countries of the world to the poorest to help them develop their own green economies and adapt to the climate change caused by our emissions. Some agreement was finally achieved, but the sums involved are far from what is considered adequate by developing countries, who have branded the deal a “betrayal”. The conference has been difficult, with controversies over, for instance, the significant participation by oil and gas producing companies and attempts by Saudi Arabia and other fossil fuel producing countries to even pull back from last year’s modest resolution to “transition away from fossil fuels.”
Just to explain, COP stands for “Conference of the Parties” and "Parties" refers to the countries that have ratified a treaty called the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). That document was signed back in 1992 by almost 200 countries and is generally known as the Paris agreement. Representatives of these countries meet every year to negotiate the best approaches to tackling the root causes of climate change. But, even when modest commitments are agreed, they have not always been achieved.
With extreme and damaging weather events becoming increasingly common, the flash floods in Spain and severe hurricanes in the Southern United States being just two of the latest examples, it becomes ever more urgent that the world tackles the issue with speed and determination. 2024 is set to become the warmest on record while planet-heating emissions are not going down but actually increasing to their highest level ever this year. In stark contrast, emissions have to fall by 43% by 2030 for the world to have any chance of keeping the temperature increase down to the 1.5 degrees target. Some experts think we are already too late for this. The election of a climate change denier as the next president of the US - who calls the climate crisis “a big hoax” and has announced his intention to leave the Paris agreement - is scarcely encouraging.
A piece of news I have found sad is discovering the words that have been removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary and those that have replaced them. Of course, the job of a dictionary is not to dictate but to reflect the reality of language used today, but I wonder what it says about the experience of today’s children that words that have gone include acorn, ash, beech, bluebell, buttercup, catkin, conker, cowslip, cygnet, dandelion, heron, ivy, kingfisher, lark, mistletoe, nectar and newt. The words taking their places include blog, broadband, bullet-point, celebrity, chatroom, committee, cut-and-paste, MP3 player and voice-mail.
We do pray that God will lead the leaders of nations and industries at this critical time, and all of us to do whatever we can, in our small ways, to care for the natural world of which we are a part.