Environment

Church of England releases green guide

by julianw | August 27, 2008 at 02:55 pm

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From the authors of How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change A Christian? comes a new, Church of England-sponsored green guide for clergy and congregations looking to change their environmental ways. The guide, Don't Stop at the Lights, was released on Monday, and it makes the following recommendations.

Structured around the Church's year, making it simple and easy to use

Explores theological themes in depth

Provides study material on key biblical texts that you can link into services and sermons

Practical actions and case studies to inspire you

Includes a model environmental policy, environmental audits and a list of useful contacts to help you create a greener church.

Here's what the Guardian had to say.

The Church of England has gently modified God's first injunction in a new green guide for members, which suggests: let there be a little less light.

Clergy and congregations are being encouraged to cut the increasingly popular floodlighting of ancient churches to reduce parish carbon emissions.

The manual, Don't Stop at the Lights, suggests occasional community or sponsored evenings to make floodlighting more of a special occasion.

The guide also calls for a revival of the God's Acre tradition of churchyard management, using more of the land to provide havens for wildlife and plants. Vicars and churchwardens are asked to draw up modern versions of the medieval use of churchyards to grow yew - essential for longbows but banned from open pasture because its berries poisoned livestock.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said: "All Christians have an important role to play in developing their own environmental awareness and encouraging it in others. This will prove invaluable for those looking to find a deeper theological understanding of our Christian concern for creation."