CARING FOR GOD’S WORLD

1 1 CARING FOR GOD S WORLDP ractical Steps to becoming an Environmentally Friendly Churchfor the New MillenniumCONTENTSHow to Use This Pack2 CARING for God s WORLD Questionnaire:1 Energy 32 Waste43 Purchasing Policy64 Grounds85 Animals96 Transport107 Contact with the Wider Community118 Investments & Financial Policy119 Political Pressure1210 Worship1311 Increasing Understanding1412 Evaluation Sheet15 Contact Information162 HOW TO USE THIS PACK CARING for God s WORLD has been produced for use by churches, church schools andother church-based projects. The pack is designed to help church councils, governingbodies and management committees carry out a simple environmental audit.

2 Present the pack to your church council, governing body or managementcommittee. Appoint an individual or sub-committee to oversee the audit process. Those delegated to oversee the audit, work through the questionnaire sheets,ticking the black boxes which focus on the current practice of your organisation. Separatesheets can be passed to appropriate people to be filled in by those responsiblefor a particular area. The individual/sub-committee reports back to the main committee makingrecommendations of practical action that could be taken to improve yourorganisation s environmental profile. We recommend that a time-scale is setfor implementing these decisions.

3 Those overseeing the audit see that the agreed actions are followed through. At the end of the time agreed, those overseeing the process work through thesame questionnaire sheets, ticking the coloured boxes which focus on thechanges that have been put into place through the audit. They can fill out theEvaluation Sheet that can be found at the end of the questionnaire section. Present the results of the evaluation to the church council, governing body ormanagement committee. You may wish to contact your local newspaper to inform them of the actionsthat you have taken. Environmental stories are popular with local journalistsand it will make good publicity for your ENERGYE nergy sources such as fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas cannot be renewed or replace and theycause pollution whether used in appliances or forgenerating electricityWhat more can your church/project/school doto lower energy consumption?

4 Do you use low energy light bulbs?(They cost more initially but last muchlonger and use one-fifth of the energy Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you switch off unnecessary lights anduse saver switches on photo-copiers? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneHave you considered installing roof andcavity wall insulation where practical toreduce heat loss? (VAT is reduced oninsulation materials.) Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneCan you do more to eliminate draughtsround doors and windows? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you have the windows cleaned regularlyto increase the level of natural light? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneWhen replacing heating systems do youcheck for the most energy efficient systemfor the requirements of the building?)

5 Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneCan you make more efficient use of yourchurch buildings?Is it possible to isolate how much spaceyou use at any one time? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneAre you unnecessarily using large spacesfor small meetings? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneAre encouraging your members to adoptthese measures in their own homes? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun Done42. WASTEWe produce over 500 million tonnes of waste annuallyin the UK, of which 90? goes to landfill sites. The UKGovernment target is for 25% of current levels ofdomestic waste to be recycled by the year 2000 Are you doing all you can to reduce waste?

6 Here are some ideas for your PCC, Governing Body or Management Committee toconsider:(a) PAPERS aving paper saves trees; the processesemployed in its production use non-renewable resources and add to pollutionDo you use recycled paper(The price may be a little higher but if more peopleuse it the price could come down) Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you use brown manila envelopes? (Theyare cheaper and cause less pollution in production) Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you re-use envelopes whenever it ispractical to do so? Labels are available forthis purpose Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you re-use paper that has been printedon one side only for internal notes,painting or drawing in Sunday School, ornotice boards?

7 Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you have designated box where suchpaper can be place? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you place all waste paper in a bin orsack and arrange for it to be taken to thenearest recycling bank? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you, where possible, avoid purchasinggoods with excess packaging? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you encourage your members to adoptthese measures in their own homes? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun Done5(b) IN THE KITCHEN/CATERINGDo you designate separate bins or sacksfor waste packaging, tins and bottles andarrange for them to be taken to the nearestrecycling centre?

8 Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you use re-usable cups or plates ratherthan disposable plastic or paper ones? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you encourage your members to adoptthese measures in their own homes? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun Done(c) WATERWe have generally become more aware ofthe need to save water in recent years: areyou making sure your members are of it? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you regularly inspect your pipes,radiators and taps and ensure any leaks ordrips are attended to promptly? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you, avoid over-filling urns, kettles etcso as not to waste water? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you ensure that outside taps in thechurchyard, do not drip or are leftrunning?

9 Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneHave you placed warning notices abovetaps to remind users not to waste water? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you use a water hippo in your toiletcistern to reduce water consumption?(The hippo is a device available from watercompanies, designed to reduce capacity andthereby to lessen the water used at each flush. Put abrick in the cistern as a temporary alternative) Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneWhen replacing cisterns or installing newones have you considered purchasing double flush systems? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneHave you considered other ways topromote water conservation collectingrainwater for gardens and recycling water?

10 Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneHave you considered paying water bills bymeter rather than by a uniform charge? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun DoneDo you encourage your members to adoptthese measures in their own homes? Doing Not doing Agreed Begun Done63. PURCHASING POLICYWe are becoming more aware of potential risks to ourhealth and that of our children by pesticideresidues in food, and the use of bleach and phosphatebased detergents that add to the poisoning ofour rivers and water-courses. Our attention is alsodrawn to the issue of fair your church/project/school do more to encourage:1. better and fairer ways of trading? (FT)2.