St Mary’s Church, Iffley, in suburban Oxford, started its environment journey three years ago after taking part in a taster day for churches interested in being part of the Eco Church initiative.
The Revd Dr Nikolaj Christensen, Curate at the church, tells us about the journey, the challenges, and the progress the church has made towards net zero.
The church and congregation have been active in adopting different sustainable practices and being involved in the environmental efforts of the local community. In 2021 they were awarded the Bronze A Rocha Eco Church award in recognition of their efforts to sustainability, such as cosponsoring climate events with the local low carbon group, for which Nikolaj is a board director, participating in tree planting initiatives in the local area, supporting oversees environmental charities and boosting biodiversity in their churchyard.
“Being part of the low carbon group has been one of the best ways to bridge the relationship between the church and the community. It has enabled us to think more broadly about our mission within the local community. We can use the environmental focus as a way of finding a common ground that brings the different groups of people together from both deprived and affluent areas of the parish.”
Over the past few years, an eco-committee of six people have formed at the church championing and driving the Eco Church progress. Climate-focused services several times a year to encourage the congregation to adopt sustainable lifestyle habits throughout the week, not just on a Sunday.
“We know that action on climate change can be easily threatened by other world issues, so having an eco-committee of dedicated and passionate people in the church means we can keep moving forward and keep drawing attention to the climate crises.”
Like many other churches, one of the key challenges for St Mary’s is that both the church building and the thatched church hall building are listed making it difficult to make quick changes to the buildings to make them more energy-efficient. They also have a closed churchyard where the lawn is maintained by the council. But Nikolaj is positive that the church will continue to improve its sustainability.
“We are exploring the options we have to improve the heating efficiency of both buildings. Recent energy audits concluded that we have limited options, but we are planning to take part in a trial survey which will monitor heat loss from windows and doors and inform the future.”
A key priority
Responding to the climate crisis is a key priority for the diocese and one of the five focus areas of our common vision for a more Christ-like Church. Diocesan Synod declared a climate emergency in March 2020, and we completed divestment from fossil fuels last year.
The Diocesan Environment Task Group, led by Bishop Olivia, is working to help churches plan action, prayer, and advocacy at every level to play their part in tackling climate change. Read more about the diocesan commitment and how your church can get involved on the environmental action page.
Eco Church
Find out more about how your church can be part of the A Rocha Eco Church Scheme and support the diocesan commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 on the environment page of the website. You may find that your church is already committed to many climate actions to easily qualify for an Eco Church Award.