St Cuthbert's (Diocese of Liverpool) have led the way in the Croxteth Park community by undertaking a range of steps to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as to lead and inspire local action.
The starting point was the decision to audit where they were at, in order to identify where improvements could be made. This allowed the team to make a great number of small changes which together have a big impact.
Examples include simple steps like switching to a green energy provider, changing lightbulbs to LED, installing automated light switches to reduce wasted electricity, and collecting rainwater for use in the community allotment. This relatively modern church building also has insulation and double-glazing.
The garden engages young people and helps with community mental health, as well as growing fresh food. It was created at no cost, using recycled materials.
The focus on small steps has been at the heart of making their goals achievable, and the improvements have seen St Cuthbert's awarded an Eco Church Gold Award.
This page contains a short format video, a written case study, two longer videos and a section with faith-based discussion questions.
Read the Case Study below.
What was done?
Why we acted
Discussion Questions for "Why we acted"
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
In this video, people are sharing the motivation which led them to get involved with this environmental project. They share lots of ideas, prayers and hopes which you might like to discuss. Here are a few questions to help you think, but you might like to start your discussions by talking about the parts of the video that stood out most to you. This video is part of a set of videos, and there are some common themes across them all, particularly around ‘stewardship’ and caring for creation, and around justice for people in poor countries or for future generations. So other videos might include some interesting questions which relate to this video too. Feel free to explore them all!
- Rachel reminds us that the earth is the Lord’s, and Laura reminds us that God made the world, and both agree that this means it is a Christian responsibility to look after the earth. Do you agree? Why, or why not?
- Rachel talks about the impact of climate change on the lives of her children. Does that change the way you think about your actions and their impacts on the earth? Do you think it would make other people you know think or act differently?
- Rachel says we need to act now. What action will you take today to look after creation?