Green for God

St. John’s is among the forerunners in churches in the UK to respond to the call for environmental awareness and to the Bishop of London’s “Shrinking the Footprint” campaign. St John's has been chosen to play a key role in this effort and we will be collaborating very closely with the organisers. We have much to learn along the way but, hopefully, much to share with others later. We propose as our “Mission Statement” the following:

“To love, honour and respect the Creation as God’s gift to all mankind and all living things. As a worshipping community, to seek ways to lighten our demands upon the environment and encourage one another to do the same in our own lives”.

What we have already achieved

We are off to a good start and these are some of the things we have already done:

- Carried out a detailed energy audit of the church - paid for in part by the Diocese of London which chose us as a ground-breaker - and in part by donations from the congregation. Copy at back of church and others available. Comments welcome.

- Opted for our energy supplier’s “green” tariff

- Begun to change to more energy-efficient lighting - electricity is by far the largest part of our carbon footprint.

- Use recycled paper and recycle paper, cartridges, plastic, tins, rechargeable batteries, garden waste, etc.

- Encourage use of "hippos" in water tanks to reduce water consumption

- Provide useful “Eco-tips” in weekly Notices: A list of these can be seen by clicking on the link to the left.

- Junior Church has been running a programme to stimulate interest in children

Future objectives

Here are some of our short and medium-term objectives.

- Switch to an energy supplier using 100% renewable energy sources

- Turn central heating down at least 1 degree to save energy (keep your coat on?)

- Turn off all lights not in use and use motion-sensitive switches in Undercroft

- Install glass doors to offer a warm welcome!

- Carefully consider energy consumption in all building works

Long term goals could include the use of geo-thermal and solar energy, as yet quite experimental and very costly.

We aim to engage parishioners and neighbours in this process through raising awareness and sharing information sensitive to the fact that we as individuals and members of our local communities are all part of one world. We plan to hold focused events open to parishioners, neighbours and members of other churches. We hope to benefit from (and play our part in) the growing concern we now see both nationally and internationally – aware that there is a direct link between issues of climate change and poverty in the poorer parts of the world.

To have a look at the Diocese of London's Shrinking the Footprint environmental campaign, which gives useful information about how you can use less energy, please follow this link: www.london.anglican.org/Shrinking-the-Footprint-Action#information-guidance

We would welcome input and participation! Please contact the parish office for further information.

St John's Notting Hill - Green for God

Green for God

What we have already achieved

Future objectives

Regular Services