Gold Award

Congratulations to Glossop 

read their story on the front page click here

If you are not yet registered as a parish, why not check out the new user guide and tutorial from A Rocha along with the Diocesan bitesize course.

 

Good news from Hadfield

The Wild Peak Programme: St Andrews Junior School | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

Latest training / events from internal and external networks

DEO+

The Church of England Environment Team actively support Diocesan Environment Officers (DEO). They are a brilliant team to connect with.

They are offering wider invite virtual events twice a year. If you are reading this as a volunteer from a parish in Diocese of Derby you are invited.

Tuesday September 12th 2-3:30 Register in advance for this meeting. 

This is free and if you can't attend on the day you will get updated information through signing up.

 

As part of the new action packs on Net Zero there are some new resources click here.

The full Net Zero series can be caught up, book to get the links sent to you first. See Net Zero Carbon - YouTube for most recent uploads.

 

Young Christian Climate Network, are an action-focused community of young Christians in the UK aged 18-30, website https://www.yccn.uk/ 

Their campaign Take the Veg Pledge, includes a recorded launch event, 

What Would Jesus Eat?, exploring connections of food, Christianity & climate change.

 

Biodiversity

>> Latest statement on Biodiversity from the CofE National Investing Bodies 

 

Climate intercessors monthly Zoom prayer meet is on the second Tuesday of the month at 1pm or 8pm.

It is a well managed international prayer gathering with items of focus - both well researched and with continuity.

Recommended by DEO as a useful space to listen, thank God and interceed on these issues it is highly recommended. It is also a valued antidote to being overwhelmed or grieving the impact of humans on the planet. there is also a monthly update to direct your prayers see Prayer Resources & Guides — Climate Intercessors.

click here to find out more Climate Intercessors

 

Local News: Eco Church newsletter

If you are from a parish in Diocese of Derby and want to obtain the newsletter then email. It is offered approximately three times a year. Last publication date was Feb 2023.

 

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Subscribe to the CofE Environment bulletin for the latest offer nationally including virtual training courses. 

It includes training opportunities and is recommended for Eco Churches and parishes working to net zero.

  

Citizen Science: Churches Count on Nature June 2023

Catch up on the Webinars on Land and Nature for Churches Count on Nature 

see the new Guide to Ancient and Veteran Trees

Whether you are the custodian of an ancient tree or just an interested observer, Caring for God's Acre's comprehensive guide to ancient yews and other trees is an interesting read. It includes history, folklore, management and some tips on how to enthuse other people about these majestic trees.

Take a look at the webpage or download the guide directly. 

 

Operation Noah: 

Operation Noah: News Expanding the Bright Now Campaign. 

Church Land and the Climate Crisis report 2022: says we should 1) get our own house in order, 2) use our assets- land and investments- wisely, 3) use our voice.

 

Environmental Fundraising - webinar recordings can be viewed here.

See Funding - Parish ResourcesParish Resources and/or  Diocesan advice.

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Recommended publications

• “There is no Planet B” and “How bad are bananas?” by Mike Berners Lee 
• “Wilding” by Isabella Tree – about nature and rewilding in general and the Knepp Estate (West Sussex) in particular
• “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World” by Katharine Hayhoe 
• “A Christian Guide to Environmental Issues” by Martin J Hodson and Margot R Hodson

Grove Booklets

• Grace Thomas, DEO for Manchester, “Climate Action as Mission: How to Link the Gospel with Safeguarding Creation”
• Rachel Mash, Green Anglicans, “Renewing the Life of the Earth: Christian Discipleship and Environmental Action”
• Policy interest Watch the Climate Assembly UK documentary on BBC iPlayer | involve.org.uk

 

IPCC report Feb 2022 shows climate change is hitting wildlife hard. 

IPCC report published (Aug 2021) shows 

• It is unequivocal that human behaviour is changing the climate
• The impacts of climate change are already being felt in every region across the globe (temperate regions are not safe)
• The impacts of climate change will continue to get worse until we stop burning fossil fuel
• The longer we leave it to make change, the worse the impacts will be

Summary for Policymakers and comment from Bishop Graham.

Eco Church case studies and webinars from the CofE.

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Eco Church

To contact a local church engaging or find volunteering opportunities contact or go to find a church or see the up to date list on Eco Church: Turn your church green

There is a bitesize introductory course on Becoming an Eco church (community section) and a resource sheet for parishes.

The Eco Church website has a resources page - everything from measuring your carbon footprint, or being wildlife friendly to different types of recyclable cup available.

Please contact us when you register your parish so we can keep in touch with your news and share training and new resources. If you have been on the journey for sometime, please give the best email contact for your parish or benefice.

 

Buildings advice 

Historic England guidance and webinar programme

SPAB - Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings

Advice in this Diocese is from DAC

Carbon footprint 

• CofE churches - Energy Footprint Tool
• Any church - 360Carbon - includes energy, transport, food, procurement, and more
• National report on the findings of the Energy Footprint Tool 

Transport 

Useful carbon footprint transport calculator from Climate Stewards - it allows you to compare journeys.

The Environment Working Group are looking car charging points currently so advice will be forthcoming.

OZEV - grants for EV car charging posts.

EV charging posts Zap Map.
(note - church webinar programme above includes a webinar on EV car charging). 

Simply car share journeys, use of public transport and active travel are ways to act more sustainably too.

Sustainable preaching and Service resources

ARocha UK produced prayers including videos for Great Big Green week Pray with us this Great Big Green Week - A Rocha UK.

A new resource combining the benefits of previous resources with preaching notes and ideas for every Sunday in the lectionary.

https://preachingforgodsworld.org/

If you decide to hold an outdoor service see the Church of England advice and related resources. 
Ask your Pioneer minister about Forest Church or Muddy Church.

Resources 

Churches could do more on climate change. 
Tearfund report with young Christians: only 1:10 young people say churches are acting as they should.
Two thirds of young people had never heard a Sunday sermon on the issue.
>> Tearfund campaigns information.

Worship and music 

Outdoor worship guidance page  

Creation-themed liturgy A Time for Creation

Liturgy for the Agricultural Year

Doxecology by Resound worship

Bishop Olivia of Reading’s theological reflections (+Olivia chairs the Oxford net zero taskforce)

A Rocha International - YouTube channel - search for Dave Bookless New Wine talks NL 2020 

 

Land and nature

Land and nature webinar programme - A great place to start, with lots of videos offering practical advice on a wide range of topics from bats to biodiversity, trees to Forest Church, and managing your grass. (You can also find them as a single YouTube playlist here.) 

CofE Biodiversity page and Trees page 

Botanical Companion which has a list of the species most often found in churchyards:

Caring for God’s Acre free resources

Grass cutting advice sheet  

Minifilms  

information sheet on the Five Steps for good churchard management 

Bats in Churches project . 

Study resources 

Saying Yes to Life Ruth Valerio, written as a lent course - useful stand alone chapters for novice and engaged Christian. Highly readable. Available as a book and as a e-read.

 

Tenants of the King, a 4 part study updated for 2022 looking at what the Bible has to say about climate change, from Operation Noah. Worth looking at purely for answers to common questions pages 22-25. Paper copies were offered at clergy Conference 2018 so ask around and it was recommended by those who used it.

Dave Bookless Planetwise and God doesn't do waste. The study series for planetwise. Dave was a founder of A Rocha Uk which gave rise to Eco church.

Mission and Creation Care for disciples, John Ray Institute.

Faith in a Changing Climate USPG downloadable study resource with case studies from across the Anglican Communion. It includes a very helpful page on Climate Change FAQs 

 

Bible study based on Cherishing the Earth (2008) Margot and Martin Hodson- six week course. A blend of science and theology.

Let there be stuff...? Course of 6 sessions aimed at teenagers/ young adults.

7 weeks detox from consumerism. Based on Consumer Detox by Mark Powley, St Georges, Leeds.

Christian Aid Theology of Climate Change.

Church Mission Society study resource 'The Possible world'.

Plenty from Joy in Enough (Green Christian) offer a study and a challenge to rethink our economy,  acknowledge our complicity in consumerism and climate change.

Range of resources from A Rocha including one based on Jesus and the earth, James Jones (2003).

Caring for Creation and Living in Hope York Courses. 

 

Nature Connection

 All age service from Sarah Brown sign up for her newsletter email.

Resources from Christian Climate Action 

Derbyshire Churches Environment Network service outline aimed at use in small social distanced groups in the outdoors.

Climate is highly political, some global multinationals have alot to loose. So Climate Denial hasn't gone away – here's how to spot arguments for delaying climate action. New research exposes the common tropes of bad faith arguments about climate change. Read more in The Conversation UK

 

Frameworks for individual / household action 

• Creation Care, a framework for households which congregations can follow together
• Count us in - 16 high impact steps which individuals can take to cut carbon
• WWF Footprint Calculator - simple footprint tool, and an informative process

 

Frameworks for schools and youth 

• For schools: resources from Let’s Go Zero, Eco Schools, Christian Aid, and PECT
• For youth engagement: resources from Tearfund, Christian Aid, and ACEN
• The CofE net zero carbon schools webinars
• Letters for Creation, and joint project with Christian Aid. Resources include an assembly, lesson plans, and resources to help produce creative letters and art.

 

Funding 

• Watch the recordings of CofE webinars on environmental fundraising for environmental projects 
• CofE grants funding guide from Parish Resources
• And a suite for “how to” guides from Parish Resources.
• Community Energy England funding opportunities
• For local grants, find out whether you have a local CVS (Council for Voluntary Services).  If so, they generally have a free searchable grants directory. Also contact the sustainability or community engagement officer at your local authority  or in the DM+M team and at webpage.

 

News archive 

Green Christian magazine is freely available online. 

List of councils who have declared a Climate Emergency.

 

Other resources

Repair Cafe helps reduce waste through mending items that might otherwise be discarded. Please note there are conditions to using the name and logo.
There may be one nearby you can access - in New Mills, Eyam, Chesterfield.

Refil app. If your church has a publicly available tap which people could use to refil drinking bottles (and reduce waste) you can add it to this scheme.

LiftShare UK.

For the keen cyclist - the cathedral cycle route challenge

Plant Lock bike rack - as one example of what is possible where there is no local scheme available.

B-Lines - Buglife 

Misc Training

• The CRES (Christian Rural & Environmental Studies) courses 
• Scythe Association to find trainers in scything 

Climate Resilience

• The Climate Resilient Church landing page

Forest Church

• Forest Church Grove Booklet - a good place to start if you want to know about Forest Church
• Forest Church facebook group
• Wild church page 

 

Food in the Anthropocene, how changes in diet could feed the planets population.

Living the change

Frack Free Barlborough talk with Dr Ian Fairlie, international toxicologist talking about radon risk in Fracking. For Powerpoint slides email.

Sustainable Heating and Lighting conference [Powering Gods Northern Powerhouse Dec 2018] resources to download. 

Net zero carbon

 

Related training courses can be found in Whats Happening section of this site Environment pages.

 

The Church of England have committed to work towards net zero carbon after a motion by General Synod. Our target date is 2030.

This is because we know emissions of carbon dioxide - and other green house gases, need to be reduced to arrest the damage we are doing to the planet. They are currently rising and are above the target for carbon dioxide 350 parts per million (ppm) at 420ppm [June 2022].

To do this we have to rethink how we operate our buildings.

Six principles are to: -

1) maintain buildings, 

2) buy renewable, 

3) waste less, 

4) electric not gas/oil, 

5) generate more, 

6) offset the rest.

 

 

How is Net Zero Carbon measured?

Energy use (oil, gas, electricity) + fuel (travel)= gross carbon footprint.

From that value we takeaway 100% renewable energy and carbon offset/sequestration.

This calculation gives us ‘net zero’ carbon figure.

 

Which energy providers count as renewable?

>> View this list issued by the Church of England

A fuller and more technical explanation, resources and film are available. 

 

 

Renewable energy generation

Generating our own electricity is a solution that should be seriously considered. The aim of the recent The way finder project is a pilot study looking at high energy use buildings and how to get them to net zero. It has advice for people responsible for all sizes of building.  

Net zero webinars - include the Wayfinder project [this is a pilot of renewables on a range of Cof E buildings and plans for net zero on these premises, commissioned by General Synod], heating, lighting, solar panels, EV car charging, and more.

They are available as a single YouTube playlist here.

Many of our buildings can be used more sustainably by adjusting in ways that are simpler. There are case studies and guidance available.

There are renewables case studies and you can search for local churches with existing renewables on the renewables map .

If your church is considering replacing a boiler and want to review  renewable options, please consult Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) colleagues as you deliberate.

>> CofE sustainable buildings national guidance

Smaller churches might also like to see a film from a group of rural churches in Leeds Diocese. Link: https://youtu.be/13LF_waQFpU   

 

Beginning

Practical path to net zero

The practical path to Net Zero is a two page checklist and a great place to start.

Download the Practical Path to Net Zero here.

 

The Energy Footprint Tool or EFT

Measure your parish carbon footprint now to set a baseline measurement. This can be done simply using the parish return system, the resource from the Church of England. Go to your where you add your normal Stats for Mission return or see Energy Footprint Tool | The Church of England. This is currently closed for analysis and will be live from January 2023 to end of July 2023.

To measure your personal energy footprint see: WWF Footprint Calculator The UK average is just over 12 and to meet our target to get to net zero by 2045 10.5. We aim to reduce this towards a fair share globally which would be 1 tonne which would require a huge change of current infrastructures.

 

Carbon Literacy

Although embedded carbon footprint isn’t current measured, we need to know about it. A very rough guide it is related to cost, so make large expenditure decisions slower and research them thoughtfully.

This autumn 2022, we intend to increase Carbon Literacy amongst the Diocese of Derby leadership. This is externally accredited training.

Resources are available at: Home - Centre for Alternative Technology (cat.org.uk) and Homepage - Climate Stewards

 

Offsetting

Climate Stewards is one place you can use to calculate offset to get to net zero carbon.

Link to Climate Stewards: Homepage - Climate Stewards

The advice is to keep the percentage of offset as low as you possibly can. If you have got to Net Zero Carbon this should become your target.

 

Action Packs 

Routemap Net zero carbon routemap  now has specific tools for different organisations:

• Churches
• Cathedrals
• Dioceses 
• Schools
• Theology Colleges 

 

Where to get help locally

John Beardmore, is an engineer and adviser on renewables for the DAC email John. 

 

Funding 

>> Parish Resources

>> Diocese of Derby funding resources

 

Map of renewables CoEngland.

Please add your example to the map. The CofE is seeking renewables, transport and community engagement case studies from this area. 

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Mission Action Toolkit

The Mission Action Toolkit is a set of resources that can help any church, of whatever tradition, size, context or type, to join in with responding to the missional aims of the Diocesan Vision. If you would like to know more about the Diocesan Vision and its missional aims, you can do so here.

The Toolkit is based on Mission Action Planning for the Diocese of Derby, which we have been using since 2010 to help churches grow as healthy, worshipping communities that engage in God's mission in the world. However, it is a more focused, streamlined toolkit that is flexible and light-tough enough for any church to use. Churches can use the Toolkit in many different ways and adapt it to suit their own context and style.

The Toolkit isn't another thing to do or an extra initiative. It is a process to help with that which has always been central to the identity, calling and purpose of every single expression of church - to engage in God's mission in the world. It can help churches to acknowledge and celebrate what God is already doing in and through them in mission, and to hear God's call to grow and develop in their mission further.

The Toolkit consists of six core resources, which are all downloadable below. More resources will be added in the future, and all the resources of the existing full MAP process, found in these pages, are also available to use with the Mission Action Toolkit.

• Quick Start Guide - an accessible introduction to the Mission Action Toolkit, suitable for anyone in the church.
• Introduction for Church Leaders - a more detailed guide intended for use by any church leader, lay or ordained.
• Missional Aims Summary - a single-sheet overview of the different aspects of each missional aim.
• Resource Sheets - a rich set of theological reflections, discussion questions, prayers and ideas for actions for every aspect of our missional aims.
• Questionnaire - one way in which to gather information from the church as a part of the Mission Action Toolkit process.
• Action Sheet - a way of recording and tracking the actions a church decides to undertake.

The Mission Action Toolkit is designed to be adapted and used independently by any church. However, help and support is available to help churches as they use the Toolkit. To find help, please send an email to missioner@derby.anglican.org.

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Missional aims videos

Please watch and enjoy these five-minute videos, each offering a light Biblical reflection by  Revd Jason Kennedy on one aspect of our missional aims, ‘Transformed Lives’, 'Growing Church' and 'Building Community'.

They form a part of the Mission Action Toolkit, which helps churches to engage with God’s mission in an approachable, practical and flexible way.

The videos can be used for individual reflection, as a light sermon or an introduction to a conversation in small groups or, for example, a Lent group.

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Help and Information

For more help and information about MAP for the Diocese of Derby, please please send an email to missioner@derby.anglican.org.