As part of our wider journey towards the silver award level of A Rocha’s Eco Diocese scheme, we’ve been making changes to Trinity House over the past year to become more environmentally friendly – and now, we are delighted to have received A Rocha’s silver Eco Office Award in recognition of this progress. Read more about our journey below…
The Eco Church scheme, run by Christian Conservation Charity A Rocha UK, provides a holistic framework to care for God’s creation in all areas of church life. Whilst the survey is mainly used in parish life, diocesan offices also have a part to play.
For offices, the main parts of the Eco Church survey to focus on are the Land and Nature and Buildings and Energy sections. Despite initially feeling stunted by an obvious lack of garden space in SE1, we soon realised that if anything, being surrounded by concrete made creating space for wildlife even more important.
We began with very simple changes – adding bird feeders, a bird bath, bug hotel – and a bird box made from recycled wood from the Men’s Shed at St Francis Selsdon. The green fingered among the staff team got to planting pollinators to support local bee and butterfly populations, alongside a small herb garden with the promise of contributing to future staff lunches.
In doing this work, we knew our journey was as much about engaging people as it was adding physical features. An addition of the ‘Big Butterfly Count’ to our staff summer social saw colleagues becoming citizen scientists for the hour. Despite very few sightings (in truth… almost none) in the heart of Battersea – we were encouraged to hear that this still counted as a successful survey!
Staff engagement continued with an green ‘lunch and learn’, led by our Diocesan Environmental Officer, which offered space for staff to think about practical, realistic changes we could make both at work and home. A sustainability survey helped shape next steps, including a seed swap and sunflower growing competition as the spring months arrived.
A focus on the building was another important part of the process. New food and glass waste bins contributed to a 20% improvement in our recycling rate. We also set out a plan to improve energy efficiency and reduce usage – including installing new LED lighting when maintenance was due – helping to lower both our energy bills and our carbon footprint. Passing an eco-policy and action plan laid out the path for ongoing improvements.
In recognition of these efforts – we are delighted to have received the silver office award in March. While there is still more to do, it has become even clearer that our journey is ultimately far more about people than carbon counting. It’s been about getting everyone on board, with small actions leading to wider cultural change, and helping people to see these changes as an opportunity to get involved in rather than something to tick off the list.
Whether it’s been spotting birds on our feeders, laughing about a less than successful butterfly count, or pledging what small changes we’ll make in our personal lives to tread lighter on God’s creation – it’s all contributed to a journey filled with small joys which we hope continue to grow.
