From a nationwide churchyard nature-hunt to a sustainable energy switching event, the coming month is packed with happenings and key dates for your diary!
5th June is World Environment Day, and also sees the launch of Churches Count on Nature, a week-long event from 5th – 13th June, which aims to brings local people together to discover the wildlife in their church yard and record the species they find. The week culminates in an online Eco Church Festival on Saturday 12th June, featuring interactive workshops and panels, and events for children and young people.
On Tuesday 8th June, from 7-8pm, Southwark Diocese is hosting a webinar on How to hold a Fair Energy Switch Day. Combat fuel poverty and carbon emissions while raising money for your church! Sign up for our informative training event to find out more.
From 11th to 13th June, global leaders from the G7 group of countries will meet in Cornwall, with a green recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic on the agenda. Christian Aid‘s climate justice campaign invites us to send a postcard to the Prime Minister, while Tearfund suggests filling our windows with homemade paper hands in a Wave of Hope.
The 17th June is Clean Air Day. Air pollution causes multiple health problems and has a particular impact on children, so this is a timely reminder for us all to consider the implications of how we travel. Reducing our reliance on cars will reduce both pollution and carbon emissions, as well as actively benefitting our health if we choose to walk or cycle. This is particularly true in cities where, despite plentiful public transport, a vast proportion of short trips continue to be taken by car. On the subject of cities, later in June Londoners can get involved in the London Climate Action Week which takes place from 26th June to 4th July.
Green Christian are launching their new course, ‘Plenty!’, with an event at 7pm on Thursday 24th June – sign up on Eventbrite. The course consists of six discussion sessions that engage with the social, psychological and theological implications of the current economic system and its impact on the environmental crisis we are facing. All the resources for the programme will be available at the Joy in Enough website after the launch event.
Looking ahead, the annual Plastic-Free July campaign is coming up next month, and is a great opportunity to kickstart some fresh habits or challenge your congregation to a collective target! Perhaps a weekly plastic-reduction tip could go in your parish notices?
Even further ahead is the UK’s Great Big Green Week – it takes place in September, so now is the time to sign up and join in with organising or supporting an event in your church or community.
As always, the last Monday of the month, 28th June, is Southwark Diocese’s monthly Eco Church Surgery, an informal drop-in zoom session for anyone with in interest in Eco Church or environmental action. We’ll be taking a break for the summer, so this is your last chance to drop in until the autumn – bring your own cup of tea!
