The Church of England’s Environment Programme is offering a series of free webinars designed to support and equip churches to reach the ambitious target set by the General Synod of ‘net zero carbon’ emissions by 2030.
These webinars are designed to be “technical webinars for non-technical people” and do not require prior knowledge of the subject; they are suitable for clergy, church wardens, other PCC members, and parishioners who want to help make changes to their churches.
Upcoming topics being offered on church buildings include:
- Choosing the right heating system for your church
- Low-energy management of lighting systems
- Heating and lighting: to replace or not replace?
- Housekeeping and quick wins
- Solar PV Panels
- Electric car charging
Webinars are generally an hour long, with around 40-45 minutes of content and then time for some questions at the end from attendees. Places on all webinars are free but must be booked via the website.
Recordings of previous webinars are made publicly available to view afterwards.
Churches are encouraged to watch the recording (now available on YouTube) of an introductory webinar from 2020, ‘A Positive Vision of a Net Zero Carbon Church Building’. What does a ‘net zero carbon church’ look like, and what are the practical steps to get there? The speaker was Catherine Ross, Open and Sustainable Churches Officer from the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England.
There is also a new ‘net zero carbon church’ section on the Church of England website which guides you around the outside and inside of a church building. You can click on the part of the building you are interested in, for information and links through to guidance. Written case-studies are also available to read.
