As part of our commitment to the environment, Christchurch Abbeydale has recently enrolled with the Rocha Eco Church programme.
The Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme is an environmental award scheme for churches. A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. It provides a framework to support churches of all denominations and sizes to take practical action on caring for God’s earth. Christchurch hopes to show the local community our local commitment to the environment, both inside and outside the church. This is just the start of our journey but we already have lots of ideas as to how we can become better stewards of our planet.
UPDATE
Christchurch has set a target of achieving an eco bronze award. Several initiatives have already been planned, including raising the soil levels around the front of the church and creating fixed shrub/flower borders around the church. A bug hotel has been suggested so any design ideas would be greatly appreciated. The Boys’ Brigade have already done a ‘Litter Pick’ in the local area. We are also looking at introducing recycling bins outside the church and will be asking people to take home any recyclables.
As an Eco Church we need to ensure that all our tea/coffee, foodstuffs, and cleaning products are eco friendly.