Eco church group.

Walk to Church Sunday - thank you to everyone who took part in this. Maybe this could become a habit if it is not already? In August, we were able to harvest potatoes, carrots and beetroot from our veg beds outside the parish room, so thank you to everyone who has been involved in this in any way - the water butt, pots, compost and the planting and watering. Now we need to make plans for Autumn/Winter planting. Many of you will be aware that blister packs can now be brought to St John’s for recycling. Please check that they are empty of any medicines. Dominic has kindly offered to take these to Superdrug in Leeds. All these actions are really important in how we are caring for our planet. The intense heat /fires in so many parts of the world are the stark reality of climate change that is happening now. If you want to use a bit of tech to work out how your lifestyle impacts carbon emissions, have a go at doing a carbon footprint calculator. The one at https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ is straightforward to use - please do share the results with the eco church team! Maybe consider sharing a pledge with us based on what you found out? Pledge cards available at the back of church. As I have mentioned before, the Church of England is aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2030. In 2022, St John’s emitted 9 tonnes of CO2e per year. So that is high (category E) for our size against other churches in England. When measured for the numbers of people using the building we are in category C. Category A is the best! So we will be looking at how we can improve on that as we work through the Eco church survey. The Eco church scheme run by the Christian charity A Rocha provides a vast amount of useful information about what we can all do to look after our world. It is one of the national charities in the button vote - please do give it your support. If you would like to get involved in eco church issues, please do get in touch. We next meet on 7th September. Eco church team: Marilyn, Sally, Catherine, Jeanne-Claire, Matthew and Jen.