What three things can you do in December to take your first steps (or more!) as a church on your eco journey?
- A Greener Christmas - December is filled with preparations for Christmas. In ‘How Bad Are Bananas’, Mike Berners-Lee calculates that the excesses of Christmas have a significant carbon footprint – whilst a low-carbon Christmas creates 4kg CO2e per adult, the UK average is 280kg CO2e per adult, and a high carbon Christmas can create 1.5 tonnes CO2e per adult – and that’s only including the ‘excess’ (so unwanted presents, wasted food, avoidable travel, non-LED fairy lights and cards). There are lots of ideas for reducing the impact of Christmas out there, so start thinking early about how you might adopt some or all of these.
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World Soil Day - 5 December. This year the UN’s World Soil Day focuses on urban landscapes with the theme "Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities." Beneath asphalt, buildings, and streets lies soil that, if permeable and vegetated, helps absorb rainwater, regulate temperature, store carbon, and improve air quality. But when it's sealed with cement, it loses these functions, making cities more vulnerable to flooding, overheating, and pollution. Take time this day to rethink urban spaces which sit within your circle of influence, from the ground up, to build greener, more resilient, and healthier towns and villages.
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12 Days Wild - 25 December to 5 January. Join in with 12 Days Wild. This Wildlife Trust festive nature challenge, encourages you to do one wild thing a day from 25 December to 5 January each year. In those quiet days between Christmas and New Year, winter wildlife is just waiting to be explored. Your wild acts could be little things to help nature - like recycling your Christmas tree or feeding the birds – or ways to connect to the natural world, like trying stargazing.
AND find some great practical suggestions here to help you save your church money (and energy)!