Eco Team
We are facing a global crisis because of climate change and the degraded state of our environment. In response to this, at our Creation Sunday event on November 15, 2020, we formally recognised a Climate and Ecological Emergency, committing ourselves to responding to it as a church. An Ecoteam was set up to chart a way forward – an interim report can be seen here.
As part of our response, we joined A Rocha’s Eco-church program, for which we have received a Bronze award.
Once the initial EcoTeam’s final report was accepted, we began to take practical steps to care for the environment, which include:
Holding an annual Creation Sunday, when we focus on the privilege of living in God’s world and our responsibility to care for it.
Introducing a policy of using Fairtrade milk, tea, coffee and sugar, since this typically involves better environmental care as well as paying better prices to farmers.
Using environmentally friendly consumables, such as recycled paper.
Introducing recycling bins in the café.
Starting EcoGen, a monthly refill store which encourages reduced use of plastic. Run by volunteers from our youth group with adult support, it raises awareness of the issues surrounding plastic use, as well as providing a small income to support our youth work.
Giving regular practical tips for environment care in our weekly E-bulletin. Some examples of members’ actions can be found here.
Starting a long-term grounds renovation project. St Mark’s is surrounded by a long- neglected and overgrown graveyard, which we are seeking to restore. The aim is to enable a biodiversity hotspot in the middle of our urban neighbourhood, make the grounds accessible for regular use, and demonstrate God’s love for his world. More information can be found on our community page (scroll down to the relevant section).
For more information about any of this please contact john.davy@gatewayleeds.net
