The Methodist Church of Great Britain has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. As a church in the Peak District we are so thankful for the beauty of God’s creation on our doorstep. We also recognise that we are facing a climate crisis, and recognise our responsibility to help care for creation and respond to the climate crisis. That’s why we have signed up to the Eco-Church standard, to help us with ideas and inspiration for what we could do to further reduce our environmental impact.
Some of things we have already done as a church: - changed all the lightbulbs on the church premises to LED bulbs - ran awareness raising activities to coincide with the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021 - hosting the Repair Café in the church hall every quarter (along with Hathersage Parish Church) as a way to enable items to be re-used rather than thrown away - managing the Millennium Garden for encouragement of native wildlife and as a resource for the community to enjoy nature - holding special services related to caring for God’s earth.
Some of the new ideas we are exploring for the future: - a wildlife survey on the church land - find new ways to encourage walking, cycling and public transport - provide more recycling resources on our premises and information for hall users about reducing energy use - provide information to help church members reduce their own environmental impact - explore how we can generate our own energy