Having asked a Leadership person called Debbie and Debbie is also on the PCC, here are my findings.....
Debbie said
As a church we recycle, this includes our separate building we use for childrens play group on a Wednesday.
We have two recycling bins a brown and green at the church and will shortly have a green recycling bin at the church hall. We have had a brown recycling bin for some time at the church hall. We currently take home plastic/tin and card recycling to put into our home recycling bins.
We use card disposable cups at church which are recycled.
We do promote car sharing, mostly for the elderly who need lifts anyway. But if we need to go to a meeting elsewhere we share lifts when sensible.
We now have habitats for insects etc in the church yard, like bug hotels and piles of wood and undisturbed spaces for hedgehogs. We also have bird feeders in the church yard.
I feel we could do more to reflect on God in creation during our Sunday worship. It isn't something we give thought to which is a shame. On the odd occasion we have had services outside in the church yard and those services have been very focused on God in creation but apart from that it is unusual for it to come up.
Hi Alicia
This shows that all the small things definitely add up!
I love the idea of the cups you use being recyclable.
It is so good to offer hospitality in the form of a warm drink before or after church services and we can use this opportunity to be mindful of the environmental impact of our choices.
I often take a carry cup to church with a hot drink from home that I drink during the service (I need to keep fluids up due to medical condition). At the end of the service I will often have another hot drink filled in my reusable carry cup which provides opportunity to discuss why.
The company I bought the products from is called SHO; who sell many reusable drink bottles, cups, food flasks etc. They say on their website that they are committed to helping our planet recycle plastic from beaches and encourage a shift to sustainable alternatives with their stylish products.
They donate some of their income to support two causes. One that daily feeds children in need in Libera where they sponsor two schools and help to feed and educate over 800 children a year. The other is in this country where they sponsor a seal pen at a SeaLife centre to help rehabilitate seals on the Norfolk coast.
I do not know if this business has christian owners but their ethos is passionate about creation in terms of helping our planet and supporting seals. This is something I feel God approves of!
I have quite few products now and also buy them for others as gifts to support the business.
Tracey