One of the things that is worth thinking about when contemplating the reduction of the carbon footprint of your church is that it is not just your church buildings that carry an energy cost. it is also the way we as members of the congregation make choices about the way we travel. Yup it is about lifestyle.
The Travel Plan was the brain-child of Mathew Eastwood from VIPRE who with the support of the Energy Savings Trust examined the role that congregations play in the life of their communities and their potential impact in rallying grassroots support for a greener lifestyle.
The report stresses that places of worship are important to the community as a place of worship, but also as a meeting point or the "civic heart" of a community since it acts as a centre for a wide range of community-based acitivities.
However, as a meeting point, people have to travel to it and the way we travel can create congestion, and yes, you guessed it, carbon emissions. The Travel Plan Quick Guide for Faith Groups encourages people to think abot the way they travel to their place of work and encourages them to look for greener options.
The beauty of the travel plan is that each travel plan is tailor made to suit your particular community. How does it do it? By encouraging members of a congregation to observe the way people travel to church; by recording the transport facilities available to travel to church and by exploring ways where there is scope for change in travelling habits.
The plan recognises that is not possible for everyone to cycle or walk. The Travel Plan is based on the premise that there might be a possibility for changes and improvement in the way people use transport.
Here are two challenging questions
What would your congregation like to change or improve?
How will your congregation make those changes or improvements?
The Travel Plan identifies the answers to these questions and helps you implement some simple and inexpensive measures to help ensure your congregation's travel is as easy and as convenient as possible.
Incidentally, the Travel Plan has received a lot of media attention. Have a look at The Scotsman and Christian Today and The Herald.
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