Eco-congregation Scotland has a new member of staff

Gordon Hudson has been appointed as the first manager of Eco-Congregation Scotland. The post has been made possible with the generous support of the Scottish Government.

Gordon will be taking on the challenge of growing Eco-Congregation Scotland and helping eco-congregations across Scotland to take action to care for the earth. The number of congregations who have registered as Eco-Congregation has now grown to more than 260 since its launch less that a decade ago. In this short time it has become the largest network of community based environment groups in Scotland. Fund raising and building up a membership and supporters scheme will be priorities for 2011.

Rev. Ewan Aitken, Convener of the Board of Eco-Congregation Scotland said:

“I am delighted to welcome Gordon to this new job. Eco-congregations in Scotland have demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm to make a difference in their churches and in their communities. Gordon brings proven fund raising and managerial skills to support and resource this work. We are particularly pleased that with this support from the Scottish Government we will be able to help congregations respond more effectively to the challenge of climate change.”

Gordon can be contacted at manager@ecocongregation.org.uk.

Ban on illegal timber within EU

The European Parliament approved in early July of this year to close EU markets to illegal timbers. The EU has been interested in this issue since 2003, but the approach then centred on voluntary partnership agreements between the EU and timber producing countries. however, these voluntary agreements proved not very succesful and this year the EU has issued legislation against illigally harvested timber that covers from logging to products delivered to the final consumer within the EU. More information on this is available here.

Is Climate Change really happening?

Stop Climate Chaos have sent this information about ways to counter the negative coverage about climate change.

Over the past few months, there has been a huge amount of coverage about climate change in the media. Unfortunately a great deal of this has not presented a balanced view of the climate change debate and has reportedly damaged public perceptions about whether or not climate change is really happening, is the scientific evidence credible etc.

One simple thing which the coalition has identified we can easily do is to ask our members and supporters to get involved by responding to relevant articles in the press.

We have put together some web pages with information about how to respond to an article, countering common arguments etc:

GROW Greyfriars Recycling of Wood

Eco-Congregation Scotland is very happy to announce GROW - Greyfriars Recycling of Wood - as its new supplier for Eco-Congregation Award Plaques.

As part of the Greyfriars Church Community Centre, based in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, GROW is an emerging social enterprise that seeks to create new employment opportunities for long term homeless with addiction and mental health problems. It brings together homeless service users and volunteers from the local community in common purpose: producing high quality saleable goods made from recycled wood, generally discarded church pews, that generate pride in production and profit from sales that is re-invested in the support and development of the trainees. The quality of goods produced demonstrates the ability of people who are generally devalued and the process of making things of beauty and value from what has been discarded as worthless is itself a message to the wider community. Recycling is just one way of ensuring that we make the most of what we have and do not over consume and use up or discard our valuable resources of both people and things. GROW is a small sign of an alternative imagination in which people and things that are deemed of little value can be transformed into things of beauty that bring satisfaction both to the people who own the products and those who have made them.

The first new award plaque was presented to South Leith Parish Church on Sunday, 21 February 2010 during their Sunday service.

Eco congregation's updated modules

Just a wee note to point out that the Eco-Congregation Scotland website has now the newly updated editions of modules 2 and 13.

St Mary's Episcopal Church, Dunblane

Kate Nash from St Mary's Episcopal Church in Dunbalne has sent us this account of the work being done at her church. I am sure that it will be an inspiration for many churches.

January 2010

As I write this blog the temperature outside is well below freezing, and the ground is covered with snow, several centimetres deep. It is a beautiful scene. This so far has been the coldest winter for several decades and the sceptics are busy muttering about the claims of climate change on our planet. It is a small minded view, as an article in The Guardian has stated this week; the most basic meteorology is that weather is not the same as climate and single events are not the same as trends. Martyn Brown, writing in The Express states “one of the worst winters for decades in this country is not the same as the world, where in parts the temperature is above average at this time.”

In 2006 when St Mary’s Episcopal Church decided to join the Eco-Congregation movement, it was not only the prospect of the problems of climate change affecting our planet, although this was certainly a major concern. It was also a wake up call that we are all in some way responsible for caring for our environment. Here in Dunblane we are surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery in the UK. We must treat it with respect.

Dave Bookless writes in A Rocha (Spring 2006) “There is no excuse for environmental exploitation, we are accountable to the Creator. There is no theological ground for humanity having ‘the right’ to do what it pleases with the natural order.”

Here in St Mary’s in 2006 we started off our eco-congregation journey with a Harvest Festival service, celebrating creation with hymns and prayers. Special Eco services since have involved our younger members performing the play “Planet Doctor”.
The small renovated chapel on the Kilbryde estate on the outskirts of Dunblane was the venue for our Environment Week service. Most of us walked or cycled along the beautiful lanes to this event.

We have also celebrated birds during the RSBP National Bird Watch week with a special service, after which we placed bird boxes around the church
grounds. More attention has been paid to recycling and cutting down on waste, and buying cleaning products which are eco friendly, and catering goods from Fair Trade outlets.

An informative visit to a local Wind Farm has given us an insight into renewable energy and we are in contact with the newly formed Dunblane Transition Town movement, which has recently been successful in obtaining a government grant of £266,000. This will enable the provision of energy saving advice to every household in the town, with the aim of fully insulating every home.

The youngest members of our church and adjoining school have been encouraged to grow plants. At a school assembly in the Autumn we had a short service with the theme of ‘seeds’ The children were encouraged to collect (under adult supervision) as many seeds as they could find. In the Spring we hope to organise a seed planting afternoon. In Lent last year they researched endangered species and placed pictures of these on a poster of Noah’s Ark.

There is still plenty of room for improvement. As a society we are all too reliant on our cars. It is difficult to decide to walk or cycle when the weather is abysmal. Our church and Hall are heated by an antiquated and often unreliable form of heating. Each year costs are rising, and there is a pressing need to change this. There are grants, but a large project like this will need an enormous amount of money. However investigations will go ahead and we hope for a positive outcome.

The Right Reverend Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the Church of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland writing in The Herald (23rd December 2009) stated that climate change is the single biggest challenge to humanity’s stewardship of the Earth and so far we are failing the test. It is a moral issue and it is in our hands to change the way we treat our planet. If government groups cannot lead, then faith groups must step forward. We must show, community by community, that where governments have failed, the people can succeed.

Go Slow Life-style for Advent

Ready Steady Slow this Advent at with go-slow lifestyle challenges and stories for all along with daily videos and podcasts from around the Church of England - and beyond. The online calendar opens on Advent Sunday November 29 with a special video message going live on Thursday November 26. The website has daily Bible passages and prayers.




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Going through the roof!!! Climate Change Conference

The following letter and conference announcement was sent to us by Martin Johnstone, Priority Areas Secretary.



For many of us making ends meet and paying the bills in our churches is a huge and ongoing challenge. And that challenge has become consistently more difficult in recent years when heating and lighting bills have seemed to be going through the roof – much of the time quite literally.

When we add to the problem of escalating costs the concern which many of us have about the huge damage that we are doing to our environment it is clear that we need to do something – and soon. The General Assembly this year instructed all congregations to cut their carbon emissions by 5% annually – a massive challenge but a vital one. I want priority areas to be at the forefront of taking up that challenge.

To help us to do that, the Priority Areas Committee and the Church & Society Council are co-hosting a one-day conference on the 5th September in Colston Milton Parish Church from 10am – 3pm. We hope that up to four members of your congregation can come along. During the day we will learn:
v What our congregation’s carbon footprint is and what we can do to reduce it
v How to access a variety of funds which will help us to meet the challenges of climate change
v Who to get advice from as we try to cut your energy bills year after year
v Where exciting things are happening and how we can join in
v How our faith and worship can inform and inspire our practice

Amongst those who will be helping us to think and act creatively will be: Adrian Shaw (Climate Change Officer, Church of Scotland), the Wise Group, Kate Airlie (Climate Challenge Fund, Scottish Government), Eco-Congregations, Colston Milton Parish Church, and many others.

We expect there to be a heavy demand for places at this event so I would encourage you to book as early as possible by contacting Lynne MacLellan and fillinf out the application form. The conference is free.



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The Carbon Economy in Scotland

Around the upper estuary of the River Forth is the visible evidence of Scotland’s development as a carbon economy.


Coal
One of the earliest examples of Scotland’s coal industry is found at Culross. The now picturesque town was built on the wealth generated by coal mining. Sir George Bruce was the first to introduce machinery to drain coal pits and dig deep beneath the sea bed in the seventeenth century; as a result he helped turn Culross into an early industrial centre and one of the busiest ports on the east coast.

The exploitation of coal for electricity generation developed on a massive scale in the twentieth century. Near Culross is Longannet Power station, the largest in Scotland, which produces over 10 million tons of CO2 each year and produces 1200 MW of electricity. This is now the largest single source of greenhouse gases in Scotland.

OilAcross the river is the location of the early development of Scotland’s oil industry: the oil shales of West Lothian were exploited in the nineteenth century. This source was soon inadequate but did lead to the location of a refinery and petro-chemical industry at Grangemouth, now processing 10 million tons of oil a year from the North Sea and elsewhere in the world.



The development of Scotland’s carbon industries has had a massive impact on the economy, communities and environment of Scotland. Around the upper Forth estuary carbon industries dominate the area. And the impact on the wider world has been significant; with important trade in both importing and exporting carbon fuels and products.

The Carbon Economy and Climate Change.
The area is responsible for the release of tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year; directly and indirectly perhaps a third of Scotland’s total. It is also a transport hub with major road and rail bridges and major oil terminal at Dalmeny. Paradoxically it is also at risk of flooding. Any rise in sea level will put local communities and businesses in jeopardy; including the carbon based industries themselves.

Why is this of Interest to the Church of Scotland ?
The Church of Scotland is concerned that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to people everywhere, particularly to the poor of the earth; and that climate change represents a failure in our stewardship of God’s creation. We accept the need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases urgently to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change; and to promote a more equitable and sustainable use of energy.

Fossil fuels are gifts of creation and we have used them to enrich ourselves: for warmth and comfort, domestic convenience and mass transportation around the globe. Has this comfort and convenience been purchased at a cost to the generations that follow? If our massive consumption of carbon fuels leads to damaging climate change does this then represent a failure in our duty of care for creation – and care for each other? If we are called to care for creation and for others how should we then respond as Christian churches? And how should those training for the ministry address this concern in their ministry in coming years; both in preaching and in action?

The Church of Scotland is trying responding to climate change and grappling with these issues.

Credits
The photograph of burning coal was taken by Bruno Ciampi. the photograph of Grangemouth was taken by Paradasos


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International Aviation & shipping emissions

The second way that Scotland could lead the world is by including in its emission targets the emissions stemming from international aviation and shipping.
It is important for each country to account for all of its emissions. All emission sources should be included in each country's targets from the outset. In Scotland, aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of emissions. If aviation and shipping emissions get included in the Climate Change Bill, Scotland will demonstrate a willingness to take responsibility for all its emissions.

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Credits
The photo of the airplane traffic jam was taken by Fuzzy Gedes

Reduction of at least 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

We mentioned in our previous post that a reduction of 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from Scotland by 2050 done within the context of the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill would be the first way that Scotland can lead the world in the area of climate change. If the biil is passed it would be the first piece of climate change legislation to tackle climate change on a long term action.

It is really important that Scotland can achieve this target because it would ensure that Scotland does its fair share to tackle climate change and meets the IPCC recommendations. It is also very important becuase Scotland would therefore be actively contributing to prevent global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees centigrade.

Finally, Scotland would be demonstrating that some developed countries are willling to cut their emissions and commit to long term action on climate change. Scotland's committment would challenge other developed countries to set their own ambitious targets.


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CreditsThe Walk against Warming photograph was taken by Pierre Pouliquin

Church of Scotland at the Scottish Parliament Climate Change Event

The Church of Scotland was invited to attend the Scotland and Climate Change Getting it Right Event organised by the Scottish Parliament's Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee on Friday 27 March 2009.
Adrian Shaw and Dr. Murdo Macdonald from the Church and Society Council attended the event. Adrian Shaw spoke during the afternoon session.

You can view a recording of the event at Holyrood TV.

A number of speakers were at the event and you can see their bios as well as their PowerPoint presentations following this link.

The event coincided with the Parliament’s scrutiny of the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill – Climate Change (Scotland) Bill - Further Information on the Committee's Work.

There were over 120 delegates from sectors including transport, business and industry, energy, environmental NGOs, the built environment, the public sector, individual communities, science and education, health and charities.
The event was opened by Dr David Guggenheim from the 1planet1ocean conservation body in the United States and then took the form of two debates – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each of the debates was led by short presentations from climate change stakeholders.

The morning debate focused on the international impact of climate change and included speakers from Bangladesh, the Maldives and the European Environment Agency. There was also a presentation given by students who are currently part of the University of Edinburgh – Carbon Management Masters Programme. The students are from Tanzania, India, Nepal, the United States, United Kingdom and Indonesia.

The afternoon debate focused more specifically on Scotland and the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill with short presentations from Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, Simon Pepper, former director of WWF Scotland, Dr Ian Burton from Canada and Professor Don Brown from the United States.

The event was broadcast live on the internet by Holyrood TV.

Credits

The photo of the Scottish Parliament was taken by Anita Gould

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Guided Nature Walk

It’s one thing to talk about God’s creation, but quite another to experience it! What better way that to have a guided nature walk in spring, round one of West Lothian’s finest country parks, Almondell and Calderwood. Our guide will be Senior Ranger Mary Konik. Families welcome, booking required. This walk is sponsored by the Lauriston Jesuit Centres.

Date: Saturday April 24th
Place: Almondell and Calderwood Country PArk