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Welcome to the latest EcoNews. Scroll on down for details of our next Eco Forum, encouraging eco stories, welcomes and congratulations and details of useful resources, events and webinars to keep you all inspired! Thank you for all you continue to do in your parish or benefice to ensure that we strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Your Eco team is: the Revd David Longe, Ed Cotterill, Barbara Bryant & Hannah Emmrich (members of the DofN Environment Working Group)
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Next Eco Forum: Changing Perspectives - seeing creation differently
12 November | 6:30 - 7:30pm | Norwich Cathedral
You are warmly invited to a creation pilgrimage around Norwich Cathedral. In the stillness of the evening come and discover how this ancient building can help us get a fresh perspective on our present day environmental challenges. Come and see the building in new and unusual ways and leave with a refreshed view of God’s wonderful creation.
The creation pilgrimage takes place on Tuesday 12th November and will begin at 6.30 by the Pelican Lectern under the tower of the Cathedral. Parking is available in The Close. Please enter the Cathedral by the South Door - the door nearest the car park with a clock over the door. The pilgrimage will last approximately 75 minutes. Please note: we will be accessing some of the spiral staircases within the Cathedral.
In preparation for the creation pilgrimage you are welcome to join us for Choral Evensong at 5.30; let the music and words of the evening office calm and inspire you, preparing your mind and soul to see creation differently.
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Apologies re: last Eco Forum
Our sincere apologies that the last Eco Forum booked for 16 September with Adam Matthews on ethical finance ran into technical hitches and wasn't able to proceed at the last minute. Because we don't ask folk to book in, it wasn't possible to communicate this at the time, so we apologise for the confusion and frustration! We hope to re-schedule and will let you know in the next newsletter when that will be.
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Could you be an Eco Chaplain? | |
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We are seeking to create a network of "Eco Chaplains" to support our growing number of Parish Eco Reps across the Diocese. The overall purpose of the role is to encourage and support churches and those who have Eco Reps in your area to respond to the climate and ecological crisis, by advocating for environmental action, resourcing others, and helping churches on their eco church, net zero and biodiversity journey.
The role will be supported by Barbara and Ed and will mean being the named ‘port of call’ in your area for parishes who would like further help as they take action on climate change. You'll have the opportunity to occasionally get together to support one another and share ideas. The role is as diverse as the individual, as is the amount of time you commit to it. Is this something God might be calling you to?
Contact Barbara to find out more: 07976 634867 barbara.bryant@dioceseofnorwich.org
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Clergy Housing Demonstrator project in Bradwell
We have been given a £54,000 grant from national church to undertake a deep energy retrofit one of our clergy houses. The house and the measures have now been identified and work is due to start on the 18 November. The project will involve upgrading the fabric of the building through improved insulation, airtightness, and triple glazed windows. We will also be installing an air source heat pump and capping things off with solar panels on the roof.
It is predicted that these measures will upgrade the house from an EPC D emitting 8.6 tonnes of CO2 every year to and EPC A emitting a mere 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per year. We will be monitoring the energy use in the building closely to measure how close we get to that target. This, along with similar projects in Garboldisham and Hingham are the first small but significant steps to learn what we’ll be able to put in place as we plan to roll out net zero across clergy housing.
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Greening Yarmouth Minster update
Paul Spychal, Church Warden at Great Yarmouth Minster, updates us on some encouraging progress in their development plan to “green” the Minster.
“I am really pleased to announce that the Great Yarmouth Minster has successfully become a Net Zero Demonstrator Church. This means we will receive a substantive grant, specialist technical advice and fundraising support towards our ambitious net zero plans Watch this space! Read more HERE
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Free energy audits awarded
The top 12 energy using churches in the Diocese are about to receive a fully-funded energy audit to help them identify where they can reduce their energy use and carbon footprint. The project is being funded by national church and is being delivered to the 600 highest energy using churches across England. Energy auditors will examine each church in detail to identify all the areas where energy could be saved. Each church will also receive a £3,000 grant to help them enact some of the recommendations coming out of the audits.
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New report highlights progress on CofE NZC ambitions
More than £20 million has been allocated so far to dioceses to help support parishes and schools to reduce their carbon emissions – a new report reveals. The first Net Zero Carbon 2030 Impact Report highlights the impact of the Church of England’s Net Zero Programme since it was mobilised last year.
The ambitious programme aims to equip, resource and support all parts of the Church to reduce carbon emissions from the energy used in its buildings and schools and through work-related transport by 2030. St Peter Mancroft Church in the heart of Norwich is featured in the report. The medieval parish church is one of the first churches taking part in the Net Zero Carbon Programme’s Demonstrator Churches project.
Read the full story & report here
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Eco Church awards & newbies | |
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Welcome to those who've just started and congratulations to those who achieved their awards.
SILVER - St Mary's Church, Reepham
BRONZE - Crossroads St Elisabeth's, Earlham
NEWLY REGISTERED - St Mary's, Diss
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Eco Angels trail inspires visitors
An innovative Eco Angels trail was an inspiration and encouragement to all those involved from local schools, organisations and parishes.
The King, a Norfolk fungi expert, Lisa Simpson and a womble starred in the trail of ‘eco-angels’ linking 10 Norfolk country churches this summer. Twelve eco-angels have been on display in the churches from July 14 to September 30, with a pilgrim trail linking them all.
An added attraction was a specially devised 25-mile bike ride to see six of the hand-made models to coincide with the county-wide Norfolk Churches Trust Bike ride in mid-September.
Read full story HERE
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Wildcraft in Heartsease, Norwich
"Wildcraft day at St. Francis was the blessed day we had prayed for. Our keen team of ‘Let it Grow’ gardeners had prepped for us and a valiant team of church family got stuck in. We had decided to do the event in conjunction with our cafe, table top sale and bike kitchen to cater for and draw in footfall. The weather was lovely and a variety of people from local communities came to specifically enjoy the wildcraft activities and space and others joined in too." Jane Cubitt tells the whole story, complete with some lovely photos HERE.
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Cake and Rake in Geldeston
A plea to help rake up the cut meadow grass and the promise of cake resulted in community from near and far rolling up their sleeves to help. "The group showed a spirit of determination and will to get the raking done so that clearing the cut wild flowers and grasses will give the less dominant seeds a better chance of flowering next year. All this will encourage more wildlife, butterflies, bees and moths and we can relax knowing that having aching limbs was worth it and enjoy the fruits of our labour in the spring and summer months next year." Read the full story HERE
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Climate & Nature Bill - write to your MP! | |
Zero Hour campaign needs our support
The Climate and Nature Bill is a plan for a new UK law that addresses the full extent of the climate and nature crisis in line with the most up-to-date science.
The Bill is the only proposed legislation before the UK Parliament that ensures a comprehensive and joined-up approach to the climate emergency and nature crisis.
The Bill had its first reading on Wednesday and will have its second reading on Friday 24 January. At that point it will need 100 supportive MPs to vote for it to ensure it progresses to the next stage. This really is a crunch moment for the Bill - and the next few weeks will be key to ensuring that enough MPs turn up and vote to see it through! Bishop Graham has added his support from within the House of Lords.
Please write to your MP and encourage others in your networks to write to their MP and ask them to turn up to the vote in January. People can take action at www.zerohour.uk
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The Canon Precentor at Norwich Cathedral, Aidan Platten, has produced some templates for use and adaptation to help embed the firth mark of mission within baptism and confirmation services. They are all in Word document form so that they can be amended, and any particular points which would be changed depending on their suitability for any particular given service have been highlighted. You can download them below:
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Children, Youth & Family eco resources to borrow
The wonderful Anna, in our CYF Team has now created an online catalogue collection for ‘Eco’ and she has been adding some of our existing resources, so they can be seen grouped together. They can be viewed on this link Eco | Diocese of Norwich (booqable.store) We'll be gradually adding more resources over time - such as games and iSpy activity boxes. Do let us know if there are suitable resources you'd like us to consider stocking!
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We have Bats! FREE poster
We recently received an enquiry from a parish seeking a poster they could put up which acknowledged the evidence of bats using the church in a positive way, so that visitors to the church would know that the inevitable bat droppings were not a sign that the church was unloved.
There are many resources to do with bats in churches, but finding that there wasn't a poster quite like this our Care of Church Buildings support officer Anna quickly designed the 'we have bats' poster which has proved popular so far.
A copy of the poster can be downloaded here - we hope it might be useful for other parishes.
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Swifts - a church project guide
Following increased interest in the installation of swift boxes in and around churches, our Care of Church Buildings team have produced a guide designed to assist you in successfully managing a project to install swift boxes in your church. The document includes information about swifts, details on the different types of swift box and how to design and install them, and how to get permission for swift boxes in your church. There are also links to further resources, and ideas of how you can involve community groups in the production and installation of swift boxes.
Follow the following link to download a PDF of the project guide: Swifts - a church project guide
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Getting involved with COP conferences this Autumn
The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) is being held in Colombia (21 October - 1 November) and the UN climate change conference (COP29), is being held this year in Azerbaijan (30 November to 12 December).
An online guide includes information on what will happen at both conferences, how the Church of England is getting involved and what you can do from home to support.
Jo Chamberlain, National Environment Officer at the Church of England, said: “Climate change and big international conferences like this can be hard for any of us to get our heads round. People can also feel slightly helpless and unsure of how they can contribute from home but there are many ways we can all do our bit. As Christians we can pray, and we can share our concerns with our local MP and also raise awareness through our churches. This handy guide offers lots of useful tips on the best ways to ensure your voice is heard at this international climate event.”
Read the Short Guide here.
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Bishop Graham leading Anglican delegation to biodiversity COP
Bishop Graham, will lead an Anglican delegation at COP16, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Colombia from October 21 to November 1. The aim is to share Anglican calls for action with governments attending, demonstrate Anglican commitment in tackling nature loss and emphasise the power of faith groups in achieving change. Read full article here
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Display your eco church status on A Church Near You website listing
Let those searching churches on ACNY know that you're a registered eco church, by adding it as a new category under the "features and facilities" tag. You can watch a helpful "how to" video here.
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Nature recovery local film release
Not quite ready for this edition, but keep your eyes peeled for a lovely short film about promoting biodiversity in one of our local market towns - with the church at the hub - watch this space!
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Community engagement - working ecumenically
Remember to look to work in partnership with churches from other denominations in your local area. You'll have more impact in your community and share the load as well as the enthusiasm!
This Norwich church is having a coffee morning to exchange ideas, swap clothes, used book stall, plant and seed swap stall, Fair Trade stall, junk modelling and other activities for children (it's Half Term), -and of course-coffee and cake. "All proceeds will go towards helping us purchase a Terracycle box to collect pill blister packs."
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Remember to share your eco stories with us! You can see latest environmental stories from across the diocese here | |
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