Dear Friends
In recent times there has been much necessary public discussion of Green issues - and I speak not simply in the party political sense....
People of many shades of opinion are becoming highly aware of issues of climate change and global warming and of their consequent ethical responsibilities in relation to environmental stewardship.
This is of course an area where Christian citizens should be giving a lead, as we have particular perspectives on the nature of Creation, on the limited dominion entrusted to humankind in respect of the care of it, on respect for resources that cannot easily be renewed. It is - like fair trade - a matter in which our congregations should be ahead of the rest of the community rather than (at least occasionally) lagging somewhat behind. It is also a context in which we should not wait to be compelled by law to do what is self - evidently right.
Some parishes are doing major and exciting things like having full environmental audits of their buildings, considering the extended use of solar panels and so on. But the little things matter too, and we should not use the excuse that our buildings are old and challenging to run as an excuse for not trying to manage them in a way that is more environmentally aware.
So I mention just a few matters that seem like blinding glimpses of the obvious but which still demand attention
- Is the church heating system regularly services to secure maximum efficiency?
- Are painstaking efforts made to identify and address sources of draughts in our buildings?
- Have energy efficient light bulbs been used to the greatest possible extent on church premises?
- Do those who live near enough to do so consider the value of walking to church (this is healthy and a source of public witness as well!)
- Here is one that some will have noticed I get quite passionate about. While certain of our buildings are somewhat dim within and some lighting is needed for reading, nevertheless do we ask ourselves on Sunday morning especially in summer do we need to put on every single light in the place? I am amazed on bright June days how many churches seem ablaze with utterly unnecessary lighting - and sometimes in that very context we are preaching on the very issue of conservation! Reducing the use of electric power in this way not only saves money; it also recaptures a certain sense of the intended original atmosphere of an ancient sacred space. The beauty of holiness can often be experienced where a few candles flicker amid subdued light, where shadows play on walls, where stained glass is seen with God's light filtering in from outside rather than distorted by excessive illumination within. But now I am perhaps getting wistful!
- Where certain churches are rightly floodlit to highlight their architectural features, does this lighting need to be left on throughout the night. Floodlighting that is itself of aesthetic value say before midnight can strangely become a kind of light pollution in the tranquility of the early hours
- At parochial functions do we make the same efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle as we should do at home - it can be all too tempting when clearing up after a large parish function wearily to put different types of refuse in the same bin rather than separating them out.
Just a few thoughts which seem relevant not least amid the brightness of the summer. For me, moreover, they raise important issues about our integrity as Christian congregations, about actually behaving in a manner consonant with the good stewards we would claim to be. Address a few of them in your churches over the summer and you will have all the more reason to celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving duly, as people whose care for creation is indeed scrupulous in every detail.
Michael Cashel + Ossory
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