Green Temple
We care for creation and all God's gifts

At the Temple annual general meeting in September 2023, we decided to concentrate on flourish - we care for creation and all God's gifts, as an area of learning and growth. As Christians, we believe that God doesn’t just promise life, but life in all its fullness. We want all of God’s created Kingdom not just to survive but to flourish. God created not just humans, but every animal and plant. It’s only by recognising that we are part of creation and caring for the world around us that all creation can flourish. As with the other practices of a Methodist Way of Life it is expected that our path to caring for God's creation permeates all aspects of church life, from worship to energy and resource use to everyday things we can all do to help.

The importance of caring for our environment, the natural world, and our use of world resources has been a growing concern around the world. Many international organisations are calling for decisive and immediate action to avert a global catastrophe. In particular the accelerating effects of global warming caused by human activity have already caused devastation and suffering on an unprecedented scale, with communities and habitats being pushed beyond their limits. Taking action is likely to come with an individual cost, but the cost to the future of our world in doing nothing is immeasurable. God has made us responsible for this world we live in and we need to live up to the trust God has put in us.

One route to follow is the Eco Church project run by the charity A Rocha UK in partnership with Christian Aid, The Church of England, The Methodist Church, Tearfund, The United Reformed Church and Allchurches Trust Limited. This provides a framework for assessing our environmental impact, resources for help with improving, practical goals and targets, and rewards for achievements. This can help us to make a comparable assessment, monitor our progress, and encourage us to continue improving.

What's happening at Temple

• Formation of an action group to help lead Temple at the beginning of this journey.

• See weekly Green Temple updates in this week's notices.

• Our roofing improvement scheme incorporating solar panels and insulation.

• Food Waste Action Week 18th – 24th March 2024

• The Big Plastic Count 11th - 17th March. See here for more details and how to register.

Green Update
REFILL REUSE REDUCE

Things that you can do to make a difference: 

The next round of talks on the UN Global Plastic Treaty take place between 23rd & 29th April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada.

• Write to your local MP. Ask them to push for a strong UN Global Plastics Treaty.

• Sign up to Tear Fund’s Rubbish Campaign and sign the petition to call for a strong UN Global Plastics Treaty. 

• Pray for a fair and just outcome to the talks.

Did you know? A recent study by Zero Waste Europe found that reusable packaging is cheaper for consumers in the long run, with reusable takeaway food containers and coffee cups the most cost effective. Meanwhile, it’s predicted that the cost of single-use plastic packaging will increase.

In the kitchen

Did you know? UK shoppers are now throwing away a shocking two billion pieces of plastic a week – most of which comes from food and drink packaging. 

Use your power as a shopper to influence the supermarkets by choosing unwrapped fruit and veg.

Reduce: Order a veg box from a local farm. Enjoy seasonal, low carbon produce whilst supporting your local growers. 

Refill: Find your closest zero-waste shop and start buying staples like rice, pasta and pulses in refillable containers.

Reuse: Use old jars to store food, pop a plate over your bowl of leftovers rather than cling-film, and cut up old clothes to use as dishcloths

In the bathroom

Did you know? 6% of marine plastic ends up in the ocean via the loo. Remember to only flush the three Ps – pee, poo and paper – to avoid your toilet becoming a funnel for ocean pollution

Did you know? The average household uses a whopping 216 plastic hair care bottles every year. 

Reduce: Swap bottles for bars. 

Reduce: Swap liquid shampoo, conditioner, hand wash and shower gel for a plastic-free bar next time you’re in the supermarket.

Refill: Lots of places offer refill schemes for products like shampoo and conditioner. 

Reuse: Buy reusable nappies, makeup pads and period products that can be washed and reused again and again – saving you money over time. 

Reduce: Buy recycled loo roll, bamboo toothbrushes and eco bathroom cleaning products. Available in many supermarkets.

On-the-go 

Did you know? In the UK, 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away every year. That’s enough to stretch around the world roughly five and a half times, yet just 0.25% are recycled. What’s more, in the UK, our ‘lunch on the go’ habit generates 11 billion items of packaging waste a year, amounting to 276 items per person.

Reduce: On-the-go products are rife with single-use plastic, but making simple swaps can drastically cut your plastic footprint and your outgoings

Reuse: Pack a reuse kit: e.g. reusable water bottles, coffee cups and shopping bags. These three items will save single-use plastic and work out cheaper in the long run. 

Reduce: Bring a packed lunch to reduce plastic and save money when eating on-the-go. 

Reuse: Use old takeaway boxes, empty glass jars or used food tubs to store your leftovers or homemade sandwich.

What's happening in our circuit

• Repair Café at Lisieux Way
  Lisieux Way hosted its first Repair Café on Saturday 10th February. We had seven repairers, and people brought along bikes, clothes, electrical and mechanical items, etc. One of our members, sharpened nine sets of shears and knives; and our computer man, gave advice to a number of people. Our bike repairer was Bryan, from On Your Bike. The other repairers were 'old hands' from the Repair Café. One of the repairers brought his [very well-behaved] dog, which certainly pleased the children who came along.
  What is a Repair Café? Good question - it's a group of volunteers who give their time and skills to mending things, so that they are not discarded or thrown on the rubbish tip. It's all part of our eco-church activities. We were thrilled to host them for our first Repair Café at Lisieux Way. The refreshment team was kept busy, and the church was full all morning. Watch out for our next 'RC' - we are hoping to make it a regular event.

• The Big Plastic Count is a simple yet and easy way to learn more about your household plastic waste use. Gathering this information and logging it on the Big Plastic Count Website helps build a much bigger picture of the scale of single use plastic and can be used as evidence to push the government to make change. Unfortunately, much of our plastic waste still ends up on the doorstep of communities over the world or in our seas, harming wildlife. Schools and individual households can take part in the big plastic count and here is some information taken from their website about what you need to do to get involved:
  'For one week, you need to count (almost!) every single piece of plastic packaging waste that you throw away - that's plastic waste that you put in the bin and plastic you put in the recycling. Try to count anything you throw away while out and about too. At the end of the week, whether you tallied as you went along, or saved the week’s plastic and tallied it at the end, submit your results online. That’s it, it really is that simple!'
  If you would like to join in, you can register here

• See news and tips from other churches and individuals in the Taunton Deane and South Sedgemoor Circuit on the Eco Church page on the circuit website, and also in our monthly Circuit Link magazine.

Some simple things to try

• Find out, learn about what is happening and what you can do.

• Pause, ... consider the possible impacts of your actions.

• Try to provision and use only what you need (reduce waste) .

• Share stories and tips with others.

at church ...

• Include care of God's creation in worship.

• Include some aspect of 'flourish' in church group activities.

• Be resource aware (energy, utilities, produce, logistics, consumables).

• Enjoy the Eco Church articles in Circuit Link.

at home ...

• Where possible buy local produce,
  check packaging for place of origin.

• Grow some plants,
  either some insect friendly plants in your garden or a pot plant in your room.

• Switch off electrical items not in use,
  don't leave non-essential things on 'standby'.

• Add the care of God's world to your personal prayers.

• Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle what you can - it can also save you money.

• Don't leave taps running.

• Support a charity helping others around the world coping with climate change.

• Read about what others are doing (or not doing) to ensure the world's natural habitats, and take action.

Useful Links

• Methodist Church Website

• A Rocha UK

• Eco church stories

• Calculate your carbon footprint

• Saving Energy - Age UK

• Somerset Council - bins, recycling and waste

• Carbon Trust

• UK government net zero strategy

• Wildlife Trusts

• Nature Conservancy