As individuals we count, before God and in the great scheme of things. Yes, we can make a difference by the way we walk with God, live our lives in our home, community, church, place of learning or workplace.

As families we can learn together and consider, make choices and choose lifestyles, both individually and as a family, that please God and support his whole creation, displaying care for those who live in poverty. 

We can Involve all the family in the lifestyle choices we make.  The children may well be more aware of the issues and practical daily options than many of us adults.  Many schools are leading the way and encouraging our children and young people to walk more lightly.

Look together at the kids zone, school zone and youth zone pages.  They are packed with ideas and resources.

The children can take a lead in encouraging their school to become an eco school. This programme is child led.  They can also encourage their church youth group, or even the whole church to become an eco congregation.                                                                             

Photo: Eco Congregations

Adults can make a difference in the home, work place, community and church.  Take a look at the church/church group, church and community, and church:local and global pages which are full of ideas.

If you are looking for inspiring examples look at the stories page.

Living Lightly as a Church/Church Group

Want to know more or  see what others have done?

View the 'Living Lightly' power-point (Living Lightly Home Page)

See the Stories of other churches

Include climate change issues, Environmental Care and 'Sustainable' Lifestyles in all aspects of your Church life.

Worship and prayer

Childrens’ and Youth work

Church Premises. Read the many action stories from various churches.
Environmentally friendly graveyard/outside area Read the action stories.
Financial management of your church, etc.

Christian Environment Link (CEL) provides inspiration, ideas and stories from other churches already involved in the following:

Recycling, Buying recycled computer equipment, Food purchasing, Ethical Purchasing, Fairtrade, Low Energy Lighting, Transport, Water Efficiency, A Rocha Climate Stewards, Fairtrade vending, Ethical investment, etc. 

Do an environmental check of your church and undertake measures to reduce the carbon footprint of your church property and way of being, using.
Eco Congregations: a comprehensive programme which includes an eco check/audit.
Christian Ecology Link: An Environmental Audit for Churches: This is a 2 page booklet covering: purchasing, cleaning, worship and education, community involvement, environmental projects, political pressure and the wider community.
The Cool Church Toolkit: This 3 page toolkit includes how to calculate your church carbon emissions, ideas for appointing an energy manager and a sample church action plan.
 

See also other: Church and Eco Action Packs:  

Working as Churches Together:
It will be great if different local churches talk to each other and decide to work together with their local community.  ‘Churches Together’ Groups of churches can be an excellent means of coordinating local church and community action.  You may want to consider all using the same ‘toolkit’ to reduce your carbon footprint across the churches and community or you may want to combine the strengths of different approaches and ‘toolkits’.    Have a look at Community Matters.

Working with our Communities:
Climate change and 'living lightly' are issues for everybody and are ideally suited for the local churches to work in partnership with other parts of the local community in joint action, covering local and global concerns.

Some local schools are involved in Eco Schools, gaining eco status.  Encourage schools, colleges, businesses in your community to participate. You may want to form a community group together. 

Increasingly we are seeing that we are part of the global family.  What we do here locally affects the global community.  God's heart extends to the lost, the least and the last and includes all of his creation.  We have an opportunity here in Cumbria to pray and live in a way that supports the local and global environment and poorer people, here and in the wider world, who have contributed least to climate change but who are the most affected by it.

Look at Breathing Earth. This ireal-time simulation displays the CO2 emissions of every country in the world, as well as their birth and death rates. 

‘If the World was a Village of 100 people’  is an imaginative way of looking at our global situation. There is a poster version and a web version at Miniature Earth .

Our lifestyles and consumption in the the West has made the largest contribution to climate change.  We use 10 times as many resources per person than people in Bangladesh.  We also use 40 times more energy (heating, lighting, hot water, fuel for travelling, etc). 

People in poorer countries have much smaller 'footprints' than us.  They have contributed least to climate change but are suffering the most.    

Change on a local, national or global scale comes about through ordinary people demanding structural, economic, political and social changes.  How can individuals or local churches do this?  We can get involved in lobbying and campaigning.  We have already seen what can be achieved in international debt cancellation. (US$80 billion cancelled).