As a silver level Eco-Church, we should be looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint both at Church and in our daily lives.

During the damp and cold days of winter, we should be setting our heating thermostats to avoid heat waste….and wear an extra jumper or a rug over your knee when sitting watching television!  Turn appliances and lights off when they are not in use.  Use your smart meter to check your electricity use.   

Leave your garden alone through winter – those untidy bushes and lank plants are a haven for bugs and birds.  Plan where to create a wild garden in 2020.

If you can, try to buy locally supplied food to save on air miles and other excessive transport costs. Look for fairly traded goods which help local suppliers and address the impact of climate change.

Buy trees for planting. For example you can make a donation to the Woodland Trust, which has planted 43 million trees since 1972 (the life-time of the United Reformed Church).  Yorkshire Tea has a scheme with Kenyan  producers and have planted 2.5 million trees, twice as many as they originally planned.

A New Year’s Resolution?  Make at least one change to your life style by the end of January which will benefit the environment.