Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
The Church and sustainability
The General Synod, in Armagh next month, will seek to be a ‘sustainable synod’ following on from a number of similar initiatives undertaken at central Church level. The Synod Department has provided an electronic option for distribution of packs to members and is working with the venue to reduce the environmental footprint of Synod, encourage recycling, and reduce waste. In recent years, General Synod has adopted an Environmental Charter (2015) and a motion on climate change (2017). Previous General Synod resolutions have encouraged the use of Fairtrade products and the ending of the use of tropical hardwoods, except those from managed forests, in Church buildings.
Information on environmental sustainability for parishes, including suggested eco–actions and a template for undertaking an energy audit, is available in the Parish Resources section of the Church of Ireland website: www.ireland.anglican.org/parish–resources
The Representative Church Body has adopted a Climate Change Policy (2017) and an Environmental, Social and Governance Policy (2016) which seek to reduce investment in companies with high carbon emissions and to increase investment in companies which are committed to reducing their carbon footprint, such as those involved in renewable energy and forestry. The Church avoids investments in companies where more than 10% of turnover is derived from coal–mining or tar sands production, and it is continuing to reduce its exposure to oil and gas production.
The RCB’s Property Department has also set up a pilot scheme, involving 10 parishes in the Diocese of Down & Dromore, to review the efficiency of existing energy management controls and to make recommendations for improvements to systems in parish halls and centres. Under its tree–planting strategy, two trees must be replanted in place of every one cut down on church property. Parishes are encouraged to consider renewable energy options such as solar energy for electricity or heat and/or hot water; heat recovery/ventilation systems; central heating and/or cooling systems using geothermal heat pumps; or sustainable lighting such as daylighting design, sunlight transportation systems, energy efficient light bulbs or LEDs.
The Church of Ireland’s commitment to the environment reflects the Anglican Communion’s Fifth Mark of Mission: ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the Earth.’
Today (Saturday) the Bishop of Cork will preside at the formal launch, in partnership with St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, of the Certificate in Christian Studies in Cork, Cloyne and Ross. In Dublin there will be a Spring Bazaar in St Philip’s Parish Hall and Grounds, Milltown, beginning at 11am.
‘A Lectionary Revolution: Young Voices speaking Old Words’ is the title for the Biblical Association for the Church of Ireland’s Spring Lecture by UCD chaplain Scott Evans tomorrow (Sunday). The leader of the RevoLectionary group, which has been posting young people’s reflections on the Sunday readings online since September 2016, will be accompanied by colleague Emma Rothwell, the Diocesan Youth Officer for Meath and Kildare and chaplain to Wilson’s Hospital School. Their presentation will take place in Christ Church cathedral’s Chapter Room after 3.30pm evensong. There will be tea at 4.30pm and the lecture will begin at 4.45pm. All are welcome – there is no charge for BACI members and only a token admission charge for others.
On Thursday evening at 7.30pm the Armagh Robinson Library and the Centre for Cross Border Studies will host a lecture, ‘Interpreting the treasures of two eighteenth century libraries: maps from the collections of Armagh Robinson Library and Marsh’s Library, Dublin’, by Dr Annaleigh Margey, Lecturer in History and Digital Humanities, Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times