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Caring for Creation
Thank you for your interest in how we care for Creation. From this page, you’ll find news stories, videos, and photos, and the policies which our guide our work towards becoming a more environmentally sustainable Church; all of this builds on our everyday choices as disciples living in towns, cities and the countryside around our beautiful island.
Stories
28/09/2023 – School garden officially opened in Belleek
19/09/2023 – Archbishops call for Lough Neagh task force
5/07/2023 – Creation and the Church (Gazette feature)
13/05/2023 – Inspiring presentation from ‘Lighten Our Darkness’
6/10/2022 – Youth Department launches Climate Justice Toolkit
5/05/2022 – Bishops’ Appeal marks 50th anniversary
4/05/2022 – 2022 General Synod Presidential Address
8/04/2022 – Irish Churches Creation Care Conference
1/10/2021 – Church of Ireland to divest from fossil fuel extraction
2/09/2021 – Free ‘Keeping in touch’ packs for young people
2/07/2021 – Parishes encouraged to support Climate Sunday
3/02/2021 – Wander and wonder with Connect4Creation
2/03/2020 – ‘We must plan for a better society’
2/03/2020 – Support for Prof Katherine Hayhoe’s visit and lectures
20/11/2019 – New youth ministry resource on caring for Creation
31/05/2019 – Tearfund energy affinity offer for parishes
21/05/2019 – Video: Environmental examples from the Church
14/02/2019 – Pennies4Plastics: a Lenten initiative
27/11/2018 – Parishes encouraged to tackle climate change
2/10/2018 – Video: Caring for Creation
31/07/2018 – Chief Officer and campaigner speak on Creation
30/07/2018 – Church House Dublin and CITI receive bee–hives
11/05/2018 – RCB receives Eco–Congregation Ireland award
4/05/2018 – Calendar supports development projects
26/04/2018 – Climate change seminar in Dublin
23/04/2018 – Planning an environmentally sustainable Synod
20/04/2018 – Call for Jars4Journeys donations
20/02/2018 – Jars4Journeys: the story so far
5/02/2018 – RCBeClimateConscious in Church House Dublin
26/01/2018 – Jars4Journeys supports people affected by climate change
Videos
Talks from the Irish Churches Creation Care Conference
Five Marks of Mission: Treasure – Creation Care
Marking 50 years of Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development
Supporting Climate Sunday
Blooming Bees: how you can support the All–Island Pollinator Plan
Environmental examples from around the Church
How we can care for Creation
The view St Patrick saw from Slemish
A panoramic scene around Ballintoy Parish Church
Katharine Hayhoe delivers the Church of Ireland Theological Lecture at Queen’s
Photos
You’re welcome to visit and browse through our photo gallery on environmental initiatives by clicking through the pictures below:
Policies
The Church of Ireland’s General Synod, our governing body, has taken an interest in environmental issues through its resolutions since 1994, when it proposed that parishes consider ending the use of tropical hardwoods (except from managed forests) in church buildings. In 2006, a further General Synod resolution asked members of the Church to use and promote Fairtrade products where possible.
The Church of Ireland Environmental Charter was approved by General Synod in 2015 and asks all parishes to play their part in the stewardship of creation, by recognising and reducing waste, increasing their environmental awareness, exercising leadership through environmental responsibility, identifying spiritually and practically with the developing world, and influencing policy.
The General Synod passed its first resolution on climate change and fossil fuels in 2017, to exclude companies whose turnover (in excess of 10%) is derived from the production of coal or tar sands, and to increase its investment exposure to green alternatives. The subsequent 2018 resolution set a target date of 2022 for divestment from fossil fuel extraction.
The Church has also been a member of Eco–Congregation Ireland since its foundation in 2005 – Eco–Congregation Ireland is an ecumenical initiative to encourage Christians to celebrate the gift of God’s creation, recognise the inter–dependence of all creation, and care for it in their life and mission and through members’ personal lifestyles.
Through its Climate Change Policy, which is reviewed annually, the Representative Church Body (our central trustee body) seeks to mitigate and lower the climate change impact within its investment portfolios and has taken several steps in this regard over the past number of years, including collaborative engagement, investments in wind and solar energy and forestry, the implementation of restrictions for investments in coal mining and tar sands, and several disposals and divestments.
The policy relates to direct investments and exposure via acquisition and/or takeovers is reviewed on a case–by–case basis by the RCB’s Investment Committee, which will continue to monitor and review companies that appear not to be aligned with the long–term transition to a low–carbon economy and engage and/or divest as considered appropriate.
The RCB is also a member of the Church Investors Group (CIG) and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), which provide investors with a collaborative platform for engagement with public policy–makers and the exchange of expertise on climate change issues. It is also a founding signatory and supporter of the Climate Action 100+ initiative which engages with the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters with a view to curbing emissions, strengthening climate disclosures, and improving climate governance.
Shared by the Church of Ireland Press Office (email: pressoffice@rcbcoi.org)