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Welcome to our New Eco Page - we
will keep you informed of news on Environmental Issues on this page
Eco
Congregation
St
Andrew’s is shortly to be assessed as an eco congregation. This is a national
award for churches that
have made significant progress on environmental issues
both within its own life and in its dealings with its local
community. Results will be announced in our March
edition.
Environmental
Tips
Did
you know that you can dispose of any unwanted items without just having to throw
them away?
You
can advertise free of charge anything that you would like to see go to a good
home, using the website detailed below. The
new owner will come and collect from you so that there is minimum inconvenience.
Have a look at the site: you may even find something you need.
http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK/West%20Midlands/Coventry
God’s
Creation
It
is the Bible’s teaching that this is God’s world and it is the
responsibility of human beings to care for it: exercising stewardship.
As
a church therefore, we have attempted to show this care by the following:
v
Switching
to a green electricity supplier
v
Encouraging members of the
congregation to walk to church or engage in car sharing
v
Distributing free low energy
light bulbs
v
Holding services which focus
on the wonder of creation and our responsibility for it
v
Fitting a condensing boiler
and a zoned heating system
v
Distributing water saving
‘hippos’
v
Encouraging members to
exercise Christian stewardship in their own lives
We
are in the process of working towards becoming an eco-congregation and applying
for an award to mark this.
Our
World Concern group meets monthly to pray and plan environmental campaigns.
For further information, please contact David Hawkey on 02476 46545
Eco-tips
3: Go to a Farmers' Market
The farming community have been through difficult times recently and farmers'
markets provide an excellent way of supporting them. By
cutting out the middle man, more of the money ends up with the producer and you
can be certain of where the produce has come from and under what conditions it
has been produced. It also helps the
environment by reducing food miles and packaging. So why not try out one the
following markets for some fresh and local food:
Coventry, Spon St - 2nd Thursday, 9am - 2pm
Kenilworth, Abbey End - 2nd Saturday, 9am - 2pm
Leamington Spa, Pump Room Gardens - 4th Saturday, 9am - 2pm
Nuneaton, Market Place - 3rd Friday, 9am - 2pm
Rugby, Clock Tower - last Thursday, 9am - 2pm
Solihull, High St - 1st Friday, 9am - 5pm
Alternatively, visit one of the farm shops in the area - listings can be found
in the local business telephone directories.
Eco-tips
4: Pass on reusable items
When you're next having a
clearout, think about whether any of the items you no longer need could be used
by someone else. Many items can be found a new home though charity shops, jumble
sales, classified ads, etc. Furniture and other household goods can be
refurbished by the Coventry-based charity :-
·
Emmaus (www.emmauscoventry.com)
- they even offer a collection service: ring 024 7666 1466 if you have anything
to donate.
·
Coventry
and Warwickshire Freebay (www.communityfreebay.co.uk)
- The
Coventry Freecycle group (groups.yahoo.com/group/coventryfreecycle/)
Are
all good places to advertise other odds and ends, such as computer parts, DIY
materials, garden furniture, electrical items, car parts, office equipment, etc.
It is amazing what people can reuse!
THINK
RECYCLED!
We
are all aware of global warming and know that we need to do what we can to
reduce our environmental footprint. But it can seem like an impossible task -
surely it will take a lot of effort and/or money to make a
difference?
Well, to give us all a helping hand we'll be including an "Eco-tip" in
The Link each month, suggesting a simple action to take on.
Support
the kerbside recycling scheme - then buy recycled!
Here's
an easy place to start: if you're not already doing so, use the kerbside
recycling scheme. For a while now, we've had a fortnightly black box collection
for paper and cardboard. If you haven't got a black box, ask
the council for one (e-mail WasteMgt.Recycling@Coventry.gov.uk; freephone:
0500 83 43 33). We also benefit from being included in the pilot blue box scheme
for glass, aluminium cans and plastic milk bottles.
It is
important to support this pilot scheme to ensure that the council extends it to
the rest of the city. The boxes are collected on alternate weeks, this month:
4th Black box
11th
Blue box
18th
Black box
25th
Blue box
Recycling is a loop - it
only works if there is demand for recycled products. So don't forget to look out
for recycled paper pads, printer paper, envelopes, etc.
Remember -
Think recycled!
Green Energy
As part of our
commitment to the environment (God’s world), St Andrew’s has recently
changed electricity supplier to a green energy supplier.
After careful investigation on the internet, we have found a supplier and
tariff that is not going to cost us any more, but will help reduce our carbon
footprint significantly. If you
decide to go down this road, check carefully, since some companies advertise a
green tariff, but in reality they are only using customers to fulfill their
legal obligation to ensure that 5% of their supply is green rather than
generating anything new.
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