Follow the Shrinking the Footprint Path......
In his preface to Sharing God's Planet, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, encouraged us to take a walk to remind ourselves that we are part of wider creation. The current climate change situation is such that it will be a long walk - simply to restore the world's balance we need to cut carbon emissions worldwide by 80% of current levels by 2050. Not only is this a daunting goal but its end lies at least two generations in the future. The results of our actions will only be felt by our children and grandchildren. For individuals and institutions alike, taking action (however simple and obvious that action may seem) and sustaining it will require considerable effort.
The Shrinking the Footprint Path sets out, in simple steps, the action we need to take now to make a difference.
Step one: Assess your current Carbon Footprint and audit activity - join the Measuring our Footprint intiative. Collect your energy bills for 2010 and in 2011 you will be asked to return this easy form to your DEO. Try this very simple walk round mini-audit. See AECOM's helpful info on reading meters (pg 56). Also have a look at the Energy Saving Trust's online tool for reducing your energy use at home and the Carbon Trust for businesses.
Step two: Use energy more efficiently in your building, think about reducing your domestic energy use and look at the toolkits.
Step three: Switch to green energy - tips from those who've already switched.
Step four: Generate your own renewable energy
Step five: Support the Climate Justice Fund
Step six: Review - take another look at your footprint and start again!
Among future Shrinking the Footprint projects, we will be looking at how these processes can be built into the frameworks by which the Church of England operates, so as to make it easier for national bodies, diocese and parishes to sustain the effort.
TOOLKITS
As part of Shrinking the Footprint the Church of England commissioned leading environmental consultants AECOM, formerly Faber Maunsell to produce a number of technical reports to help with the environmental management of:
See also - Renewable Energy Appraisal 2008
HELP
There is a considerable amount of help and advice now available covering heating, lighting, insulation etc. from local and national sources including:
The Energy Saving Trust
Defra - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DECC - Department of Energy and Climate Change