As Christians we need to “Act locally and think globally”. We see the impact of taking God’s creation for granted both locally, in the amount of waste we generate, and globally in the impact that climate change has on the poorest people in the world.

We began our Eco Church journey in 2019, when we created a Caring for Creation Group which supports the clergy in eco matters and reports to the PCC. After including creation in our worship and teaching we decided to create a series of videos detailing inspiring ideas to encourage small lifestyle changes to bring about big changes in Ashtead and beyond. We were delighted to have then received the A Rocha Bronze Award. A Rocha operates an Eco Church awards scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.

Soon after this in 2022 we completed an energy audit for both St George’s and St Giles’ as part of our ‘net zero’ journey. This advised us that solar panels would be beneficial, and after presenting a net zero carbon paper to the Parish Council we received approval for panels at St George’s, which were installed in November 2023.

Our journey to net zero carbon continues as we explore more ways to deepen our engagement with caring for creation and embedding it in our church life, bringing positive change in our churches, our community and our planet.

Contact us for further information.