You are invited to the first ever Earthing Faith network gathering on Thursday 2nd February 2012.

Sharing | Showcasing | Connecting

The gathering will provide space for sharing stories from projects around the Diocese of Oxford. We will highlight the new energy monitoring pilot scheme, hear creative responses to installing solar PV, learn how your church can grow food and a sense of community, as well as see how lent could connect us with our global neighbours.

There will be space for prayer and reflection. We will be showcasing resources to highlight environmental issues in your prayer and worship.

And there will be plenty of time for conversations over light refreshments. If you register you’ll also get a free goodie bag of resources.

Please do join us – everyone is welcome.

Where: Diocesan Church House, North Hinksey, Oxford, OX2 0NB – full directions here

When: 7pm until 9pm, Thursday 2nd February 2012

Register: Please help us plan by registering to say you intend to join us.

Click here to complete the online registration form (includes lift share details).

Alternatively rsvp via Facebook or by leaving a message on 01865 208745.

Share: The gathering is an opportunity to share with one another and it would be great if you could:

Share a favourite book – bring a favourite book or two on a Earthing Faith theme to share (you can print these slips to fill in and insert in your book)

Share your project – if you are involved in a project, or have a dream for a project, bring a leaflet/poster about it to share.

Not able to come? It would be great to see you or someone from your church – please use the share buttons below to help you spread the word.

Questions?  If you have questions about the gathering please use our contact form or call 01865 208745.

The new Fund, announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, DECC, will provide grants for around 200 community organisations, including churches, to undertake energy efficiency projects and renewable energy generation in their area.

David Shreeve, the Church of England’s national environment adviser, said, “It is good news that DECC consider churches and other faith groups as vital parts of the local community. The deadline for application and delivery is tight but many churches are currently considering ways of harnessing renewable energy for their buildings and this may just be the spur they need.

“A recent communication I received from 10 Downing St stressed the Prime Minister’s recognition that Church assets often sit at the heart of the community Shrinking the Footprint the Church of England’s national environment campaign, provides advice and toolkits for the local church as it rolls out vital green community projects as part of its ministry and mission.”

There is around £50,000 available for each successful community to be used to help assess the potential for energy efficiency and local renewable energy generation and get things started in their area. This is a short-term scheme where work will need to be completed by end of March 2012.

Interested communities can apply via the Energy Saving Trust and money will be allocated in two rounds. The first round closes at noon on 22 December 2011 with successful applicants notified in the week beginning 9 January 2012. The second round will close to applications at noon on 20 January 2012 with successful communities notified at the end January.

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Full details about the scheme can be found at www.greencommunitiescc.org.uk

You may also find help and advice on this, and other funding, at the new Oxfordshire based Low Carbon Hub: www.lowcarbonhub.org

10:10, the carbon cutting organisation, began in 2009 with the aim of helping businesses, organisations and individuals reduce their emissions by 10% in a single year. Our plan was to inspire and motivate people towards a change that was fast, achievable and meaningful. Since we launched, over 125,000 individuals have pledged to cut their carbon in over 42 countries, alongside 6000 businesses, 3000 organisations and over 2500 schools, universities and colleges.

The results of our sign-ups to date have been impressive, with everyone from Tottenham Hotspurs cutting 14% to the British Embassy in Beijing cutting 48%, but we’re always looking for new ways to get people acting on climate change. That’s why, this September, we launched Solar Schools, a groundbreaking project to save energy, help schools, build communities and, most importantly, enable thousands of people to engage positively with renewable energy.

The idea, in a nutshell, is to help schools across the country generate their own solar energy by raising the cost of panels from the local community. Each school gets its own webpage, populated with empty solar panels. Family, neighbours, friends, local businesses and ex-pupils sponsor segments of panel by buying vouchers or donating online. The whole scheme lives and breathes community interaction, with pictures and messages of support left by donors.

Recently, it’s been difficult to avoid stories about chaos in the solar industry.  With the government making rapid cuts to Feed-in Tariffs, many projects have been left in the lurch. However, while we wait for a clear pathway to a sustainable future for the UK, the eight schools in the Solar Schools pilot continue to trail-blaze a model that may be one of few ways community buildings can install solar in the future.

The schools involved are based around the country – a hub of five in Reading, one in Cambridge, one in Norwich and one on the sunny Scilly Isles. They are working flat out to reach their targets and they would love your support! If you’d be interested in donating then please do head to www.solarschools.org.uk. You can also send friends and family a tile as a gift, ready to open on a specified date – a nice way to cut down on your Christmas card recycling this year! Plus, if any of the schools involved are in your area, they would love some hands-on support – they have lots of Solar Schools voucher booklets to sell and events to organise, and they need as many people to know about the project as possible – email hello@solarschools.org.uk  to find how you could get involved.

These schools are trying something new to become cleaner, greener places for children to learn, they would love your help to do it!

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Amy Cameron is the Solar Schools co-ordinator at 10:10.

How do we bring about a human presence on this planet that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilled? Using the powerful Be the Change video and workshop processes, you are invited to explore this leading question for our time.

Hosted by Abingdon Quakers but open to all. See http://bethechangeinitiative.org

For more information please ring Tony on 01235 529188 or email sallyreynolds@btinternet.com

When: Saturday 28th January 10am – 4pm

Venue: Abingdon Resource & Wellbeing Centre, OX14 3GD

The conference will take at Kings’ Conference Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, and will look at new ways forward for community action in a time of significant economic and social change. National speakers will include Jonathon Porritt, former head of the Sustainable Development commission. Local organisations from across the UK will also be well represented, along with speakers from local government, universities, and energy companies.

For further information and to book a place visit: http://lowcarboncommunities.net/conference/

Let Live: A bike ride, climate change and the CIA is the new novel about climate change by local author John Madeley. Through the eyes of an environment journalist on a bike it deals with the impact of climate change and the powerful interests that don’t want people to know who is causing it.

Cycling through West and East Africa, the guy on a bike meets people who have been forced from their homes because of the climate change that Western countries are largely causing. He writes critical articles about the West’s failure to curb carbon emissions, and is especially damning of United States policy. The US, he points out, is invading the sovereignty of other countries. The CIA don’t like it, and a plot is hatched to remove him.

Drama and pathos combine with wit and humour to make this a powerful novel for our time. Set in 2007, in the dying stages of the George W Bush presidency, the book is a strong challenge to Western government policies on climate change.

“Let Live” is published by Longstone Books. ISBN: 078-0-9568344-1-6;
240 pages, price £8.99.

“Entertaining, sharp, penetrating, an incisive account of the damage that climate change is doing to the poor. A searing indictment of the policies of Western country governments. Read it….and demand action” – Caroline Lucas MP

“A fascinating read, bringing out many poignant issues and experiences, amidst a gripping story line” – Jeff Alderson

Buy online or at your local book shop

Website: www.johnmadeley.com

We are hearing of community solar PV projects that are now in serious financial jeopardy because of the proposed changes to the FiT and the short notice given. Blewbury Energy Initiative is advising, “those leading such projects to keep careful records of their documentation – especially bills and payments, as it is possible they may be able to reclaim expenditure committed before the DECC announcement on 31st October.”

Is your project in such a situation? Or have you shelved plans because of the proposed changes?

Please use the comments section below to share your experiences and how you are responding to the proposed changes, both so we know who is being affected and also to share with others ideas and resources of how to respond.

Also if you haven’t already signed the e-petition started by the CofE’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign, asking DECC to consider exempting not-for-profit group projects from the Feed-In Tariff reductions, please do consider doing so.

When we launched the All Saints Carbon Reduction project, we probably didn’t really think too much about what we’d let ourselves in for.  A long-standing eco-congregation,  in Wokingham, the eco-congregation team  had already done lots of great things to get our congregation more interested in green issues.  We’re blessed with a clergy team that doesn’t apologise for giving its congregation a proverbial kick up the backside about environmental issues,  and as an eco-congregation group in general we preach to the converted.  So, in 2010 the eco-congregation team decided to do something more challenging and kicked off a project focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the church buildings.

The idea of investigating renewable energies and energy conservation brought forward church members who had previously  been supportive, but had not shown an active interest in eco-congregation activity.  Just as women expecting their first babies find themselves noticing babies in the street for the first time, as a group we suddenly began to realize that we weren’t the only church to be thinking this way, but in fact were some way behind the curve of early adopters.  That said, our path has not been easy, and it has often required faith and determination to carry on.

We took a holistic view, and divided the project up into loose chunks of activity and research: solar panels, lighting, insulation, behavioural change and heating.  We then ran our plans tentatively past the PCC and got the go ahead to investigate further.  At each step we feared that we might meet objections, but fortunately none was raised.

We spoke to various suppliers and experts and got quotes for things like  low energy lighting systems.  That showed us that whatever we did, making an impact was not going to come cheap. Like many churches in these recessionary times, All Saints has a budget deficit, and we knew that solar panels and the like might be seen as an eccentric luxury.  As a result we were careful to emphasise that these measures would save money in the long run, as well as achieve our aim of demonstrating our commitment to caring for creation.  We were also careful to build on work already budgeted for and planned, to ensure that it was carried out with carbon reduction in mind.  We also were clear that aesthetics and design were important considerations. For example we hope eventually to install a lighting system that enhances our church and optimizes its use as well as reducing its carbon footprint.

The project was, and still is, so large, that prioritising our actions was tricky.  However, due to the fact that at the time the top rate of Feed in Tariff was due to be cut in April 2012, we realized that that time constraint meant that we should focus on the solar panels first.

Our first thoughts were to install solar panels on the church roof.  We’re a grade II listed Norman church, but internet searches showed us that a listing wasn’t in fact an insurmountable hurdle to a solar panel installation.  Knowing that was one thing, but seeing it with our own eyes was another, so we organized a visit to St. Michael and All Angels in Withington, Gloucester.  This was well worth it, not only because they have a wonderful example of a pellet boiler and solar panels on a listed church, but also because they have a truly marvelous pub just two minutes down the road.  We returned to Wokingham and engaged with the Council’s Conservation Officer and English Heritage to discuss our plans. We also got some solar panel quotes, although it was surprisingly difficult to get them.  Many companies told us that it was impossible to install solar panels on a grade II listed building, and we found ourselves having to convince them we could!

Another hurdle we knew we had to surmount was the fact that the church roof needed re-doing (despite several recent repairs, due to the lead disappearing in the middle of the night) and there was no point in putting solar panels on the roof if they would have to be removed for later roof repairs. Meeting the deadline of April 2012 looked increasingly unlikely.

Things looked bleak, but when one door shuts another one always seems to open.  As part of our research we  learnt that solar panels can be installed on non-South facing roofs and so we switched our focus from the church to the church’s community centre, the Cornerstone.

The Cornerstone was built in 2002 and was built with energy conservation in mind. It also has the advantage as a site for a solar installation that  it is not listed, and has a large surface area of roof.  We discovered that if we used the Cornerstone roof,  and got funding for it, we would generate a Feed in Tariff that would both pay for refurbishment of the facilities and leave us with extra money to fund much needed community projects.  The Cornerstone is in an area of extreme relative deprivation, and much of the work that All Saints does is in helping the community of Norreys ward, which is one of the most deprived areas in Britain. Whilst public funding was being cut and intermittent, we could see a new way of getting an index linked income for 25 years.

At about that time we also became aware of one of the few sources of grant funding  for solar panels. Although the Feed in Tariff and savings on energy bills would have paid for the panels in time, we didn’t have the capital sum to pay for them.  British Gas and River Cottage are offering the “ Energyshare”  grant of up to £100,000 to fund renewable energy projects that benefit the community.  The grant administration is run through a website www.energyshare.com.  Once we got into this process it really drove us according to its timetable.

There are three rounds. The first required us to get sufficient supporters signed up on the website to be in the top 100 of registered groups. We only had a month to do this, but managed it with just over 100 supporters. The second round was much more challenging.  Selection to be in the final round is based on a written application and the number of supporters registered on the website.  Following some pretty grueling work drumming up supporters and preparing a persuasive bid, we were delighted to find that we had been selected as one of 7 projects with a chance of 2 grants.

As part of our bid we have pledged to help those in fuel poverty in the Norreys ward reduce their energy costs, and apply for Government grants, using our solar installation and our own energy saving measures as real-life examples. We have also pledged to share our experience with other community buildings, so are happy to hear from any other churches who would like to pick our brains.

So, currently we are working hard to drum up votes to get that all-important funding.  It’s now votes that count, not supporters. Alongside the mainstream circulation of flyers, we’ve done a school assembly, addressed a convocation of eco-congregations and asked for help from a local Sikh temple.  We’re also hoping that members of the Earthing Faith network will help us and vote.  All you need do is go to www.energyshare.com/all-saints-wokingham and click “Vote Now”.  You will then be signed up as an energyshare member. You then need to go back to the voting page and press “Vote” again.  The process of sign up is downright confusing, but every vote counts and we know that based on the current number of supporters, if every supporter counts we stand a very good chance of getting that funding!

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Tamzin Evershed is a member of All Saints’ Wokingham and coordinator of their Carbon Reduction project.

The Carbon Reduction Project at All Saints’ Church in Wokingham have made it to final of the energyshare Fund Vote! Up to £100,000 per group is up for grabs – and the ultimate winners will be decided entirely by public vote.

The Cornerstone is a community centre run by All Saints’ Church in Wokingham, and if they win they will install Solar PV panels on the roof, which through the Feed-in-Tariff  will generate a reliable long-term income stream to support the work of the centre.

There are three categories you can vote in: small, medium, and  large. All Saints’ Church in Wokingham is in the small category. We also understand that Andrew France, a vicar from the North East, who is orgnaising the entry of Earsdon Renewable Energy in the medium category would welcome your votes too!

Everyone who votes will be entered into a daily draw to win River Cottage Veg books and British Gas home efficiency packs.

Get voting at www.energyshare.com/voting/

Read more about the story behind the Carbon Reduction Project at All Saints’ Wokingham in our case study.

The Diocese of Oxford and the national CofE Shrinking the Footprint campaign are offering churches (and CofE schools) in the diocese the opportunity to use, for free, energy monitoring software that will help track and reduce their energy use.

The scheme is partnering with sMeasure, an easy-to-use web-based energy managing tool developed by the University of Oxford, that has been designed specifically for organisations like the church.

In only 5 minutes a week the sMeasure tool will help reduce and control energy costs, and provide an ongoing record of energy use. It is expected that churches will save between 10%-40% of energy use by tracking their gas, electricity and oil use – and by integrating accurate local weather data the tool also links energy use to the weather, giving an indication of how efficiently the building is being heated.

We are looking for 100 church and school buildings from the Diocese of Oxford to be part of this pilot scheme in 2012, before it is launched nationally in 2013. Participation in the pilot means you will give you free access to the sMeasure tool and access to support and advice.

Find out more information about sMeasure here. To register a school visit: www.earthingfaith.org/school-energy-pilot

Register your church