Eco-Congregation Scotland is always keen to hear from local churches and today our team shares great examples of activities and events. Congregations across our movement continue their work through the pandemic, respecting restrictions while responding to local need and addressing environmental concerns.
We are also pleased to share key events this week organised by partners and coalitions. On St Andrew’s Day, as we celebrate Scotland’s patron who spread the Good News far and wide, we thank all who have attended and participated in a wide variety of recent activities and online meetings, here and globally. This has been crucial as we welcome the world to the COP26 Glasgow climate talks next November. Eco-Congregation Scotland and churches throughout the country have been represented well by so many of our volunteers. We value your involvement, interest and insight.
We also love to share stories from local eco-congregations, to celebrate your wide-ranging work and encourage us all in caring for God’s creation. We were delighted to hear that our 500th eco-congregation Faifley Parish Church is holding a regular Recycle Room every Friday with free clothes bundles, DVDs, books, baby equipment, cushions and bedding thanks to dedicated volunteers and large numbers of donations. Ellis’ facemasks and Elsie’s chutney, pictured below, have been popular and successful fundraisers too!
We look forward to celebrating registration 500 with Faifley Parish when COVID-19 local protection levels allow. A special welcome and thank you to all subsequent new registrations in recent months, taking us to 508 eco-congregations:
If your church is concerned about the environment and wants to get involved, please join our movement today. It’s free to register.
We also encourage membership for your church, to become more active in the charity and support our Local Networks. Membership is again free for smaller churches and up to £100 per year for congregations with the highest incomes, that’s only £8 per month or less than £2 per week.
All membership fees go directly to support Local Network activities through our Programme Coordinator work. It’s easy to join online or print a form and post to us. Please also consider making a one-off or regular donation to support our work as an individual too.
Inspired by our A Sanctuary for Swifts event two weeks ago – which you can watch again online – Central Borders Local Network coordinator Ian Skinner informs us Holy Trinity Melrose is installing a nesting box for swifts on the Trinity Centre. Specially designed for swifts, the box will be placed near the top of the north facing gable with a clear outlook towards Gattonside Hill on the far side of the Tweed. Another two boxes designed for house martins are being placed on the Centre’s east side. Ian adds: “We are looking forward to welcoming new visitors in the spring of 2021!”
Well done and thank you all Kinross Parish Church Eco-Congregation group volunteers who picked up a “terrifying” amount of litter pictured above last Saturday in the space of about an hour. We also congratulate St Mary’s Eco-Congregation TOA (Take One Action) Local group in Dalkeith, holding another successful film evening to watch and discuss “Catching the Sun“, exploring workers and business leaders racing to lead the clean energy future.
These are just some of the diverse environmental activities and interesting events across individual congregations and our Local Networks. Thank you again for your continuing support and that of every church volunteer and all our supporters. It is always appreciated, even more so this challening year. Happy St Andrew’s Day!
An appropriately scary start to the Christian season most concerned with what is to come. Many thanks Scottish writer, academic and activist Alastair McIntosh on the first Sunday of Advent followed by Rev Julia Meason today, minister of Kirkwall East linked with Shapinsay, and to all opening our alternative Advent Calendar.
Financing Climate Justice Monday 30th November 2020, 12.00noon https://climatefringe.org/sccs-live-events/ Rich nations like ours have a duty to deliver a fair share of support for poorer countries on the front line of the climate crisis. Tune in to this Climate Fringe event to find out more.
Restraining Climate Change: What is the Role of Faith Communities? Tuesday 1st December 2020, 7.30pm https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x18cxZxSS_yyGZ6_bkEVWQ Climate emergency, coronavirus and Brexit. How can we as faith communities work with others to build a just and green future? These are moments of great opportunity but also significant challenge. Hosted by St Columba’s-by-the-Castle Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, join the discussion with:
This is a big year for tackling climate change in Scotland as the Scottish Government prepares to introduce a new Climate Bill. In 2017, over 19,000 members of the public supported our calls for an ambitious Bill with the policies for Scotland to do its share in limiting climate change.
Join Stop Climate Chaos Scotland for a Campaign Workshop to share knowledge and plan action on the Bill. We need to ensure the Government commits to a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest, and a roadmap to reach that. So it’s time to start campaigning!
These interactive workshops will give you more information on Scotland’s new Climate Change Act and how you can get involved in the campaign for climate justice.
We are encouraging people from all across Scotland who care about climate change to come along to meet other activists passionate about climate change, engage with the new climate Bill and to get involved in the campaign.
Dates
Aberdeen – Saturday 9th June
Dundee – Sunday 10th June
Glasgow – Saturday 16th June
Inverness – Sunday 17th June
Dumfries – Saturday 23rd June
Irvine – Saturday 23rd June
Stirling – Sunday 24th June
Booking
To book your place visit the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland web site:
At our Annual Gathering on Saturday Wesley Paxton from Annan told us about a petition he is promoting to try and get a standardised refillable glass bottle.
To read his idea in detail click here (PDF document).
This is a message from Wesley and a link to his petition:
This is my petition, I started it some time ago now, just before we got the suggestion from HMG plastic bottles should have a deposit. I hope you share the vision for this way to reduce plastic in the waste stream.
I created the petition “Universal washable and re-fillable GLASS bottle” and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.
This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition here:
Over the next few months, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland will be out across Scotland with their members putting on Climate Action Workshops which you can get involved in! These free to attend workshops are an exciting opportunity to meet others interested in climate change, get to know more about this years Climate Bill and to find out how you can get involved in campaigning.
SCCS are also delighted to be working in partnership with Take One Action at some of these workshops to bring you a screening of Not Without Us, a film following frontline activists in the fight against climate change. Check the event page of the workshop near you to find out if there will be a screening and how to get tickets.
More workshop dates and locations will be added over the next few weeks so keep checking the website for our up to date list. You can register for tickets at the confirmed dates so far by following the links below:
