Eco Church is an awards scheme run by A Rocha - an international network of environmental organisations with a Christian ethos. The aim of Eco Church is to equip churches to care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles.

Find out more about the scheme HERE.

Our Aims

At St. Mike’s we believe God has entrusted his Creation, which he loves, to us and it is our responsibility to care for it. We consider these issues on an individual, church family, and societal level.

We aim to:

• Consider environmental impacts in all our decision making.

• Keep learning and pass that learning on, within our church and to the wider community.

• Work towards Silver and Gold Eco-Church awards.

• Take positive action wherever we can, as individuals and as a church.

What’s Happening at St. Mike’s?

Awards

We achieved the Bronze Eco-Church Award last year and we are currently working towards Silver. Ultimately this work is not about the award itself but about analysing our impact, as a church and as individuals, on the environment and striving to make this a more positive one.

Save the Bees

We continue to maintain our bee-friendly planters which form part of an ‘insect corridor’ all the way down Walcot St. The plants have been specially chosen to encourage insect life, particularly bees. For a family friendly explanation of why bees are so important and why we should be worried that their numbers are dropping, watch this video!

A rocha eco calendar 2024

Sustainability isn’t a one-time effort; it’s a continuous journey. A Rocha’s new easy eco tips 2024 calendar will keep you and your church inspired throughout the year with fresh ideas for each month, and help to foster a lasting commitment to a greener lifestyle.

Small actions can lead to significant impact. That’s why their calendar focuses on easy-to-implement tips, ensuring that everyone can contribute, regardless of their lifestyle or schedule.

Download the full calendar HERE

January’s tip: Make ‘enjoying nature’ your priority. From bird watching to writing about or drawing something that inspires you in nature, growing your own fruit or vegetables, or exploring an area of outstanding natural beauty in the UK, be sure to fall in love with nature in a new way this coming year and allow it to lead your thoughts towards God our Creator. Further ideas can be found at arocha.org.uk/ideas-to-enjoy-nature/

Connect with us!

As Christians with a collective purpose, we can all learn from each other. We would be glad to share our experiences and ideas with other churches, whether you are already part of the the Eco Church scheme or not.

We would also love to hear from people in our local community. Would you like to share something for inspiration? Are you an organisation that would like collaborate with us or are you running an environmental event? Get in touch!