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A new tool on the Parish Returns system will help the Church begin the process of becoming carbon neutral.
By simply entering the information from your church’s energy bills the Energy Footprinting Tool can calculate the carbon emissions from that energy.
In February this year the Church of England General Synod passed a motion committing to become a carbon neutral church by 2030.
The starting point is to be able to work out where are greenhouse gas emission are coming from, and church electricity and heating is a big part of that.
Jemima Parker, Diocesan Environment Officer, said: “This may feel like just another bit of form filling but the data gathered will be vital in helping us all play our part in fighting climate change.
“It is a simple way we can show we care about God’s creation and loving our neighbour.
“Every PCC needs to start annually reporting on the carbon emissions for the church and learning how to understand and reduce these emissions.”
Once the energy bill information is entered onto the online Parish Return portal, a carbon emissions (CO2) rating both for total CO2 and for the CO2 per person will be available.
The data collected will assist the national and diocesan strategic planning over the next ten years on our journey to net zero emissions.
To find out more please join one of Jemima’s webinars titled ‘Zero Carbon Church - What does it look like and how do we get there? Or My Church's Carbon Footprint Is...’- see more here.
More information from the Church of England can be found here.
A FAQ about the tool can be found here.