Commission for the Environment
The Commission for the Environment was set up under a Synod Motion 974/01 and the original members were appointed by the Bishop-in-Council in February 2002. The Commission has the following terms of reference:
The Diocesan Commission for the Environment will work to promote a Christian theology of the environment and a sense of responsibility for environmental issues, both at local and global levels. It will seek to provide objective guidance and direction on how the church might creatively address the problems and challenges that face our communities.
The Commission will promote the Christian obligation to nuture and care for the environment at three levels in the Church:
The Commission can be contacted through its web page
(http://www.pastornet.net.au/envcomm/)
or through its Chair, Barry Richardson, 02 6258 1195, barrysalt@bigpond.com.au
The members of the Commission are:
Barry Richardson (Chair)
Charles Body
Linda Chapman
Rod Corrigan
Graeme Garrett (on leave)
Nick Hutchins (Diocese of Riverina)
Bill Leane
Christine Ledger
Stephen Palethorpe
John Walker
During the year Francis Marsdon and Alexa Barr resigned from the Commission. We would like to thank them both for their hard work and the insights they provided on environmental matters, the Commission is the poorer for their absence. We would also like to welcome Nick Hutchins who has just joined the Commission to provide a link between the two diocese and a perspective from his background in agronomics and sustainable farming
.
ACTIVITIES
Over the past year the Commission has sought to carry out its mandate through a series of programmes.
Creation Sunday this year is after Synod. The main theme is ‘water’, in line with the lectionary and the clear need for us to consider carefully the moral issues of water use in our community. Liturgical material and sermon briefing notes have been distributed to all clergy by the Bishop. The Commission would be very interested to hear from parishes as to how they celebrated the day.
An initiative of the
Diocesan Commission for the Environment has been to improve the practical
performance of diocesan facilities in terms of energy management. This
important activity will save money for participating facilities at the same
time as improving the environmental performance of church assets. The focus on
energy savings also sends a clear message to the faith community that
environmental improvement is being done in a way that cuts costs, and brings
increased amenity to facility users.
The Commission’s energy project is in the ACT, in cooperation with ACTEW and aims to improve energy use by diocesan facilities and schools. The project is proceeding slowly but steadily to sign off. Attempts to establish a similar project in NSW jointly with other diocese has been unsuccessful.
The greatest scope for
achieving environmental benefits is in the construction of church facilities,
and the greatest impact is by appropriate intervention at the design stage. The
Commission, with assistance from the Green building Council of Australia
(GBCA), has prepared a brief for architects to assist in the assessment of the environmental
impact of designs submitted when tendering proposals for significant church
properties.
As part of the
Diocesan Administrative Guidelines, architects are informed that the GBCA
ratings will be used when selecting the preferred design, and instructs
designers to use the GBCA ratings tools to present a case to support their
proposal, and a statement of the additional costs contributed to the design by
the proposed measures.
The approach is designed to ensure that environmental attributes are considered in an evaluation process that is fully informed of the relevant facts, where assessment is based on accepted national standards, and where ‘other criteria being equal’ selection will be based on the design that results in the least harmful effect on the environment.
A column considering environmental matters has appeared in each issue of Anglican News over the past year. The column has included consideration of eco-spirituality themes, and politically contentious issues including water use and nuclear power. A presentation and discussion session was also run at Convo3.
The Commission is exploring ways of holding local/regional meetings on environmental matters. We have held one such meeting at Narooma, which has led to the establishment of the Eurobodalla Anglican Environment Group. Other such meetings are being planned. We would welcome enquiries from any parish or group of parishes who would be interested in hosting such a meeting.
Contacts have been established with the
Environmental Committee of General Synod, and groups in several diocese, including
Following the urging of Synod last year, more parishes have responded by returning their forms. Rather than seeing it as ‘yet another form’, it is hoped that parishes will use the results of their survey in parish planning. An overview of the results of the Audit will appear in Anglican News later in the year.
This international Network met in
The recommendations
included in the statement have been accepted by the Anglican Consultative
Council and distributed to all Provinces in the Anglican Communion across the
world. Many are relevant to our diocesan and parish life. Members of synod are
urged to consider them in their planning.
Over the next year the Commission will be preparing the material needed for the next Creation Sunday. This will complete the first pass through the three-year lectionary cycle. Study material, aimed at assisting Christians consider their options and responsibilities before the Creator towards Creation, is being prepared and will be available shortly.
Consideration of the issue of the use of large, energy-wasteful, vehicles by parishes and agencies, purchased under fleet arrangements, will be the major area of energy use considered by the Commission this year. There are moral and social issues raised by the use of these vehicles.
The costs of the Commission are small and are met by the Diocese.
Professor Barry Richardson (Chair)