Churches often lead in community care and social responsibility. With climate change and ecological concerns growing, it’s time for faith communities to step forward with real, practical steps. You don’t need a major overhaul to see results. Small changes add up fast. Whether your church is old or new, you can lower your environmental impact while setting a strong example for others.
Also read our post on faith and animal welfare.
Switch to Clean Energy
Many churches can cut their carbon footprint by choosing a green energy supplier. Most energy providers now offer renewable options like wind, solar, or hydro. Making the switch is usually as easy as a phone call or an online form.
The cost is often the same, and sometimes it’s lower. Display your choice in the entrance or newsletter to inspire others as well.
Cut Single-Use Plastics
Church coffee mornings, events, and picnics can produce lots of plastic waste. The simple answer is to swap single-use cups and cutlery for reusable options like wooden, metal, or compostable sets. Buy in bulk and keep them in the church kitchen. For special events, invite people to bring their own reusable mugs and plates.
Start a Community Garden
A community garden brings people together and provides space for wildlife. Turn unused church land or a strip of lawn into raised beds, herb patches, or wildflower areas. Grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers for the congregation or food bank.
If planting green spaces, read about pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens. And trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore).
Compost kitchen scraps and use rain barrels for watering. Display signs inviting neighbours to join. Gardens help shrink your environmental footprint and boost local food security.
It’s best to just bin scraps from alliums (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) and rhubarb/citrus scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures.
Encourage Low-Carbon Transport
Church members travel for services, meetings, and events. Support walking, cycling, and lifts for those with bus connections. Install bike racks where possible.
Share information about public transport links or set up a lift-sharing noticeboard. If your church organises outings, hire clean coaches or minibuses.
Choose Fairtrade and Local Suppliers
Tea, coffee, sugar, and biscuits are staples in church kitchens. Buy Fairtrade or local goods where possible. Fairtrade protects the rights of workers and offers environmentally friendlier farming. Local produce means fewer food miles and fresher ingredients. These are easy swaps that still taste great.
Plant Your Own ‘Wild Church!’
Field Guide to Church of the Wild is a smashing book, which could do wonders, if all places of worship invested in a copy (or got gifted one!) Co-written by a spiritual guide and the founder of the worldwide Wild Church Network, it’s a guide for anyone who wishes to reconnect their spirituality with the natural world.
Many of us love Nature and love God, and it seems in the modern world, some people seem to think they are separate from each other (drill the Arctic, destroy polar bear homes, then pray in church?)
This book has a different outlook, including prayers, stories and practical resources for any church who believed that we are guardians of the Earth that God created.
You’ll also meet leaders and participants of the Wild Church Movement, offering wisdom from the hundreds of wild churches that are now blooming across our planet.
Victoria Loorz is a wild-church pastor and Patreon writer. She has become a leading voice in the wild spirituality movement that regards respect for nature and loving God, as being on the same path.
Valerie Luna Serrels is co-founder and director of Wild Church Network. She holds a masters degree in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Her own Wild Church (Virginia) meets in a forest, where the ‘teachers’ are trees, cardinals, finches and ancient lichen. How refreshing!
The website has a directory of inspirational churches. One is the fantastically-named Texas town of ‘Dripping Springs’, which commits to:
Growing our Faith
Honouring & Engaging Our Children
Being in Service to Our Community
Caring for God’s Creation
Valerie invites anyone in England (or anywhere) wishing to start a Wild Church community to contact her!
Ideas to Make Your Church More Sustainable
- Making Your Church Sustainable looks at how to develop a plan to suit your church in a world of pressure on budgets and soaring energy costs. Learn how to improve church maintenance practices, and find alternative ways to heat your church.
- Earn a certificate at Eco Churches, to also save a fortune on bills. The site has free books on green energy, wildlife-friendly lighting, boilers, heating and recycling.
Choose Soot-Free Church Candles
Most churches light candles, whether it’s for a service or for parishioners to light in memory of loved ones. Paraffin candles support the oil industry, and cause indoor air pollution.
Soot-free soy candles burn cleaner than paraffin ones. Choose unscented, due to allergies, pregnancy, babies and pets.
Follow candle safety tips. Before lighting, trim wick to 1/4 inch and keep free from trimmings and matches, and don’t burn for more than a few hours. Place candles on stable heat-resistant surfaces, away from flammables.
Switch Church Money to Greener Causes
JustMoney Movement has a free guide for churches to switch to greener banks and campaigns for a Wealth Tax of 1% to 2% on those with assets over £10 million (which could raise £50 billion).
An annual wealth tax of up to 5% on the world’s billionaires and multi-millionaires could raise enough money to lift 2 billion people out of poverty. Download an ethical buying guide for churches.
Looking After Churches (and residents!)
- Read how to protect bats and owls, which often roost or nest in church buildings.
- Reduce your footprint with the free carbon calculator. This was developed by the son of ecological writer Satish Kumar, who once built his own solar-powered boat and sailed it around the British Isles. This should also reduce bills enormously.
- CosyGlazing is an affordable lightweight alternative to glass, which is approved for use on sash windows, to reduce heat loss by around 70%. It uses plexiglass (used in the aeronautical industry), and approved for listed buildings.
- Historic England has an extensive guide on how to maintain and repair ancient stained glass windows.
Inspirational Ideas for Green Churches
- Create a non-profit pop-up café. This not only gives local people somewhere to enjoy an affordable drink, but enhances community and friendship.
- Adopt an unused phone box. This scheme run by BT, lets you buy an old red phone box for £1, after approval. Communities use them for everything from installing community defibrillators to mini-book libraries (you could use it perhaps for religious books?)
- Host Climate Sundays. Instead of holding conventional services, inspire communities with free mass services on how to help our beautiful planet.
