CLIMATE STEWARDS
29
Calculate
360Carbon ( www . 360carbon . org ) is an online tool which enables churches to measure their carbon footprint from different activities – energy , travel , food , waste , water and other expenditure . 360Carbon is free to use and works for all church denominations . Churches applying for Eco Church awards are encouraged to measure their footprint using 360Carbon , and to demonstrate a reduction in their carbon footprint before progressing to the next award level .
360Carbon works best when used by a team of people within the church , collecting data and looking at ways to reduce the church footprint . How do we travel to church – can we encourage walking , cycling , liftsharing , public transport ? Could we switch to renewable energy ? What about the food we serve ? Can we use less paper in the church office ?
The Climate Stewards carbon calculator ( www . climatestewards . org / offset ) uses the same principles so that individuals can calculate their personal or household carbon footprint . As with churches , it is really helpful to know our ‘ baseline ’ carbon footprint before we take steps to reduce it .
Reduce
Before March 2020 , one of the regular highlights of my job was to head off to a church or Christian conference with a bag of elderly Duplo , ready to explain more about carbon footprints and how to offset them . Below is a picture of my Duplo graph , based on the average carbon footprint of one person in the UK . One block of Duplo represents half a tonne of CO2e 1 , and the average UK carbon footprint is around 9 tonnes of CO2e . As people build their own footprint and compare it with the national average , they will start to think about how to reduce it . You can download the instructions from our website ( www . climatestewards . org / resources / duplo-footprint ).
Offset
Having measured and started to reduce their carbon footprint , we encourage people to offset what is left . Offsetting means compensating for our own emissions by supporting projects which reduce carbon emissions elsewhere . Crucially , all Climate Stewards partner projects bring multiple benefits such as health , livelihoods and biodiversity to local communities , as well as mitigating CO2 . Using our Seal of Approval ( www . climatestewards . org / seal-ofapproval / how-it-works ) process , we work with all our partners to design projects which are sustainable , robust and transparent , guaranteeing that they are delivering genuine carbon reductions equal to the amount of CO2e which has been offset .
WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS ’ COMMAND TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOUR MEANS THAT CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE .
Climate Stewards currently has seven partner projects in Nepal , Uganda , Kenya , Tanzania , Ghana , Peru and Mexico . Four of these are planting indigenous trees with churches , schools and smallholder farmers . Others provide clean cookstoves , water filters and fire-less cookers to poor households .
People are often surprised to find that it doesn ’ t cost the earth to offset , but that it ’ s a great way of compensating for our impact on God ’ s earth and His creatures , and helping our poorest global neighbours adapt to the impacts of climate change .
Caroline Pomeroy
Caroline Pomeroy is Director of Climate Stewards and Environmental Advisor to the Diocese of Bath and Wells . See www . climatestewards . org for more information and consultancy services .
1 . A measure of the global warming impact of an amount of greenhouse gases ( GHGs ) equal to a tonne of CO2 .
Before and after installing a Smokeless Metal Stove . Based on baseline and monitoring data from our partner , RIDS Nepal , each stove will save 6.5 tonnes of carbon emissions each year . Stoves also reduce deforestation , save families time gathering wood , and improve health ( chimneys take smoke outside the house , reducing lung and eye disease , and the enclosed fires reduce the risk of burns ).