Anglicans speak on greening, transforming faith spaces
The Joint Assembly of General Synod in 2013 agreed to create diocesan level Creation Matters task groups. Such task groups will come in line to "encourage parishes to do green audits". The purpose of such audits is to green parish buildings. Enviroaction Huron is part of that partnership. Examples of Anglican churches which are greening their buildings are St. Matthew's (Winnipeg), St. Luke's (Ottawa), and Christ Church Cathedral (Ottawa). The Very Rev. Shane Parker, dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, recently proposed a condominium tower and townhouse building project to exceed the LEED gold environmental building standard. Randal Goodfellow chair of Creation Matters says "Don't just improve your building, use it." Anglican parishes are finding ways to do just that.
The Green Certification program tries
to capture every activity for which communities of faith green their environment.
Once churches and faith communities apply they will be given certificates with Light
Green, Medium Green or Deep Green status. David Patterson, Energy Coordinator
for Greening Sacred Spaces writes, that when "10 of the actions in any of
the statuses (occurs), then they will have achieved that status". Faith communities
may apply every year to update their
certificate. Communities applying for the first time need to fill out a profile
on the GSS website: http://www.greeningsacredspaces.net/.If churches and faith
communities have any questions they may contact David Patterson, dpatterson@faith-commongood.net. As for churches involved with the Anglican Pilot Program, the "Green Awards" will be
mailed to the EnviroAction committee, Diocese of Huron in time for Synod at the end of May.
Link to Instructions for the Green Certification Program of Greening Sacred Spaces.
