Net Zero Steps for Churches

Some of the key resources available from the Church of England to help us reduce our carbon footprint.

Action	Details	Cost
Get help	Find a few people who are willing to work together	Your time
Pray	Consider setting up a small group for bible study and prayer on net zero. Many of the case studies have videos and discussion questions. Net Zero Carbon and Environment Case Studies | The Church of England	Tea and coffee
Join	Sign up for Eco Church and start working towards an award. You’ll probably find you are doing more already than you had realised! Eco Church- An A Rocha UK Project	Your time
Learn	If you are able, it can be a really useful start to carry out your own heating walk-round of your church. Following this checklist will provide some useful info to help you start making energy savings. Heating Checklist PDF	Your time
Learn	Watch some of the webinars and case studies from the National Environment Programme. They are really encouraging, inspiring and informative. Webinars on getting to net zero carbon | The Church of England Net Zero Carbon Church | The Church of England	Your time
Learn	Get a professional Energy Audit – this will give you a list of actions and measures which can reduce your carbon footprint. The audit is helpful for working out which measures are most effective for your own church. We’re subsidising audits with Inspired Efficiency. Church Energy Audits – Diocese of Exeter (anglican.org)	£225 + VAT
Measure and report	Dig our your previous year’s energy bills and complete the Energy Footprint Tool on Parish Returns. It enables your church to make wise, targeted decisions to reduce your carbon footprint and it is now an essential step for your parish to access some grant funding. Parish Returns Online	Your time
Take action	Work through the Practical Path to Net Zero for Churches. This will take you through the actual energy reduction measures. Practical Path to Net Zero Carbon for Churches | The Church of England	Your time and varied costs
Take action	Review the National Routemap 2030, especially section 4.2 with the list of Milestones and considerations for churches. Try and make a plan for you church based on this guidance. Net Zero Carbon Routemap | The Church of England	Your time
Wider community	Check out whether there are any sustainability, climate action, transition town or community energy groups already set up in your area. There might be people in the groups from the wider community who can help your church or share their expertise, and there are bound to be opportunities for outreach mission.	Your time
Connect	Let us know who you are and which church you’re from so we can keep in touch with you. Sign up as an Eco-Contact for your church, parish, mission community or deanery! Email the Creation Care and Net Zero Team

To download this information as a document, see here.