Resourcing the Challenge, November 2010
This page forms part of the Diocese of London's Shrinking the Footprint microsite. For the introductory page, see here.
There is a wealth of events around the Diocese and London concerning the environment and Shrinking the Footprint, organised by the Church of England, the Diocese of London, and others. Here are just a few - including regular annual events and seasons.
At the end of this page you will find a calendar summarising what's coming up, and to the right, a blog of rolling news, and links to other pages. For more information, or if not sure whether the details you have are up to date, contact the Head of Environmental Challenge on 020 7932 1229 or 
The canonical Anglican calendar does not include a celebration of creation as such. It is supplemented by a range of events running in parallel.
Harvest Festival Sunday is the most longstanding (apart from St Francis Day, a traditional saint's day which now marks the end of 'Creation Time'). The environment is now marked during the season of Lent (Lent Carbon Fast and Creation Sunday), and in June (Environment Sunday).
The Carbon Fast is organised each year by Tearfund, supported by dioceses including Liverpool and London, led by their Bishops. It starts on Ash Wednesday, concluding on Easter Saturday. Ash Wednesday next falls on 22 February 2012, and the Carbon Fast will run from then till Saturday 7 April 2012.
We encourage all church members to observe Lent and Holy Week with actions which reduce our contribution to climate change. Of course, reducing our emissions and changing the way we live are not just things we do in Lent - they need to be forever.
To find out how to take part and to get a flavour of how the Carbon Fast is happening around the world, see here.
For an environment-themed Bible study for Lent 2012, see here.
Tear Fund is also the Church of England’s partner in its national environmental fund, called the Climate Justice Fund.
Creation Sunday is observed each year on the second Sunday in Lent: in 2011 that was Sunday 20 March. In 2012 it will occur on Sunday 4 March.
Environment Sunday is on the Sunday nearest the UN's World Environment Day (5 June), which in 2011 fell on the same day, Sunday 5 June. 2012 is a leap year, so Environment Sunday will be 3 June 2012.
For an introduction, see www.unep.org/wed/index.asp.
Harvest Festival is on the Sunday of the Harvest Moon (the full Moon nearest the autumn equinox). This may occur in September or October.
Wikipedia states:
"The modern British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church ... in Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" ... helped ... spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service."
It is said that Robert Hawker was concerned at the increasing alienation of English people from the land where their food was grown. If that was true in a Cornish village in 1843, how much more in 21st Century London!
Several Christian denominations in the UK and Ireland and around the world share in this annual event, established in 2007 by the European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania.
Since then each year it is celebrated from 1 September to 4 October, St Francis Day, with prayers for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles.
Many churches pick one Sunday during the season of Creation Time to focus especially on environmental themes.
Creation Time is now supported by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
Climate Week was a new initiative in 2011, running from 21 to 27 March. See www.climateweek.com.
The Church of England Shrinking the Footprint campaign, and the Dioceses of London and Southwark, were among a host of supporters of every description and rank, up to and including the Prime Minister.
The Dioceses of Southwark and London mounted an event entitled 'Commonwealth of Compassion'. Climate Week 2012 is now scheduled for 12-16 March 2012. The Diocese of London's contribution will be 'Route Around the World', Sat 17 March 2012, St George's Bloomsbury.
Earth Hour is an annual event organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF): www.earthhour.org.
In 2011, Earth Hour was scheduled for 8:30 to 9:30 pm on Saturday 26 March – people and organisations were encouraged to make a public statement of their concern to tackle climate change by switching off their lights for one hour.
Earth Hour 2012 will be at the same time, on Saturday 31 March 2012.
Switching off lights for just one hour in a year needs to lead to actions all through the year:
"Earth Hour 2011's success is just the beginning. The global community has rallied to show it is united in its commitment to a sustainable future, with hundreds of millions of people, in more than 5,000 cities, in 135 countries and territories across the globe taking part in Earth Hour 2011.
"And it doesn't stop when the lights come back on. This year, Earth Hour is asking people to take the next step and go beyond the hour, by committing to ongoing action for the planet."
The Big Lunch is a summer street party, when communities share local produce while making friends and having fun.
In 2011, the Big Lunch was partaken of on 5 June - Environment Sunday. See www.thebiglunch.com. The Big Lunch 2012 also plans to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with the Big Diamond Jubilee Lunch – on Sunday 3 June 2012.
Has your church considered organising a Big Lunch party? For ideas and experience, contact the Revd .
Climate change and the environment are not just matters for fluffy greens or men in white coats. They affect the lives of all of us, and they affect the heart.
'Church and Earth 2009-2016', the Church of England's long-term plan for climate change and the environment, contains the commitment:
"By 2016, dioceses and cathedrals will be holding annual Creation Time festivals and services of worship and prayer; running courses, retreats, artistic events and celebrations connecting the themes of Shrinking the Footprint to the church calendar; commissioning new art works, hymns, choral pieces, stained glass and other church art inspired by Shrinking the Footprint."
The Diocese of London commissioned a brand new work, 'Diptych' by Andrew-John Smith, Director of Music at St Peter's Eaton Square in London's West End. This work was given its World Premiere at Route 2050 in St Peter's on 9 May 2011. Settings of texts bearing upon our treatment of creation and God's message of redemption were performed by members of St Peter's Choir to the accompaniment of a small string ensemble. See Route 2050 and the news article.
The Head of Environmental Challenge issues a regular newsletter to parish representatives and Parish Environmental Champions.
| Shrinking the Footprint newsletter Autumn 2011 |
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| Shrinking the Footprint newsletter Christmas 2011 |
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The London Churches Environment Network is chaired by the Revd Barry Goodwin, Acting Archdeacon of Croydon and Environment Officer of the Diocese of Southwark. It runs a programme of evening talks and other events about environmental concerns.
See www.lcen.org.uk.
