How does a cathedral turn green?

A cathedral has won a gold award for its eco-friendly initiatives.

Ely in Cambridgeshire is only the third cathedral to receive the Eco Church Award from the Christian conservation charity, A Rocha UK.

The charity said Ely was "an exemplar of what it means to be a gold-awarded church".

So how does a church go green?

A Rocha UK describes an eco church as one that takes "practical action on caring for God’s earth".

The action at Ely has involved everything from printing fewer service sheets to rescuing hedgehogs.

The cathedral says its efforts are paying off, with its latest annual report recording 2023 as the lowest year so far for carbon emissions.

The emissions figure has dropped by 42% since 2019.

Helen Stephens, the church relations manager at A Rocha UK, said: “Our huge congratulations to Ely Cathedral on their well-deserved gold Eco Church award.

"Everything about their approach sets them out as an exemplar of what it means to be a gold awarded church and their strong engagement in local networks provides opportunities to share their learning and experience."

The cathedral has:

• cut paper use by using downloadable service sheets
• carried out regular litter picks
• worked with the charity Fareshare to turn surplus food into meals
• planted hedgerows
• created a release site for rescued hedgehogs
• drawn up plans to plant an orchard

Alison Binstead, who chairs the Cathedral's environment working group, said: “It really has been a huge team effort across every area of cathedral life and has brought with it so many positive changes.

"The support we have received from Eco Church has been excellent and we look forward to continuing our environmental improvement journey with the exceptional team of people we have here at Ely."

The Very Reverend Mark Bonney, the Dean of Ely, added: “It is enormously gratifying that our care for God’s creation has been recognised in this way."

He paid tribute to the work of the Reverend Jenny Gage, the cathedral's minister for social justice, who was "instrumental in getting us started on this journey" before her death in 2022.

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