GREEN HEARTS






‘Greening’ involves incorporating more environmentally friendly systems into one's environment, such as the home, work place, and general lifestyle.

Do you know Psalm 51 v10?    
    “Create in me a clean heart,
O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.”

but today (and tomorrow and the day after) we pray: 

“Create in me a GREEN heart,
O Lord, and renew a GREEEN 
spirit within me.”

As we mark Climate Sunday and in the run up to the COP26 (26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in November) we invite you to take 2 green hearts.  On the first decorate or simply write your name and on the other side write the number(s) of actions you pledge to do in order to help ‘green’ your lifestyle. Then return it to church by the end of August to add to our “Greening Tree.”   
Keep the other at home as a reminder! 

ACTIONS

1. Make something out of something else or mend something.  
2. Decrease use of single-use plastic e.g. reuse bags for fruit & veg.
3. Pick up some litter (maybe buy a litter picker!)
4. Start to use a Fair Trade product you don’t normally use. 
5. Identify a short car journey you regularly make and walk, cycle or use the bus instead.
6. Go vegetarian (or even vegan) for part of the week. 



7. Buy some organic veg or fruit or wine!
8. Identify a way you can reduce your use of electricity or gas.  
9. Become aware of your carbon footprint  and try to reduce it.
www.carbonfootprint.com
10. ‘Wear and wear again’ and when you do wash use short cycles, lower temperatures and less detergent or try alternatives such as soap nuts or laundry balls.
11. Change to an environmentally friendly cleaning product. 
12. Recycle including donating to a charity shop or our next car-boot sale 11th September.
13. Cultivate a wild area - even just a potful. 
14. Reduce mowing to once a month or less.  Longer grass absorbs more CO2. 
15. Get political - raise climate concerns with your MP.  
16. Join Friends of the Earth/Garden Organic/Fair Trade Foundation.
17. Spread the word – tell your friends what you are doing and why or use social media. 

Remember to return one Green Heart to church as a sign of your commitment to the CofE Environmental Programme. 

Lord of life and giver of hope, we pledge ourselves to care for creation,  to reduce our waste, to live sustainably, 
and to value the rich diversity of life. 
May your wisdom guide us, 
that life in all its forms may flourish, and may be faithful in voicing creation’s praise. 
May the commitment we have made this day be matched by our faithful living.  Amen