St Martins House has been awarded the Eco Church Silver Award in the A Rocha UK Eco Church scheme.
As part of our commitment to becoming an Eco Diocese, the award of silver status recognises the hard work the St Martins House team has carried out in caring for God's creation and the improvements they have made over the last three years.
St Martins House in Leicester city centre is not only a conference centre for meetings, courses, weddings and events, but also home to the diocesan offices, the Christian Resources shop and Café No7.
During the Cathedral’s closure, its Great Hall has become a regular place of worship and as a diocesan dwelling is a house for prayer and praise the whole year through.
Delighted with the award, Nigel Jobson, Business Director of St Martins House, told us why it is so important to be conscious about the environment and help to care for God’s creation.
“We recognise that our actions have an impact on the environment around us,” he said. “Sustainability and tackling climate change are key strategic issues for us, and for the Diocese of Leicester. We are therefore committed to the implementation of an effective environmental policy that will not only reduce the impact of our activities on the environment but also increase our efficiency and effectiveness.”
Steps they have taken to reduce their environmental impact include the elimination of single-use plastic, multiple measures to reduce energy consumption, the introduction of electric vehicle charging points, comprehensive recycling practices and sustainable food sourcing.
Nigel added: “I would absolutely encourage our churches to apply for an Eco Church award and not to be phased or deterred about the application process. You may be surprised at how much you are already achieving!”
Could your church be more environmentally friendly? Do you already have things in place that could be the foundations for gaining an Eco Church award? It’s time to start taking everyday eco action!
Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes. It is an online framework to support and inspire churches and their leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth and includes a toolkit of resources, an online award survey, quarterly newsletter, online events and conferences.