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Shrinking the FootprintBy David Shimmings'For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian.' The Church of England’s first step, Measuring our Footprint was launched in June 2006 and was aimed to respond to the General Synod motion encouraging all dioceses and parishes to reduce their consumption by a measurable amount. The Church of England’s current total energy use is unknown. Energy use at St Mary Magdalene in 2005 was 266,414 kWh of gas and 31,301kWh of electricity. This produced CO2 emissions of 72.65 tonnes. When the campaign started, it was already half way through 2006 so our economies did not produce major savings, nevertheless by the end of 2006 our gas consumption went down by 8.25% saving 4.6 tonnes. Our electricity consumption was virtually unchanged and we ended the year having emitted 68.06 tonnes of CO2. The PCC made a decision to reduce the heating thermostat temperature slightly and try to use the central heating less. In 2007 we began to see the benefit of this. Our gas consumption went down a further 16.45% but our electricity consumption went UP by 10.22%. We ended the year having emitted 61.33 tonnes of CO2 which is 11.32 tonnes less than we did in 2005 - a saving of 15.6% So compared with 2005 our achievements are:
It is unfortunate that the electricity consumption has risen so much. It is not possible to control electricity use as we can with the gas. Lighting in the Church and the Centre is necessary - but only when there is someone there to benefit! Lighting empty rooms is a total waste. Is there any way in which we can induce people to turn off lights when they are no longer needed? Is there any way we can stop people turning on EVERY light in the Church. Do you know how many lights there are in the Church - have a guess. (The answer is actually 64). Finally let us remember why we are trying to reduce our carbon emissions. Climate change hits the poorest hardest. Severe drought has pushed nomadic communities in Niger, West Africa, closer to the edge of survival. If anyone has any suggestions as to how we can reduce our electricity consumption please speak to David Shimmings.
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